Autumn is here

Hello there October. You're here so suddenly. And you're nearly already over too! 

2016 has been a weird old year for me. It's involved a lot of "adulting" and trying to work things out.

Looking back at my October summary blog post from last year, it seems October is just an unlucky month for me. However, it's made me realise how much I've changed.

This year has ups and downs. From going to Florida to finding an exercise I love (this deserves another blog post). And of course actually finding a job I enjoy.

If I told myself a year ago this is where I would be, I think my 2015 me probably wouldn't believe me. And I'm going to say that's a good thing. I probably would say "Don't be an idiot, you'll still be working part time as no one wants to hire you". 

But waving goodbye to that job was the best thing I did. If I didn't close that door then I would have missed a lot of opportunities. 

Back to here and now. Things aren't always great but I'm grateful. I don't have a plan for the future but that's okay. Who knows where or what I'll be doing next October!

Hayley x 

Lush Haul

With my local Lush store closed for refurbishment, I was starting to get withdrawal symptoms. I thought I'd treat myself to a few bits of lushy goodness as I have run out of quite a few products. After being annoyed about delivery, it arrived today, a week later. I didn't realise that stuff from the kitchen isn't actually made until the end of the week, which is a bit odd. But, I won't rant about that now. 

Samples: Go Faster Foot Lotion, Boom! Toothy Tabs, Sesame Suntan Lotion and Cynthia Sylvia Stout Shampoo. 

I thought I'd be cheeky and add in my delivery notes that I would like some samples. I was rather chuffed when I received four! And, I've never actually tried any of them which is a bonus. I've got to admit though, I have no idea what you do with the toothy tabs...

Strawberry Twin Tub Shower Jelly

As I was ordering off the website, I decided to treat myself to something from the kitchen. I must admit shower jellies are weird, they're a bit of a pain to use and a rather slippy, but I love how they leave the scent on your skin and make you feel squeaky clean. This product smells very girly and sweet and as a Snow Fairy fan, it's right down my street.

Ocean Salt Scrub

This is definitely one of my all time Lush favourites. It's one of first Lush products I tried and I've repurchased over and over again. I love how fresh it smells and also that it's made of salt not microbeads like so many scrubs!

Eau Roma Water Toner

Again, this is one of the products I'll always buy. It's a bit of a princess product, it doesn't do much but smells lovely and has a really relaxing scent. 

Big Shampoo

I've never tried Big Shampoo, but it's one of those products everyone seems to love. Again, I love that it's sea salt but I am curious as to whether it'll actually do much for my hair. 

Honey I Washed My Hair Shampoo Bar 

I think Lush shampoo bars are one of their most clever products. They don't need packaging, last for ages and do a darn good job at cleaning your hair. I've never tried this one, but I've used New shampoo bar, and it actually really helped my hair grow.

Fresh Farmacy Facial Soap

When I went into Lush ages ago I remember one of the staff saying how this saved their skin and helped their acne. While my skin has been quite clear recently, I want to keep it this way. This product seems like it will be nice and gentle on my skin, and with my eczema flaring up a bit, it's just what I need.

And that's all for now. I really can't wait for my local Lush to reopen so I can actually go in-store and not wait for my products to arrive, I'm far too impatient for that!

What are your favourite Lush products? Let me know in the comments or tweet me @_bowsandbuttons

Hayley x 

Things that stop me blogging

Once again I've realized I've managed not to blog for over a month. Of course I could use the excuse that starting a new job has zapped all my energy but that would also be a lie. I could also blame tiredness, lack of time or motivation. But those aren't the things that stop me blogging, these are...

Lack of branding

As the years have gone on blogging has evolved. It's not about writing about what you want and hoping people will read it. The most successful bloggers have a brand for themselves and their blog. Why do you think the likes of Zoella are so successful? I always feel I'm a bit here there and everywhere with blogging. I don't have a distinctive brand which means I don't stand out. I'm just "another blogger".

Lost in a sea of bloggers

Starting out as a blogger is hard. It takes ages to gain followers and traffic. But there's these certain people that BOOM they come out of nowhere and nail it. I guess there's a fine line between competition and jealously. I do get envious of bloggers that work with big brands and have lots of opportunities but at the same time I appreciate that they have worked hard. I get scared that I'll never make my blog more than just a place for me to chatter.

Confidence

I admit, I'm not the most confident person. I never have and as much as I want to be, I probably never will be. I'm not particularly confident in some of my skills. Photography for example, I love taking photos but let's be honest, I'm not good at it (or at least in comparison to other bloggers). It does stop me from blogging because I'm worried that my bad photography attempts will put people off reading my blog. The amount of posts I''ve seen titled "Things that wil make me never return to your blog!" and bad photography always being one of them!

Are you judging me?

Now, this is a bit of a weird one. In a lot of areas of life I really couldn't give a damn what people think of me. I will happily go out wearing no makeup or do something stupid in public. But blogging is a bit of a different story. Blogging for me started as a hobby, something to fill my time around University. As time went on I used my blog to practice my skills and then I used it to display my skills which has made me feel like I'm being judged for any spelling mistake or if I don't say something coherently enough or if my sentences get too rambly and lack puntuation like this one...

I feel like people will read my posts and judge how disorganised my thoughts can be and how I could have written something better. 

I know I need to work on letting these thing go and not be so hard on myself. I want to see my blog as an experiment which is what it was when I first started a couple of years ago!

What stops you from blogging? Let me know in the comments or tweet me @_bowsandbuttons

Hayley x 

Related post:

The Pressures of Blogging