My Handbag Essentials

I haven't done a 'what's in my bag' style post in forever, in fact I'd say it's been two years! So instead of showing you all the crap that I carry round on a daily basis, I thought I would tell you what I can't go without. Depending on where I'm going, I can either carry a massive bag or a cute little across body that I struggle to fit anything in - but usually it's on the smaller side. I tend to opt for black leather cross body bags (#obsessed) as I find they go with just about everything. For university I use a big leather shopper bag (also black like my soul) because those books aren't going to carry themselves. 

A purse // Obviously you need a purse, unless you plan on paying for everything with smiles. For my birthday I treated myself to this GORGEOUS Michael Kors Bedford Navy Large Zip Around Purse (see similar here). I wanted it the moment I saw it, and when it went into the House of Fraser sale it was mine. I got it for £59 reduced from £130 so I was pretty pleased with myself! #savvy I don't think I've ever loved a purse so much in my entire life. 

A phone // I like many, never go anywhere without my phone so obviously it made it onto my essentials list. With my phone, I like to make sure that I have a pair of headphones for when fellow commuters get too much to handle, along with a portable charger. I use the Anker Powercore+ Mini which is nice and small to fit inside any handbag. 

Keys // Who wants to spend hours locked outside their own house? NOT ME. If I plan on leaving the house to go anywhere, obviously I need my keys. Mine look kinda boring, with a few keyrings to jazz up my Morrisons Match & More card. 

Beauty // I never go anywhere without beauty products. I always carry around a lipstick (or 20), and when I remember a powder compact with a built in mirror - hey I even throw in a powder brush if I'm feelin' fancy. Even though I'll always forget to apply it, I like to keep a lip balm in my bag incase my lips get a little dry. I often have some form of brush or comb, and I try and keep a nail file around for those nail emergencies. 

Emergency // I'm that person that carries something for all occasions. Cut yourself? I have plasters. Allergies? I have antihistamines. Headache? I have painkillers. You name it I've got it! And how anyone can go anywhere without an emergency granola bar in their bag is beyond me. I'm currently obsessed with the Nature Valley Honey and Oats Bar - delicious is an understatement!

The other crap // Obviously it wouldn't be a handbag related post if there wasn't a load of random crap in there too. My handbag wouldn't be my handbag if there wasn't 8249474 used train tickets, tissues with lipstick blottings on them, and 7 empty granola bar packets in there somewhere.

What do you always take with you wherever you go?

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Introducing: The Happiness Boutique

Now if you've ever had the pleasure of meeting me in person (or you've been reading here for a while) you'll know that I am a big fan of simple jewellery. I'm not the kind of person you'll find wearing a massive statement necklace, a really chunky bracelet, or big dangly earrings. So when the  lovely people at Happiness Boutique got in touch to see if I'd like to sample a piece of their jewellery I was straight onto their website to see what they had to offer. I was pleased to see that they offer a wide range of jewellery, catering for both the statement piece lovers, the simple gals, and everyone inbetween. 

I picked out this gorgeous rose gold wishbone necklace, because cmon' it's rose gold. When I received it, I was shocked at how nicely it was packaged! It came parceled in a lovely jewellery box, decorated with a layer of tissue paper. There was a business card, a little care card telling you how to keep your piece looking nice, and for good measure there was even a quote that read;

I thought that was such a lovely touch, and alongside the gorgeous necklace, I'll definitely be checking out more from them! The Happiness Boutique have an exclusive collection of products that are designed by themselves in Berlin. You can check out all their wonderful pieces here.

Have you bought anything from the Happiness Boutique before?

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This post contains products sent to me for the purpose of a review. All thoughts are my own and you can read my full disclaimer policy here. 

How To Get Your Blog Noticed

I have yet another post for all you newbie bloggers and those who are simply looking to up their game and get their blog out there! With new blogs popping up left right and centre, it can be difficult to make sure your's is one of the ones that gets noticed. Every blogger will at some point feel like their blog deserves to get more attention (including me!), but there are certain ways in which you can help yourself by making your blog somewhere that people want to go and visit! So here is my advice for getting your blog noticed!

Photos

This is personally the thing that I feel is most important when it comes to running a blog. Make sure that your photos are as good as they can be. Compose them in interesting ways, edit them to make colours stand out yet look realistic. Photos are key in getting your blog noticed as many people like to simply look at the pictures and if you have dark, grainy photos they are less likely to revisit your blog. If people like your photos, chances are they may even read the content that goes alongside it. If you are new to blogging and are looking at improving your photos - I have written a bunch of tips, even sharing how I take and how I edit my blog post photos.

Content

Create content that you yourself would want to read. Make it interesting, do your research on products and topics, and think of what could be appealing to likeminded people. If you use the Blogger platform, you can even use Google Analytics to see what your readers are interested in so you can tailor your posts to suit your audience. And remember - personality gets you everywhere! So crack jokes, use italics, bold and underlines to convey your tone of voice. It seriously helps your readers connect with you and your blog. 

Check, Check and Check Again!

Always, and I mean always make sure you proof-read your posts before publishing them. There is nothing more embarrassing than finding a mistake after people have read the post and it is too late. Alongside your blog posts, check all the links work in your side bar (or wherever you have them). It is so annoying when you go to click an Instagram/Facebook/Twitter link to get the 'this page does not exist' message.

Get Your Name Out There
Comment on other people's posts, and I don't mean something along the lines of "check out my blog" or "follow for follow"! Leave feedback engaging with their content, constructive criticism, and make sure you leave a link at the end of your comment and people in the comments may pop over and visit your blog! Talk to people on social media, just be yourself and people will start to take notice of you.

Design

If your serious about getting into blogging, it can be worth investing in a template from places like Etsy. Since I took the plunge and purchased one from PipDig in January, my blog has had so many more visitors and I think this was the reason why! The look of your blog is extremely important. It needs to be well laid out with a clear blog title, social media links and a brief description of yourself. You should create pages so its easy for readers to navigate around your site. And most importantly, your blog posts should be easy to see and read - with a comments section so you readers can get in touch and leave nice messages!

Got any tips of your own? Leave them below and share the love!

Thanks for reading!

Love Charlotte x

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Favourites From February

First of all, I just want to mention that my blog is back in business. Some of you may remember that towards the end of January I took a bit of a break from blogging after everything got to be a little too much for me to cope with. And whilst posts still went up, I wasn't technically here, and checking up on stats and replying to comments. But after a bit of time off, the stress has subsided slightly and I want to get back into blogging slowly - easing myself in so it's not a shock to the system. I thought the best place to start would be with a monthly favourites post as they are by far the quickest and easiest to write. But can you believe we're in March? Like whaaaaaaaat? Seriously, it will be 2017 before we know it at this rate. 

So on that note, I'll dive straight in. First up is this gorgeous daisy necklace from Whistles. As much as I've eyed things up from Whistles, I've never bought anything from them as they are so expensive! This necklace set me back £25 (£22.50 with student discount), and is by far the most I have ever spent on a single piece of jewellery. The necklace that I usually wear on a daily basis was looking a bit tarnished and grubby so I treated myself to this when I saw it. I fell head over heels for it and from the moment it arrived, it has only left my neck whilst I sleep and shower. It is so dainty, and is perfect to layer with my other necklaces!

Speaking of pricey items, the Charlotte Tilbury Chic To Chic Blush in 'Love Glow' has been my go-to blush throughout February. I've been breaking my rule about only wearing premium makeup when I go out-out, and have been treating my face to more luxury items on an everyday basis. I love that if needed, it can double up as two different blushers as the 'pop' shade looks gorgeous by itself! On the opposite end of the beauty budget, I have loved teaming the blush with the Rimmel Exaggerate Lip Liner in 'Eastend Snob'. It took me the best part of a year to track down and purchase this particular shade, and I have certainly been wearing it to death to make up for that fact. It looks soooooo gorgeous by itself so even if you don't fancy layering it with a lipstick, you can still have gorgeous lips. It has quite a matte finish, and I'm excited to bring it into Spring and wear it with lighter bases and quite minimal makeup. 

Another favourite has been the Lush Twilight Shower Gel. I'd completely forgotten I owned this, and found it stuffed at the back of my collection at the start of the month. It was a limited edition/exclusive product in a Christmas gift set, and I have loved pairing it with the matching bath bomb as a weekend pamper treat or by itself as a weekday pick me up. I'm absolutely gutted that it is only a 100ml bottle, as I've only got a little bit left and I won't be able to repurchase it when it's all gone! *cries into Lush filled bathwater*. 

And finally! Is the Prada Candy L'eau perfume. Purchasing this was a complete accident as I was actually trying to repurchase the Florale version of the perfume that I had used up. But as perfume is usually non-returnable I thought I'd try it out anyway - and spoiler alert I FLIPPIN' LOVE IT. Now it is completely different to the Prada Candy Florale, so I don't get why they share the same name. Ey Prada? I'm terrible at describing perfumes so I'd suggest going to a shop to smell it for yourself, but I'd say it smells quite fruity - but not a fresh, girly type of fruity. It smells more musky than the Prada Candy Florale, and is more suited to autumn/winter unlike the Florale which I prefer in spring/summer. 

What have you been enjoying over the last month?
Thanks for reading!

Love Charlotte x

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On The Reading List

Hello everyone! I have another reading list for you today. I last did one of these posts in September, and have been eager to get another one up on the blog. The books on the last post have been read and enjoyed, and I highly recommend 'Yes Please' and 'Not That Kind Of Girl' as they left me in stitches, and actually made me laugh out loud - very loud.  Towards the end of last month (when my student loan came in), I went straight on to Amazon and picked up a few of the books from my wishlist. So here is why they are waiting to be read!

'Reasons To Stay Alive' by Matt Haig // This has been on my reading list for a good few months now, and when I started to see it on Instagram and Twitter I just knew it was going to become the next 'it' book. So I purchased it. The last book I finished reading was 'Yes Please' by Amy Poehler, and as soon as I finished it, I picked up this book. As you can see from the photo, I've managed to read a good chunk of it so far and I love it already! If you haven't heard of the book, it is a real-life account of Matt Haig's battle with depression and anxiety. Being a psychology undergrad I find it so interesting to see what goes through people's minds when they have a mental illness, but I also find it helpful with my own anxiety. The book isn't another story filled with psychological rubbish, it documents Matt's journey with depression from his own experiences. I highly suggest picking up a copy if you or someone you know is battling depression, and even if not it is a highly interesting read. 

'The Fashion Book' by Phaidon Company Press // My friend Sarah bought me this brilliant book for Christmas and I love it! It is basically a giant dictionary of fashion, and includes designers and fashion/beauty brands, alongside photographers and influential people like Madonna and Brigitte Bardot. I love books like this because I am really (and I mean really) into fashion photography, and a lot of my photography portfolio is made up of fashion photography. But not only do I enjoy taking my own photographs, I equally enjoy looking at the work of others - so I am excited to sit down and give this book a proper 'read'. 

'It's Not How Good You Are, It's How Good You Want To Be' by Paul Arden // I picked this up on a bit of whim and I'm so glad I did. It's described as a 'pocket bible for the talented and timid to make the unthinkable and the impossible possible'. I've had a little flick through it and there are a few sections that aren't really relevant to me and are aimed more at wannabe business tycoons, but the majority of the book looks great if you're wanting to improve yourself and your careers aspirations. It offers great advice for those finishing university and entering the competitive world of work, but also for those who are self-employed or already have a job. Just flicking through, my favourite section is the 'Wit and Wisdom' section right at the end of the book, which includes lots of motivational quotes that everyone loves. 

'Women In This Town' by Giuseppe Santamaria // Giuseppe Santamaria is an incredible street photographer, and this book is any fashion maven's bible. It is jam packed full of street fashion photography from the streets of Paris, London, Madrid, etc. This book is totally #stylegoals, and gives you an insight to what normal, everyday people actually wear. The photographs in the book are so diverse and a large collection of styles from people of different ages are incorporated into the book making it great for anyone to read. If you're a male reader, then there is also a male version of this book called 'Men In This Town', which is the exact same book but with photos of males instead of females. 

'Pretty Honest' by Sali Hughes // I honestly have no idea why it has taken me so long to pick this book up as it has been on my wishlist for forever! I was a little dubious when ordering it, as it talks a lot about skincare and I was worried that Sali was going to be promoting makeup wipes and not taking your makeup off. But then I saw a review by Caroline Hirons (the skincare GOD) so all my worries disappeared and it was welcomed onto my doorstep the following day. I don't really know how to describe this book as it literally covers everything and is the ultimate beauty companion! I think it is worth a read for anyone who is interested in makeup or beauty!

'Face Paint' by Lisa Eldridge // Lisa Eldridge is one of my all time favourite makeup artists (alongside Charlotte Tilbury obvs), and I was so excited when I saw she was releasing her own beauty book. I've watched her tutorials online for years, and I was ready to embrace whatever the book had to offer. Rather than showing you how to apply liquid eyeliner, and how to get flawless base makeup, Lisa Eldridge talks about the history of makeup, and the ever-changing reasons as to why we wear makeup. Face Paint reveals stories from Lisa's experiences in the beauty industry, and there are plenty of photos of her vintage makeup collection. 

What are you reading at the moment?

Thanks for reading!

Love Charlotte x

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What I Got For Christmas 2015

I've toyed and toyed with the idea of writing this post. Questioning whether or not people would think I'm bragging. But you know what? I don't care. I'm writing it anyway! Every year I enjoy watching videos or reading about what people have been given on Christmas morning, so I'm going to write my own post this year! I meant to write on last year but failed to, and this year I've seen a few of the bloggers I follow write up something similar, and I have really enjoyed seeing what Santa brought them for Christmas. And I, as always, was very lucky to receive some truly gorgeous and thoughtful gifts for Christmas. After being thoroughly spoiled, and eating my entire weight in Ben and Jerry's/Vienetta/Cheesecake, I have pretty much been slumped on the sofa enjoying all my Christmas gifts. But I've mustered up the energy to sit down and write, even if I am accompanied by a berry daiquiri. Yum.

Beauty

Since I'm primarily a beauty blogger, I'll start off with the ton of makeup and skincare items I received from family and friends! My mum always likes to treat me and my two younger sisters equally at christmas, and when they were both receiving expensive gadgets, my mum decided to sneak into my bedroom and see what things I was running out of. She had a good rummage, and I could actually tell that someone had been through my makeup, skincare and perfume as everything was out of place. After rummaging through my perfume drawer, she noticed that I was running out of my Clinique Happy and my Prada Candy Eau Florale perfumes - so she repurchased the Clinique for me (the cutie), and accidently picked up the Prada Candy L'Eau perfume - although I actually really like it! It's very different from the Eau Florale, so I will still go ahead and repurchase that in the New Year - but I think the L'Eau is a lot more winter appropriate! 

My mum knows I have wanted to try the Urban Decay lipsticks after I told her at least once a day for about 3 months. Whilst rummaging through my muji drawers, she noticed that I am a fan of brown toned pinks, so she picked up the Sheer Revolution Lipstick in the shade Sheer Rapture. It is absolutely gorgeous and I fell in love with it immediately! I just know I'm going to get a lot of wear out of it - especially in the spring! It is the perfect shade for daytime wear and I bloomin love it!! My mum also remembered how I'd been eying up the Mac Paint Pots every time we've been into Leeds. I've never really jumped on the Mac bandwagon. I bought two lipsticks and then gravitated more towards brands like Charlotte Tilbury and Nars (I'm so high maintenance hahaha). But I've really been wanting some of the Paint Pots to use use a bases, and I have been eying up quite a few different shades. My mum bought me the shade 'Vintage Selection' which is absolutely beautiful. I'm yet to try it out as I've not really been anywhere to wear it since she gave me it. If applying either on the go, in my stocking I received a cute little compact mirror from Cath Kidston, which will come in handy as I've misplaced my other compact!

In terms of skincare, I'd asked Santa for the Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate as it is such a cult products and I'm never one for buying myself expensive skincare. I actually knew that she got me this as she was having a bit of trouble checking out on the Debenhams website (she is useless with online shopping!) and ended up coming to me for help! I've used the Kiehl's oil for the past couple of evenings and I am in love! It leaves my skin looking hydrated and calm by morning, and it is a great accompaniment to a pamper evening! Speaking of pampering, I also got a lot of Lush for Christmas! My uncle got me a couple of loose bits, which somehow happened to be some of my favourite bits. I also received the Comfort and Joy gift set which has some of my all time favourite products in it! As the name would suggest it has a little bottle of the Comforter shower cream, alongside the Ro's Argan Body Conditioner, Reindeer Rock soap, and the Twilight shower gel.

Most of my real life/non-blogger friends know about my blog, and they bought me plenty of blog related things - including a few beauty bits! My friend Sarah bought me 'The Fashion Book' which is made up of an A-Z of icons, designers and all sorts! She also got me some of the Topshop beauty christmas baubles, and although the tree will be coming down soon, I have hung them on just for the time being. My friend Fern got me the Rimmel nail polish in the shade 'Chic in Chelsea' and the Soap and Glory Supercat eyeliner. I've actually wanted to try the Soap and Glory liner for some time, and I can't wait to try it out! 

Fashion

Who doesn't love a good pair of socks at Christmas! Last year my mum went a tad overboard on the socks and I think I received about 40 pairs - all of which were never seen again! Since the weather started to get chillier, I've kept complaining about how someone has stolen all my fluffy socks (*looks suspiciously at sisters*). I bought myself about 10 pairs from Primark last Christmas, wore them each once and then I've not seen them since! She picked out this gorgeous pair of chunky knit socks from Monki and they are so warm! I actually have them on now and my feet are so toastie! I also received some adorable Mr and Mrs Claus socks from ASOS which are so soft! Alongside the christmassy socks, I also got these christmassy pyjamas - which I will wear all year round! I am really fussy with pyjamas, and I prefer to have the ones that have a slim leg - so these ones fit the bill perfectly! Unfortunately both were in the wash when I was taking my post photos, so neither have made it into the post - but trust me they're cute!

Also from ASOS (my family love it just as much as me!) I got this lovely ring! I've only recently started to get into rings, and I absolutely love this one! I'd actually seen it online and liked it, but didn't realise it was so big until I opened up the little ASOS box. I absolutely love it and I wore it on Christmas day! I was also lucky to receive this gorgeous stacking rose gold ring from Pandora, which all my friends were admiring when we went out for our Christmas meetup on Sunday. I also wore a gorgeous chevron print scarf which I received from my sister, (also from ASOS) and I can't wait to go out and wear it again. I even wore it to the supermarket today! I love wearing scarves, and I have quite a collection but I've been on the hunt for some darker ones to wear with my grey coat. I usually wear a grey scarf, however it doesn't look at all right when I wear it with my coat as they are exactly the same shade of grey! This one will go perfectly with all my coats and it very oversized so I can still use it as a blanket in my lectures (even if my friends laugh at me)!

Lifestyle

My main present was so unexpected. I thought with expensive beauty products, I wouldn't receive anything else - but I nearly cried when I opened up a present containing the Fujifilm Instax Mini 90! I'd wanted an instant camera (and a Canon AE1, but I can still dream for one of those) years ago, but never received one - so when I opened this up I may have screamed a little bit! On Sunday I went out for an Italian with all my school friends as a little Christmas meetup before we all go back to university, and I took my new camera along. I had a photo with each of my friends (except one who wasn't able to make it!) and then we managed to get one all together. I also got a couple of packs of film and a camera bag alongside the camera, and I thought it was such a sweet gift! Plus the photos make for a good Instagram prop ;)

Another thing that makes for a good photo prop is a good book, and ever since the whole blogging community went mad for the book 'The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying' by Marie Kondo, I've wanted to read it. I'm not really one for being spotless as I'm usually too busy to put things away and then a mess builds up around me. But I honestly can't stand messy and unclean places. I've read the first chapter or so, and I really hope this book inspires me to make the time to tidy things away, and I can't wait to sit down with a nice cup of tea in my new Cath Kidston Mug and read the rest of it! And that's everything I received! Well... almost everything, there were a couple of gift received post photo taking, and a few other bits like chocolate, socks and money!

What did you get for Christmas?

Thanks for reading!

Love Charlotte x

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