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

Birchbox March Review

 Maybe beauty boxes just aren't for me. Maybe I'm too picky and don't like surprises as much as I think I do? I see other blogs with their reviews of beauty boxes with well-known brands and high end samples. Me? I seem to end up with all the rubbish that no one wants to get!

I thought I'd change to Birchbox after being super impressed with what I had seen on other blogs. This is my second box. The first one was a bit meh. This box was even more of a disappointment. Looking at the menu for this month I was so really intrigued, there were products from This Works and LanoLips and last month featured The Balm and  Ole Henriksen. So why do I end up with sachets and toothpaste?!

ARROW Colour Enhancing Lip Balm

 It's cruelty-free, paraben-free and vegan! It's one of those lip products which adjusts to the PH of your lips so the colour is unique on you. It's very easy and turned out a pretty pink colour on me. Probably wouldn't pay £11 for it though...

ModelCo More Brows

Apparently a full size product(?!) It;s tiny! I'll give this a whirl as I've never used a gel on my brows. It's probably not going to stop me using the brow kit I use every single day!

Polaar Night Cream

A sneaky tube that looks like it will have a decent amount of product in but is actually half empty. However it will be useful to take travelling.

Indeed Labs Hydralauron Moisture Boosting Mask

Hydrating sheet mask with Hyaluronic acid which I'll definitely use. I will probably save this for next I have a long flight and my skin needs a boost!

Amika Nourishing Mask

A sachet?! A sachet of hair mask... I don't really understand what I've spent my money on this month!

Regenerate Enamel Science Advanced Toothpaste

Really?! REALLY?! I treat myself to a beauty box each month because I want TREATS not boring old toothpaste! Just why is this even in my box?! 

I think what disappoints me most is I receive products from brands I've never heard of. And they're not brands bloggers are talking about either. I know the whole point of these boxes is to try something new blah blah  blah but the sort of things I'm getting I wouldn't actually even want to purchase (i.e. expensive toothpaste).

I think I may say goodbye to Birchbox and move onto another box after only two month. So please send your beauty box suggestions my way!

What did you think of this months Birchbox? What products did you receive! Let me know in the comments or tweet me @_bowsandbuttons

Hayley x 

Top 5 Money Saving Tips

Here are my top five money saving tips... because let's face it you're probably wasting money on things you don't need when you could be saving to go somewhere sunny and far away!

1. Get Yourself a Lunch Box!

Apparently having a packed lunch is seen as uncool is the adult world... I have no idea why! When I've been at work in the past and pulled out my packed lunch, a sense of confusion has washed over the faces of my colleagues. WHY? Because everyone seems to think it's better to go out and spend money on lunch? I mean it may seem like such a simple thing but believe it or not, you're at work to earn money! It confuses me when people go out and unnecessarily spend a lot of money on lunch when you could get up 10 mins earlier (or even do the night before) and make a nice little lunch for yourself! It also means you can spend your lunch break doing something productive or that will help you destress. Work out how much money you spend on lunch a week and you'll soon see where a lot of your money is disappearing!

2. Stop Buying Coffee out All the Time

Yes, it's nice to do every now and then but if you're doing this every single day think how much money you are spending in a week! Treat yourself to a funky flask, make it at home and take it with you! Tip: You can even buy a Starbucks one and fill it yourself, pretends it's Starbucks and no one will ever know!

3. Compare and Bargain Hunt!

Shop around and find the best buy! This applies to a lot of things; food, cosmetics, insurance etc! I find this particularly with beauty products, even if it is just comparing between Superdrug and Boots!  A lot of the time Superdrug have "better than half price" deals and if there's products you always use it's worth stocking up. It may take a bit of extra time to shop around but in the long run you'll end up making quite saving! Plus nothing feels better than getting a good bargain, right?!

4. Set Yourself a Realistic Budget

I'm not the best at doing this myself but I recommend doing it in some shape or form! Knowing what you have to spend on what will help you not to overspend. Make sure you have enough money set aside for the important (and boring) stuff i.e. bills and rent but then make a plan of what to do with the rest of your pay check. I think it's important to set aside a little bit for treats but also to make sure you're saving! Even if it's £50 you can put away it's better than nothing! 

5. Treats! And Knowing the Difference Between "Want" and "Need"

One thing I've taught myself to do is not to spend money aimlessly or just because I feel like it! Instead reward yourself, for example, if you're at Uni tell yourself you can treat yourself to one thing off your wishlist once you complete a piece of work or that if you work with no breaks in the morning, go out in the afternoon and treat yourself to a coffee. Also one thing that's helps me save money is thinking about what I want and what I need! Instead of impulse buying, think before you buy. This sounds a bit odd but after working in retail over Christmas, people have seem to got a bit credit card happy now they can use contactless and a lot of people laugh and say it feels like they're not spending money! Just ask yourself, do I really need this? If the answer is no, put it back and walk away...it's all about self-control!

What are your tips for saving money? Let me know in the comments or tweet me @_bowsandbuttons

Hayley x 

Disney Wishlist : February

 ❀ Evil Queen Tee Shirt ❀ Lion King Tsum Tsum ❀ Minnie and Mickey Luggage Tag ❀ Tsum Tsum Notebook ❀ Marie Mug ❀ Valentines Stitch ❀ Lion King PJ set ❀ Minnie Mouse Tea Cup and Sauce ❀

Above are a range of the cutest Disney products I've discovered online and when shopping recently. Every time I go into Primark they seem to have new adorable Disney PJs, these Lion King ones are no exception!

 I absolutely love the Evil Queen t shirt and think Stitch would be perfect to add to my collection of Disney things. Plus I have no idea why I don't currently own any Disney mugs!

Have you seen any good Disney finds? Let me know in the comments or tweet me @_bowsandbuttons

Hayley x 

January Snaps

At the beginning of 2016 I decided I would do what I did in 2014...Take a photo every single day for the whole year! I decided to do it for a couple reasons; to capture the little things in life and have a bunch of memories to look back on. I thought it would be nice to share a selection of my snaps from this month. Why not all of them? Because who wants to see 31 photos of my day to day life when some of them are just what I had for dinner or me in my PJs... no one!

You can probably tell from the photos January was all about staying cosy inside, watching Netflix eating cake... I'm kidding (sort of). I must confess I have had a case of the January blues but let's all be honest rain and the cold sucks! Although I've stayed inside a lot this month, it's all been for a good reason... Looking for a new job! I'm currently not working which is getting on my nerves but it's giving me time to reflect and think about the direction I want my life to go, but we'll save that discussion for another time!

In my spare time, and whenever the sun tries to make an appearance, I've wrapped up and headed outside, whether it be to the beach or walking along the river on route to Home Bargains (if you haven't been your missing out!). I really can't wait for Spring to arrive and for it to start warming up again .I'm so glad that January is finally over!

Hayley x 

My Little Box - January

January's My Little Box theme was My Little Wish Box, which I thought was a really nice idea and better than just sticking to something generic to do with the new year such as resolutions or being healthy! I was really pleased with this month's box, after being really disappointed with some of the other boxes I've received. Although last month's box was good I am still so annoyed that I didn't get the mini Nars blush *sobs*. After this month's box, to try and save money, I was going to cancel my subscription but due to the lovely contents of this box I'm having second thoughts!

2016 Diary

This diary is so pretty! The font is gorgeous and it has a beautiful illustration page at the beginning of each month. My one huge complaint... who buys a diary at the end of January?! Surely it's something most people have bought before the previous year has ended. So I already have a diary so not sure what I'm going to do with this one! Any ideas, let me know!

Message Bracelets

This is was one of those items that makes me really want to unsubscribe from this box. Essentially some bits of tiny ribbon with something written on, plus one of mine was missing! Apparently worth £6, I think it's a waste of money. I guess someone younger may have been more pleased with this than me...

 My Little Beauty Lip Balm

You can never have enough lip balms! This is perfect for either travelling or chucking in the handbag. I'm just glad it's not another moisturizer from My Little Beauty as it has been for the last few boxes! I've really liked all the products from My Little Beauty (My Little Box's own range) and is one of the reason I continue my subscription.

REN, Rosa  Centifolia 3 in 1 Cleansing Water

I'm guessing this is like a micellar water so I'm intrigued to try this out. I'll probably stash it away and take it with me when I next go away somewhere. Also I've never tried out any products from REN so this is the perfect opportunity!

NoxiDoxi Mask and Peel Perfect Eclat

This was the products that grabbed my attention the most. Firstly I love masks and secondly I've been looking for a peel, I'm really excited to try this out. Will definitely report back on what I think of this! Hoping it gives me dull skin a bit more of a glow!

All in all I was quite pleased with this box and I am very tempted to stay subscribed, although there were a few boxes near the end of last year that I was really disappointed with but this box and December's box have been lovely!

Do you subscribe to any subscpription boxes? Let me know in the comments on tweet me @_bowsandbuttons

Hayley x 

January Beauty Haul

As much as I'm trying to save money, I couldn't resist a few little treats for myself and they're all products that will be used up and were on offer and and and... I'm not sure who I'm trying to persuade that I need these things because obviously I don't but here's what I bought...

Superdrug Vitamin E 360 Spray- On All Over Body Lotion

I've been debating repurchasing the Vaseline Spray and Go for a while, it's so convenient (a.k.a perfect for the person that can never be bothered to moisture) and amazing for when it's cold and you just want to get dressed after a shower, but at £5.99 I think its rather overpriced compared to a lot of drugstore body care. So I was very chuffed when I discovered this Superdrug one for £2.99! Also as it is Vitamin E I'm hoping it won't irritate the pesky eczema which has made an appearance on my legs!

Superdrug Vitamin E Refreshing Toning Mist

You know when something is one Buy One Get One Half Price! and you can't resist? Well this was the result of the impulsive decision to get something on that offer. I love facial mists and my skin on my face has been incredibly sensitive, I thought this would be perfect just to spritz on when it's feeling irritated or dry. Also just another thing to add... all of Superdrug's own products are cruelty free! (Which makes me feel a little less guilty about this purchase!)

MUA Matt Black Eyeliner & MUA Intense Colour Eyeliner in Jet Black

There's not a lot a lot to say about these purchases except for I'm trying to save money and am trying to go for cheaper options at the moment! MUA has never let me down with other products so I thought I would give their eyeliners a go!

Maybelline Big Lashes & The Falsies Push Up Drama Mascara

Again I fell into the trap...2 for £10 on all Maybelline products! Although this was more than I was intending to spend, it works out good value for money, right?! I've had the Big Lashes mascara before and really love that this product has two applicators, one for your top lashes and one for your bottom lashes. I think The Falsies Push Up Drama must be new as I've never seen it before, I've tried the original The Falsies and liked it so I thought I would give this one a go, I'm not exactly sure what the difference is meant to be though!

Collab Dry Shampoo

This is a repurchase and I definitely prefer this dry shampoo to Batiste! It's great that it comes in a mini as well as it's easy to throw in your handbag. I've never tried this scent before but I fancied trying something different!

Would you like to see a full review of any of these products? Let me know in the comments or tweet me @_bowsandbuttons

Hayley x 

Dear 2016...

Dear 2016,

We need to talk and get things straight. I'm sorry we haven't got off to the best start. That's partly my fault but you and fate play a part too. 

I couldn't face making resolutions when I don't even have the basic things I want in life at the moment. A job and opportunities. Don't tell me I'm not looking because I am but nothing seems to be falling into place. Don't tell me that things are going to work out in the end because I'm losing hope and need some cooperation before I feel like giving up. 

2016, in order for us to get along I'm going to try hard to make this work. But some luck would be helpful too! If I try my best to build experience and seek opportunity, in return will you take this year down a more positive path. 

You're such a year of uncertainty, the first full year that I won't be in education, the security bubble of that has well and truly burst! The uncertainty is what worries me and I know I'm only 21 and I shouldn't be worrying about what I want to do with the rest of my life but I am. 

So if we're going to get on we need to get things sorted now and start heading in the right direction. So no resolutions, just a letter and reminder to be positive and embrace what this year throws at me. A ramble to look back on and make me feel grateful that hopefully things are better than they are now. 

Hayley x 

January Disney Wishlist

  Disney Lion King Jumper // Minnie Mouse Bag Charm // Pink Disney Bambi PJ T-Shirt // Minnie   Mouse A5 Journal // Disney Vans // Minnie Mouse Mug 

You can really never have enough Disney related items!

Here's a few Disney bits and pieces I've seen on the internet lately. Also at the end of December I treated myself to my first Tsums Tsums! (post coming soon!)

Have you seen any cute Disney products lately? Let me know in the comments or tweet me @_bowsandbuttons

Hayley x