General goals for 2016

I don't think I made any personal goals/NY resolutions for 2015 so I thought I'd make a few for 2016. I didn't want to make the type of resolutions that I definitely wouldn't be able to stick to, such as stop eating junk food and that sort of thing, so I've tried to come up with some that I would be more likely to stick to. Just to give myself a bit of a chance!

Have more family/friends round for dinner/an evening
This is definitely something I want to do more of this year. We recently moved house and we have had two friends and Vince's family round and it's always really nice so it's something I definitely want to do more of, not that I usually do the cooking though, oops!

Keep up with my crochet
In 2015 my mum and I took up crochet and amazingly, we've stuck to it. I really didn't think we would. I thought we'd get fed up after a few weeks. Admittedly it has taken a bit of a back seat over Christmas but with our classes starting back up again this week, I want to get right back into it and finally finish a few projects.

Find a new exercise class/join a gym
2015 was also the year I took up exercise on a more regular basis, which is really weird for me! It started around February time when I took up spinning and did Yoga at home. I then went to Aerobics regularly with my sister. We did get a bit bored of the class so I've been looking for something new to take up for a while now. It's tricky to find something that's on late enough for me to go to after work so I am still searching. I will either take up a new class or sign up to one of the local gyms.

Possibly go on a short break away
This is a really tricky one due to Vince's job. He is a chef so works mornings and evenings and it's very hard for him to plan when he can take time off, which therefore means it's very tricky to plan any sort of getaway, especially as at my work I have to give at least a month's notice for time off. You can see our predicament... we did somehow manage to book a week off together in July of 2015 but we ended up having to move house so it wasn't very relaxing. I'd like to go away on a long weekend trip to Europe or even somewhere else in the UK, it would just be nice to get away and be in a different environment for a few days!

What are your goals and resolutions for 2016?

Blog goals for 2016

I'm trying to make sure this isn't too similar to last year's blog goals post but somehow I think it's going to happen whether I like it or not.

Reach 3,000 followers
I know, I know, a bit of a vain one but no matter how many people say numbers don't matter, well they do and I like to know how many are following me and reading what I've got to say. In 2015 I hit 2,000 followers so my next aim, naturally, is 3,000. It would be absolutely amazing to reach such a milestone, especially when I've been blogging so, so long! If you'd like to follow me, you can do so here.

Improve my blog photography
This was a blog goal for 2015 and while it has improved, I want to improve it even further. Vince recently bought me some new lenses and a light for my camera so I need to learn how to use them and really find out what my style of blog photography is. I'd also like to take lots more lifestyle type photos as well, which means I need to get up and go places, instead of sitting on the sofa infront of the TV.

Make more blogger friends
Scrolling through Twitter I see lots of bloggers who have all become good friends and to put it bluntly, I want a slice of that action! It would be nice to have some friends with a similar interest in blogging/writing/photography. Going to more blog events is a good place to start and I'd love to go to more in the future. Getting involved in more blogger chats is also a great way to meet new bloggers so I'd definitely be getting more involved this year.

What are your blog goals for 2016?

2015 blogging resolutions...a look back

Recently I've been having a lot of fun looking back at my old blog posts from 2015. I came across a post I made of 2015 Blogging Resolutions and thought it would be fun to discuss them a little further and let you all know how I did.

Growth
At the start of 2015 I declared I wanted to reach 2,000 Bloglovin' followers...and I did! I can't believe it that 2,000 people voluntarily follow this blog, letalone read it! It's amazing to me. If you'd like to help me make it to 3,000, you can do so here.

Photography
In 2015 I aimed to improve my blog photography and I am certainly more comfortable with using my camera and I personally am happy with the photos I'm producing. I do tend to have 'off' days where things don't go quite right and there is the odd time I'm not overly happy with a photo but all in all I'm pleased with what I'm doing photo-wise, although there is always room for improvement.

Content
I also wanted to improve my blog content and include more fashion and lifestyle posts. Unfortunately I didn't do any fashion posts in 2015. I don't think they're really me, not when I literally live in black jeans and a top half of my life. I have, however, included more lifestyle content on the blog, which is still something I want to expand on in 2016.

Overall I'm pretty happy with how my 2015 resolutions turned out...keep your eyes peeled here for my 2016 blog resolutions, coming soon!

New Year's Eve Nails

Last year I wrote a post featuring some nail polishes for New Year's Eve and it went down really well, so I thought I'd give it another go this year. Of course I just had to include an Essie polish as it always releases such fab polishes in time for the party season, I picked up the new 'Fringe Factor,' which has been calling out to me for the past few weeks from its shelf in Boots. It is the perfect polish for NYE and features gunmetal and pink confetti-like pieces, perfect for partying!

Rimmel's new range of Love Glitter polishes have also been catching my eye recently. The colourful shards of glitter look great on their own or used as a top coat over a white or silver base. I love the blue/green 'A Crush on You'.

Barry M's 'Sparkling Amethyst' polish featured in my traditional Christmas nails post, but I thought it would work equally well as a NYE nail as it's super sparkly.

As per last year I'm spending NYE at Vince's parents house, stuffing myself silly with delicious food - how are you spending your NYE? Let me know in the comments. See you on the other side!

New Year's Eve nails

Essie A Cut Above - £7.99

Barry M - Coconut and Black - £3.99 each

If, like me, you're not going out partying on New Year but you still want to look great and add a little sparkle to your outfit then glitter nail polish is definitely the way to go.

I recently did a post on festive nail polishes and while all of the polishes are super lovely, the Essie A Cut Above really stands out, so I wanted to dedicate an entire post to it.

I am spending my New Year as I have done for the past four or five years and that's at Vince's parents, eating lots of food, watching TV and then the fireworks at midnight. I have a nice top to wear with sparkly, sequin sleeves so I thought I'd go all out sparkly with these glittery nails too.

The Essie polish is absolutely gorgeous and it contains pink/rose gold particles in a clear polish. It's really thick to apply but it's easy to pop the different particles where you want them. I popped this one a white base and on a black base on the accent nail and it really looks great. You could even wear it on its own, without a base.

What nails will you be wearing this New Year's Eve? Let me know in the comments.

Goals for 2013

Happy New Year!! I've been looking at last year's post of Goals for 2012 and I can't actually believe that the majority of my goals/resolutions actually happened.

I don't usually make new years resolutions, but I made these for 2012 just so I had a few things to aim for. I didn't try particularly hard to achieve them and I didn't over think them. I think forgetting about them and seeing if they come true is quite a good method as you can go back to them a year later and be pleasantly surprised at what you achieved or shrug those off that you didn't achieve. It's not the end of the world if you don't achieve them is it?

I thought I would do the same again this year and see how it goes!

♥ In 2013 I would love for my blog to reach the big 1,000 followers. This was one of my goals for 2012, which I didn't quite reach. I did reach more than 800 followers, which I'm so happy with!

♥ I would like to include lots more outfit photos and lifestyle blog posts in 2013 as they are something I enjoy looking at/reading on other blogs. I want to make more of an effort with the clothing I wear so I think taking more outfit photos is a good way to ensure I keep up with this.

♥ I would like a new, more professional looking layout. I would like to change the colours again and the navigation bar. It's all a case of trial and error so I will have to make some time to do this.

♥ In life behind the blog I would like to introduce the pitter patter of tiny cat paws into our house! Vince works late nights and I often get bored and lonely in the house on my own so I think a furry friend might be in order.

♥ I would also like to go away on holiday with Vince. We have been away together before, but that was a couple of years ago and now it's even more difficult with the hours he works. My parents have been discussing the possibility of us all going away together so hopefully this will happen, if not, it would be nice to still go somewhere else together.

♥ Eat less junk! Vince and I have spent 2012 eating a whole ton of junk food and takeaways and I think we really need to cut down in 2013, not just because it's bad for us but because it's bad for our bank balances as well.

I think that is enough for one year. I think the hardest will probably be cutting down on takeaways as we just love them so much. We need to start using up the food we have in the house instead of ordering in because we're so lazy.

Hopefully I will be able to achieve the majority of these this year. What are your resolutions and goals for 2013?

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all my blog followers!

I spent the New Year's celebrations at Vince's house which was lovely. There was so much yummy food thanks to his mum's buffet and we just chilled out until Midnight struck. Thankfully, Vince's house is near Weston Seafront so we were able to watch all of the fireworks and lanterns and had our own little firework display. :) It's a shame we didn't take any photos!

I spent Christmas at home with Mum, Dad and Nan which was also lovely. I got lots of nice presents, the usual Pyjamas, Slippers, Diary, Calendar and Notepads as well as lots of smellies, nail polishes and books, so I'm very happy! I now have so many books to read, it's unbelievable. I need to stop buying more!


I'm officially unemployed again after finishing today at Sandbay Leisure Resort for the holidays. Once I'm back in Southampton I have to find myself a full-time job as well as searching for a writing job. Vince and I have a few months left until he finishes his course, so until then we'll be staying in Southampton but after that...who knows!

New Years Resolutions

Millions of people all over the world make New Years Resolutions, often silly ones that they aren't going to stick to come the end of January and often ones that are so far fetched that there's no way they can stick to them...I've been thinking about mine for 2011 and I wondered if making my resolution to get a Journalism related job within the year is one of those that is too hard to achieve?!

I could make it a little simpler and say that in 2011 I want to gain some more Journalism experience, but why shouldn't I aim for what I want? Other people from my University course have already got jobs in the industry, but am I setting myself up for disappointment come this time next year?

Realistically, my resolution should be something along the lines of gaining more Journalism experience, applying for more jobs and generally being on my way up the career ladder.

What does everyone think?


On a less serious note, some more resolutions of mine are:

1. To work harder on all of the websites I write for, updating more frequently. Including this blog!
2. Gain another 100 followers on my blog!
3. Read more books!
4. Generally write more features and articles.
5. Gain more work experience at a Magazine

I think those are some more realistic resolutions, and this time next year, I'll try to remember to let you know if I've stuck to them or not!

What are everyone else's resolutions?

2010

So, since my last post, Christmas day and New Year has been and gone. It's January 2nd already! I had a great Christmas and I got LOADS of great presents, so many presents in fact, that I have to go back to Southampton a week early in order to take them all with me in Vince's car. I don't actually have lectures until January 11th so I don't really want to go back early but I think it will be a good chance for me to get some dissertation work done! I'm really behind on it. :\





Have wanted these shoes for ages! Mum had to give me her debit card so I could order them myself to make sure I got the right ones!


Lots of smellys! Vince also got me the Friends Series 1-10 boxset which I have wanted for years!


Cute calendar and notebook =]


Some really nice bedding and stuff for my room from my nan =]


This was my Pre-Christmas present from Vince =D


Such a cute top from my Sister =]


I can't believe Vince got me a Nintendo Wii! I've wanted one for AGES!!! He is the best boyfriend :)

Vince also got me some lovely earrings to match my necklace, as a New Years eve present and he VERY kindly bought my family a Blu Ray player! We couldn't believe it when we opened it, everyone was quite shocked.

I spent New Years Eve at Vince's house with his family and his two friends. It was really nice, loads of food and when Midnight came we went outside to watch all the fireworks. We set off a Chinese lantern as well, but it seemed everyone had the same idea because there were about 20 in the sky! We stayed up till half 6 in the morning just watching rubbish TV so was pretty tired yesterday!

I was planning on getting my hair cut today but I'm being particularly lazy as I can't be bothered to get dressed and get the bus to town. My sister has taken the car to work so I might wait until I go back to Southampton, unless the hairdresser is open tomorrow. =\ Tonight I'm meeting up with Keely, Kayleigh and Vince and going to the new Greek restaraunt in town which will be nice, we haven't seen them for a few weeks, it is so hard to arrange a time to get together when we are all free!

I suppose I better get dressed and ring the hairdresser or something, ta ta!