Lifestyle; Herts/Beds Bloggers Meet Up!

For a while now, me and a few other bloggers have been talking about arranging a bloggers meet up, whether it'd be beauty, fashion, lifestyle, parenting ect, anyone is welcome! :) 

We had trouble arranging the date, so we decided to bite the bullet and plan it on Sunday the 7th of July. We have had thoughts/interest in first off going to Space NK in St Albans for a browse and make-over/treatments. List can be found here. They can be booked in advance or we can walk in, but depending on how many of us, it might be best to book in advance! 

Then after that, I was thinking of a mooch around the shops, then some people have suggested onto The Waterend Barn for a spot of lunch and cake! (And cocktails for those who are old enough!). 

More details will follow, but if anyone is interested feel free to contact myself or Hannah from Beginners Beauty for more information if interested. :)

My Details;

Email; erduntonpayne@gmail.com

Twitter; @shootingstaremz

Blog; http://rosella-beauty.blogspot.co.uk/

Hannah's;

Email; contact@beginnersbeauty.com

Twitter; @beautyblogpage

Blog; http://beginnersbeauty.com/

I hope as many of you can come as possible, and I promise, as it's my birthday, I'll bring cake! 

Emily xox

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Closure?!

So I  believe I'm slightly late to the party, but as I have just heard, Google have announced they will be closing Google reader and more than likely Google connect on the 1st of July 2013. This deeply saddens me as I find this the most convenient way for me to follow blogs and for others to follow mine! This basically means that the 'Join this site' button will soon be going. Gutted. 

However, as I'm sure you are all awear, there are plenty of ways to follow this blog, if you so wish! :) 

You can follow me on Bloglovin which is my personal fave, and also on She Said Beauty. You can also stay connected with me through Twitter. I was saddened to hear 'Hello Cotton' had also shut down, so many good sites going. :( 

In my own view, I feel that although google reader is going, I do feel that maybe the obsession with 'followers/subcribers' might go down slightly. I feel that sometimes this over takes what blogging is really about!

Anyway, here are some ways to follow me :). Are you sad to see Google reader and Hello Cotton go? 

Emily xox

Inspiration.

'Don't go through life, grow through life.'

Eric Butterworth

This above quote sums up my life right now. My life is going through a 'transitional' period of sorts at the moment. As my mum put it 'I'm growing up from a stroppy teenager into a young woman'. Now this thought scares me, because like most, being a teenager is all I really know. Suddenly I'm dealing with car payments, sorting out council tax and rent bills, making sure me and the boyfriend have food for lunches and dinner and various other things. I've always felt very grown up and mature for my age, but next year, I turn 20. Officially no longer a teenager, and if i'm honest I'm scared. As silly as that sounds, but it feels like my teenage years have slipped away from me. Far be it from me to say, they were NOT the best years for me, but that's another story! 

Finding the above quote it got me thinking, how many of us just go through life rather than grow with it? As strange as it sounds, I feel like I've let to much pass me. I feel like I've been too focused on the future things and so hooked up on the bad things that happened in the past that I missed what's been happening in the present. Reflection isn't exactly unusual for me, but for some reason, today it hit me hard. Maybe it's the fact I'm growing up, or the fact I'm moving out in 4 months time, who knows. All I do know is, I need to stop focusing so much about what MIGHT happen and deal with what is happening and right now, that's spending time with my family and trying to reconnect with my boyfriend.

In personal terms, it feels like due to strong work commitments, me and my boyfriend have drifted. Not in a way where we will be splitting, but on emotional levels I feel we need to reconnect. We have so much to look forward to as a couple and recently made some very big decisions as a couple, but time together is a big thing for me at the moment. We have a few days off together soon for his birthday this week and I cannot wait! 

Sorry for the rambling, but sometimes it's just nice to let it all out and hey it's my blog, that's why I created it!

Are there any big changes your going through right now? What are your favorite quotes? 

Emily xox

He's my everything, and I can't wait for the special times
we're going to have together, on top of those we've already had <3

In other news; 

I will be getting back to beauty posts soon! I'm just working on a few things at the moment and trying to find the words and everytime I write something, I just want to delete it. It never looks right :( So bare with me! :) 

Emily xox

Rise & Fall

It's fair to say that my 'Project May' has fallen flat on it's face. It's been a hectic few weeks in my life at the moment and I'm gutted to not have completed it! But I will not give up, the idea of project may was to try and get me blogging Mojo back, and thankfully it's done just that! Despite not being able to post everyday, due to work & personal commitments, I've been able to post more often than usual! 

I just wanted to take this post to be able to say thank you to each and every single reader & subscriber. I'm so close to 100 now and although to some that's not even a quarter of there readers to me, it's amazing! 

In the last year blogging has opened up so many doors for me and I recently reveled my blog to family and friends, something I never thought I'd ever ever do! My blog is so personal to me and it's the one place I felt like I could truly express myself, and the support I get from fellow bloggers is one of a kind! 

So I'm not going to babble, and leave it here. If your interested, here's a list of my fave blogs that I've found throughout my time :)

How long have you been blogging? Has it changed your life?

Emily xox

Wishlist Wednesday (A day Early!)

I'm posting a day early as I will more than likely be too busy tomorrow as I'm working!

So as most of you know, my car sale went through and I'm now the proud owner of my Polo! In doing that it now means that my bank balance is slightly worse for wear and as of the next few weeks (maybe months) these wishlists are more than likely going to be just that! However, my birthday is coming up in a couple of months and with any luck, I might be treated to a few things by my boyfriend! Who knows :) 

My nieces birthday is coming up and she's getting past that stage of wanting lots of toys. So when I was looking through the make-up department in John Lewis I had a quick look at the children's clothes and came across this dress which I though was adorable! As in my previous wishlist, I've been looking for some new scents. Currently I'm still using the first Alien bottle shown, but I love it that much that I'm thinking of repurchasing. But saying that, I'm contemplating trying the original Alien perfume and seeing if I like that just as much! With summer literally around the corner now I've been looking for some new nail colours and these Models Own colours are exactly what I was looking for! They look so cool and I want to try them, my fave one so far is the Lemon coloured one. The last 2 items are from Asos and I just think they'd go nice together when going to bbqs or for lunch out which I'm doing quite often now! The bag is found here and the dress here .

I hope you like my wishlist, have you tried any of these products? Did you like them? What's on your wishlist this week?

Lots of Love 

Emily xox

20 Things To Know About Me - Tag

I was looking through Bex's blog yesterday and I came across this tag that she'd done and I thought 'I'd rather like to do this'. So I hope you don't mind Bexs! 

When was the last time you cried?

That would be last week! I was exhausted and it seems my emotions are all over the place lately.
Are you named after anyone? Nope. Which is quite sad, I love family tradition names.
Do you have kids? Nope, but I would love to have one! Maybe someday!
If you were another person, would you be a friend of yourself? Haha no! I think I can be a right moody cow!

Brother/Sister Love!

Do you use sarcasm a lot? Who doesn't to be fair!
Will you ever Bungee jump?

Well I went on those ones at fairs and things does that count? As far a daredevil things go, no :) 

What’s your favourite cereal?

Lucky Charms or Shreddies! 

What’s the first thing you notice about people?

For some odd reason their nose and hair...

What is your eye colour?

Deep Brown :)

Scary movie or happy ending?

Scary movie.

Favourite smells?

Orangeeee and Appleee but not together.

Summer or Winter?

Love summer for the picnics, ice creams and beach trips and winter for the warm snuggles and Christmas.

Computer or television?

Computer, I use my laptop for literally everything

What’s the furthest you’ve ever been away from home?

Futureventura :) 

Where were you born?

WGC in Hertfordshire

Do you have any special talents?

Apparently I can sing...and looking after children comes to me naturally if that counts?

What are your hobbies?

Blogging, shopping, writing and driving :) 

Do you have any pets?

I have a pretty little cat Daisy at my bf's and 2 dogs at my parents.

Favourite movie?

Hm...tough one...Aladdin, Scream and of course Titanic!

Do you have any siblings?

2 older brothers and 1 younger sister...I have 2 other half siblings who I no longer speak too...

So there you go, a bit more about me and what my likes/dislikes are! I tag you all and anyone who wants to do the tag! :) 

Lot's of Love

Emily xox

I've Done It!

For those who will know me, all I've wanted to do for the past two years is save up, buy my car and pass my test! Well this week, I've completed two of those! As of last Thursday I am now the owner of a luscious Volkswagen Polo & Booked my test! 

It took a great load of effort, dealing with difficult finance companies, a over keen sales person, trying to set a deposit amount and even being able to transfer money! (My bank thought it was suspicious activity!), BUT all is well and my car is now sitting outside and is a DREAM to drive. 

I have had to put up with some really nasty and hurtful comments from people, saying I shouldn't of done it, how am I affording it, blah blah blah, but, It's MY money, I'm paying for it 100% and it was my choice. Do I regret it? NOPE! 

I think I made a good choice and it's right for me :). It's pretty much my dream car. I love driving it!

What do you guys think? :) 

What was your first car/or ideal first car? 

Lots of Love

Emily xox

How My Spending Ban Ended....

So I forgot to update you all on my spending ban! It actually ended last week, and I have to say I did save alot! And I didn't really relapse at all! I spent well within my allowed amount of money, used up unused products and save money! So much so that I've actually been able to put a deposit down on a car and build up my Baby Saving Account.

I'm so proud of myself, If I'm being modest (hehe!) I really thought I'd end up failing within the first week, but I didn't! I'm so happy, and I can happily say I haven't brought a single lush thing since this time! Which was one of my main goals, and because of that I've nearly finished all my products that I had built up and was probley never ever going to use and they'd go to waste! My boyfriend was shocked when I said I was running low and had to check my stock for himself aha! He was surprised when he turned to me and said 'There's no shi*** magazine's cluttering the living room!?'. That's right, In 100 days I didn't buy one single Gossip/Fashion/Beauty magazine. How good was I?! I have to admit, when I was in hospital, my mum and boyfriend did bring me a copy of Heat and  Star and Closer, but come on, I was in hospital, bored, and I technically didn't buy them ;). 

I think that I'm going to put another spending cap on as I'm officially moving out in October, we got the official date the other day and I'm so excited. But I want to make sure we have enough money saved so that we can live comfortably and not always be struggling. 

So here's my new rules, feel free to join if you wish! 

1. It's for one month

2. I will attempt to take lunch to work at least 3x a week!

3. I  will NOT buy ANY magazines

4. Only essentials are allowed, no being tempted by offers. Yes that's you boots!

5. Attempt to spend £10 a week less than I do now.

6. Only eat out/get take away twice a month.

So not many rules and I think I can stick to them, so what you say?

Love, Emily xox

Barry M - Nail Paint (Mint Green) - Review!

I've become more and more obsessed with nail polishes as we're getting  into the warmer weather alot more. I know that must sound odd, but it appeals to me more in warmer weather?! Recently I was in Superdrug and wanted to pick up some new colours. I'd been reading about the Barry M Gelly polishes, so I picked that up in Papaya(?) and I'm yet yo try that out yet, but while there I realised I'd never ever tried a normal Barry M polish! (Big beauty sin). So I picked up one in the colour 'Mint Green'. I seem to love this colour as I have 3 (yes 3!) different versions of this colour!

At first, I didn't like the consistency  It didn't feel opaque enough for me and it was very runny. My nails are so brittle at the moment because I've just had false ones taken off (NEVER AGAIN!) and because of my job, they get used alot! After really shaking the bottle it seemed to get a little thicker and applied alot better. But it still took a few coats to get the 'coverage' I wanted. 

Overall Round-up; 

Pros;

1. Nice Colour

2. Nice Consistency 

3. Builds up nicely.

Cons; 

1. Needs alot of shaking to get a good texture

2. Takes a few coats to get good coverage. 

I would purchase this again! 

Have you ever tried Barry M's polishes? Did you like them at first or grow to love them?

Love, Emily xox

Tag; Music!

I recently saw this tag that Georgia from  Makeup-Pixi3 had made on Shona's blog. I thought it'd be fun to give it a go, so here we go; 

What's your favourite type of music?

I have to admit I'm a lover of 'bubble gum' pop as it's put. I grew up listening to bands like BWitched, Five, S Club ect, and I'm a lover of old music thanks to my dad's influence. I don't have a favourite type, as such, I just have my preferred. 

What's your least favourite type of music?

I despise most Rap music and music that just seems to be sound with no words. And shoot me down now, but I'm not a lover of people like Rihanna and Justin Bieber. They're just not my type of music. 

What's the best gig you've been to?

This is so hard! I've been to a fair few, but I'd have to say seeing Mcfly & Lawson was awesome! It was a sunny day on the Blackpool Seafront and it has to have been one of THE best day's of my life! We we're 2 rows from the front and I even caught something that they threw into the crowd! 

What albums are you listening to at the moment?

I'm replaying my Mcfly - Wonderland and Pinks new album. 

What's your favourite bands/artists & favourite album?

This is hard! Personally at the moment I'm loving Koaline - High Hopes, Nelly - Hey Porchse and Pink - Just Give Me A Reason. I don't really have a favourite at the moment, but I'm really getting back into my music! 

If you could instantly know how to play any instrument, what would it be?

Well I already play the Piano, but would love to prefect it! I would LOVE to be able to properly play the guitar. 

I tag anyone who wants to give this ago! :)

Emily xox

Project May Is In Progress!

Today I'm officially excited to confirm my project May Plan! So, the plan is that because, I feel like my blog has been a little slacking/not getting enough TLC, I'm going to blog EVERY single day thoughout the whole of May! I'm really hoping I stick to this and will be a failure if I do! 

So anyway, I just thought I'd explain why I'm doing it, and hope you'll all try and keep me on track! 

Today's post is my weekly wishlist wednesday! :) I'm skint at it currently stands :( but I've been well and truly lusting after some items lately. I've been trying to cram in loads of overtime at work so that I can enjoy a day in London with my BF on his birthday in a few weeks, and also trying to get some extra money elsewhere! Carboot sales are a big thing for me at the moment, even if I do spend more than I make....If you live in Herts/Beds area you should pop over! I sell everything! Make-up, clothes, books, sweets, cupcakes! So email me if you want to pop along! But...enough of that, here's my wishlist! 

When this goes to post I will know if I've been succesful in my application to buy my car, which is all very exciting, so I hope I'm not tempting fate by putting the plates and air fresheners on my wishlist! I'm really hoping to get it by this week, and therefore and loving the heart shaped one! And the Yankee Candle in a Banana Cake flavour! Another item I'm wanting this week is this Ikea furniture set for the garden. Although as I'm sat here writing this, it's hailstoning outside! I said before about my boyfriend's birthday, so I'm hoping we get this in time for that, otherwise it's going to be a blanket on the grass! Which I will be doing anyway but ya know! The Dougie Poynter shirt is in prep for the concert I'm going to see in a few weeks, I'm super excited! And The Muji Cases, well I want to FINALLY get my make-up and other products in order!

What's on your wishlist this week? 

Emily xox