Shall we just start again?! My name is Becky, I'm 24 (25 on Wednesday 20th April) and I enjoy sleeping more than actually living a day to day life.

This whole blogging idea just went out of the window in December and I have completely no idea what happened.

So this is me saying I want a clean slate, a new page in my notebook. Just how I use to rip out the old pages from a book so it felt new to me, but instead of chucking out those old pages, they will be staying on the blog - I can be quite sentimental sometimes when it comes to binning items.

I've also noticed that when I have time to think and ponder, I start 'writing' out blog posts in my head. What I don't do is actually write these down and then I hate myself for not doing it.  Which I feel is the real reason I haven't written in a while.

I do enjoy writing and I miss it, but I've never known what to write about and I suppose I really should get into writing again as I need to produce a website by September - ha!

There is no point to this post, just a time for me to ramble and may be, in time and when the time is also right I will share the new developments.

Dear Santa,

Strangely enough I found this quite difficult to write, as I am not one to write a letter to you, and I really don't require anything. Well not that I can think of anyway.

If money wasn't an object, I would like for Christmas a house to move into, pretty please. Just a nice two bed house with a small garden and parking. You don't even need to pay for it, just point me in the right direction please.

May I also be given plenty of motivation to keep writing, so far so good big guy on Blogmas- ish. But I would really like to pursue my dream idea of posts that I have next year, and this includes travelling around the UK.

Thirdly, please help make 2016 better than 2015. No sudden losses in the family, human or not. No sudden waves of anxiety or pits of depression, so I can't meet new people. Just a nice and enjoyable 2016.

Oh I almost forgot, I would love a new hair dryer, so I can throw my old tiny travel one away. :)

Thank you and send many hugs to all your reindeer.

Becky x

P.S You can join in Blogmas too!

Christmas is not normally a day I particularly love, and this will be explained in an upcoming post. However, if there is one thing I love about Christmas it would have to be the advent calendars that, in recent years, are becoming the most popular thing.
Go back a few years, and advent calendars where also the chocolate variety or, in our house, a fabric tree that hung on the back of the door and my brother and I would take it in turns to put a fabric decoration on the tree as a countdown.
Now a days, companies have jumped on the cash cow and produced advent calendars, from beauty products to building Lego scenes, there is an advent for everyone.

I've never been lucky enough to get hold of a beauty calendar, but I have this year been given a Gingerbread calendar.

Each morning I get a lovely, soft piece of gingerbread right up until the 24th December and they get bigger as the days go along.

Please do join in with Blogmas, it's never too late. Here is what is yet to come!

Friendships of any kind are special, however when you meet someone through blogging or YouTube a sense of excitement fills when you've found someone who shares the hobby you love!
Combine the friendship with the tradition of giving at Christmas and you will definitely need a few ideas of what to get your blogging friend.
These are just a few ideas, you may find more affordable alternatives or have different ideas.
What have you got your blogging friends this year or in the past?
Share your gift ideas in the comment box below

1. Notebooks and stationary are essential for plotting ideas on the go.  You can find some cute items in all stationary shops, my favourite being Paperchase!

2. If there is one purchase that I have enjoyed myself, its my Filofax. Being able to diarise when I want a blog post up, and when I should start writing has helped so much. You can buy these online and have sales regularly. Alternatively, a normal diary is just as useful and cute.

3. Another useful item for blogging is the use of a camera. I'm not saying spend a huge amount on a portable digital camera, but what about a memory card, go old school and buy some disposable cameras, or, and my favourite, buy these awesome magnetic Instax films.

4. Along with a camera, and especially with the poor lighting, it may be worth gifting a light. I managed to find a ring light for about £25, and is so good to use. Check online to find the bargains.

5. This is by far my favourite idea, a box full of props. This where you can set yourself a budget and go crazy in filling it with background paper, battery powered lights. Basically anything that will help your friend when taking their photos.

Please do join in with Blogmas, it's never too late. Here is what is yet to come!

    *Due to my internet being silly and my work becoming slightly more hectic, Blogmas posts are delayed by 3 days. I will try my best to get them all up before the end of the year!*

I've noticed that as I get older my wish lists seem to get smaller and slightly, just slightly more expensive... That's a good thing right?!
Bring back the days of being a child where you would bookmark the pages in the Argos catalogue which would then get left in your parents eye view, hoping they would get the message that you wanted a Cindy Doll (Yes I preferred the substitute rather than Barbie!) or a Tamagotchi.
With this in mind I thought I would share with you my Christmas wishlist. Just going to leave it open for you guys.. hehe!

I would love to know your wish lists, leave a comment :)

Top Left - Michael Kors Hamilton Large Tote Bag
Top Right - Canon 10-18mm Lens
Middle Left - Dune Large Deloris Tote Bag
Bottom Left - Whistle and Bango
Bottom Right - Oliver Bonas Hanging Gold Glass Terrarium

Please do join in with Blogmas, it's never too late! Here is what's to come!

Apart from everything else happening to the run up to Christmas, there is one tradition that I look forward to every single year and I throughly enjoy.

On Christmas Day there is no rush to get up early in the morning, instead there is a peaceful slumber which is broken around 10am, rather that the usual eye watering 6am start.
However, routine is not broken in one family member and my Dad is the first one up in the morning. By the time I head down, the kitchen is bursting with the aroma of the turkey cooking in the oven, the fire is lit in the living room making it cosy and welcoming and a breakfast of smoked salmon and cream cheese filled bagels with bucks fizz is waiting on the coffee table, ready for the madness to start.
This is our Christmas tradition and I wouldn't change it for the world, and I hope I will pass it down to my family, eventually.

Please join in with Blogmas, it's never too late. Here is what's to come!

I think it's right to not only have your house decorated but to include your computer as well, and after scouring the depths of Pinterest I came across three websites that have the cutest wallpaper, and guess what ... It's free!

So take a look at the following links and get festive, maybe try adding some fairy lights to your desktop.

Amanda Genther
The Lovely Drawer
Ampersand Design Studio

Please do join in with Blogmas, it's never too late. Here is what''s to come!

One day down, 24 to go on Blogmas and if the songs were not enough to get you in the festive spirit, I'm pretty sure today's top 10 Christmas Movies will do just that!
*Disclaimer: These films are not in any order, and if I really had to chose my best one The Muppets Christmas Carol wins hands down!

Would love to know your favourite Christmas films, they don't even need to be Christmas related!
Please do join in with Blogmas, it's never too late. Here is what's to come!

It's here, the 1st of December is here! And as for the next 25 days I will be taking part in Blogmas. as I have been known to become a recent Christmas Grinch, here are my top 5 favourite Christmas Songs to help me get into the spirit, bonus points if you can guess which ones on repeat;

1. Fairy Tale of New York - The Pogues featuring Kirsty MacColl

2. All I want for Christmas - Mariah Carey

3. Christmas Lights - Coldplay

4. One More Sleep - Leona Lewis

5. Last Christmas - Wham!

Please do join in with Blogmas, it's never too late. Here is what to come!

I've been writing on Becky B Blog for over 2 years. Granted that it's been on and off, but 2 years is a long time, for me anyway.
Recently I've been really lacking on writing posts, and I've been hating it more than anything.

I'm hoping that by taking part in Blogmas, I will get my blogging enthusiasm back.
So, without further ado, I give to you my schedule;

Please note: As each year the Christmas tree goes up on a different day, the post will be pushed back if not up by the 11th day. All in all, 25 posts will be published in December.

Let me know if you are taking part in Blogmas and leave your links below, so I can be nosey and feel free to take this schedule :)

I'm not one for reading my horoscopes in magazines and papers, however on the very rare occasion where I've found myself reading them, I have ended up confused and amazed.
However, can your Hair-O-Scope help you choose what hair style suits your personality and the outcome of your day. According to Madison Reed 'a do that's on point is often the difference between a good or a bad day', with this in mind I went to see what the stars had in store for me and my hair.

Madison Reed

Based in the USA, Madison Reed are revolutionising the method of colouring your hair at home. And while they are creating wonderful products, they have also been creating their own Hair-O-Scopes over on their blog.

Before I can start reading, I need to decide whether I'm a Taurus or an Aries, which is quite ironic in the sense that I am never easy to make up my mind. Always flitting between the two.
My birthday is the 20th April, not hinting or anything, and somehow sits in-between the two signs. Therefore, depending on which one holds the good news, I will believe in that one, to a certain extent anyway.

With this in mind, I visited the Madison Reed website and low and behold, by birthday was on both Taurus and Aries...

After much thought, I really am an Aries which is explained in full on their blog post;

Aries (March 21 - April 20)

It's no mistake that you're one of the fire signs, awe-inspiring Aries. Ruled by the planet of energy and the mythological god of war, you were born to be fierce. You shine in the spotlight, and everyone wants you in their team (they certainly don't want to be your opponent!).

Keep that energy positive by adding rich, vibrant tones to your luscious mane. They'll showcase the depth and dimension you have in spades. Or channel that prima donna ballerina discipline and pull it all back into a sleek side bun for days when nothing should get in your way.

I've noticed that when I want to get things done or challenging task is ahead, I will tie my hair back. Maybe I feel like it will help me get things done.

Once knowing that I should go for more rich and vibrant tones, I then headed over to their hair-dye advisor page.

Rather than flicking through their colour options, they have a fun small quiz asking you questions like what skin tone you are and whether you have treated your hair before.

After asking a few questions, they will give you their personal recommendations on what colour you should go for. One instantly caught my eye, especially with my up coming hair appointment.

While I've not used Madison Reed products, I found the process of looking for a hair colour  quite fun and user friendly. My attention span isn't great so for a website to ask me a few quick questions and have recommendations within seconds was great!

However, despite being surprised by the slight accuracy of the Hair-O-Scope, I think I'll stay away from horoscopes for the time being. Though do let me know what your thoughts are on my recent hair change. Also go ahead and check out your Hair-O-Scope! :)

Until next time 

x

Right, this is a post I thought I would never write at all, let alone to say I'm visiting a certain holiday hot spot.

If you follow me on Twitter, you would of probably read that.. 

I'm off to Ibiza!

Yes, that's right. Little me, the one that hates crowds, doesn't drink because my mind goes into over drive into possible scenarios, is off to THE partying place in the world, in less than a month!

If you are thinking, 'oh, she probably won't go' 

Think again,  flights and hotel are booked. No turning back now!

Source

Once I clicked confirm the other night, hundreds of feelings rushed through me. From excitement, the sick nervous feeling and eventually the 'What the hell have I done!" 

But you know what, this is a huge HUGE deal for me and a great big achievement. I may come home having the worst experience, but I won't care.. I've done something I thought I would never do. 

I really should thank my best friend C, who is coming with me. She know's how I 'work' and has promised that we won't go partying every night. This is also my first holiday in 6 years, so I will want to relax also :)

So, what I need right now is your tips. Have you been to Ibiza or maybe a country that is known for partying? Do you have any good tips I need to know, or places I need to visit?

Leave your comments below :)

See you around, 

B x

I'm not one to spend my money on myself, even my mum comments that the moths are flying out of my purse. However, I just could not resist the urge when I came across a picture on Nails Inc's Instagram page.

If you open up my drawer in my room, avert your eyes from the thousands of hair grips, rubber colourful bands that were so cool to collect in my teenage years and have yet to throw away, you will come across my nail varnish collection. 

A mix from Barry M to Boots, Fearne Collection, there is one brand that takes up the majority, Nails Inc.

However, if there is one thing that is a re-occuring factor between them all, it's the dark colours consisting of red, black, and the occasional blue.

While at work I had a quick flick through my Instagram feed, don't be so shocked, we've all done it.. admit it. I was about to lock my phone, when a photo came up from Nails Inc about a sale they had online.

Brilliant I thought, 7 pastel colours for the price of, well, not even 2 colours. The normal retail price of a Nails Inc colour is £11 each, therefore this should of cost me £77 plus delivery. 

Could you believe my shock when the varnishes cost only £18 plus delivery. I didn't want to be greedy on this bargain, so shared the image straight away on Instagram, just hope you guys saw it.

Have you come across any bargains recently? I'm yet to try these colours out but it brings a dash of colour to my dark selection. 

Top, L-R: Haymarket, The Thames, Princes Place
Bottom, L-R: Hyde Park Corner, Loveridge Road, Gordon Street, Bloomsburg Street

B x

After a very busy week last week, I decided to go for a quite one this week. Didn't help that I've been ill for the past two days.. So instead of five, it's more like three..

Visited Granddad

It was nice to get out of the house and give Grandma a break from caring Granddad. What wasn't nice, or expected, was him to forget my name. Bless him, he is 93!

Animals making me chuckle

As horrible as it is, I get a kick out of making my cats jump and watching Digby chase his tail.

One day I will get this on camera and upload to YouTube...

Song Lyrics

This actually came to light while at work.

Jason Derulo's, Want To Want Me came on the radio and my colleague burst out laughing. 

Apparently at the beginning of the song, it sounds like 'I've got the shits on the floor.'

Yeah, I can't listen to that song any more..

Like I said, it's been an odd week so quite short. What has been the highlight of your week?

B x

I'm pretty sure I'm not the first, or only one, who has decided to post about five good things on a Friday. I want to motivate myself into blogging, so here we go:

Bathed in 9 months

Don't judge. I've had numerous showers since. 

As my brother has jetted off to Canada for 4 months, he has ownership of the family bath, we've sprayed the disinfectant and binned the breathing apparatus.

I then soaked until I was a wrinkled old prune!

Trip to London

This isn't unusual for me, but what is, is meeting people I've never met before.

On Saturday I caught the train to London to meet Beth from What She Did and Clare from The Love of all things Beauty. We had a lovely day of giggles, make up and the most AMAZING milkshakes from Lola's Cupcakes. We had such a lovely day, this was the only photo I took, inside Liberty's.

Five little Ducklings

Soon after I arrived back from London, I was surprised to find these lot in my garden. How cute?!

A true girls night out...

Gone are the days of dancing in clubs and drinking until you are considerably merry. After having a lovely meal at our local Cosy Club with the girls form the hotel I worked in, we all went back to a friends house to play with her new kitten, Marie. 

Such a wild night.. ;)

Cinema trip

Tonight I am looking forward to seeing Pitch Perfect 2 with another friend of mine. I absolutely loved the first and slightly excited for the sequel. Have you seen it yet?

So that's my #FiveforFriday, what's yours? Anything slightly more fun than playing with a kitten? Comment below :)

B x

Hello,

It's the time of year again, the BAFTAs. 

A night to recognise the hard work all of all the actors, actresses, reality celebrities and TV presenters.

It is also a night to discuss the outfits worn. Tonight, I present to you my 5 favourite and 5 least favourites.

Absolutely Love

Ferne McCann  

          

Maisie Williams

Michelle Keegan

Sheridan Smith

Not-So-Keen (Worst, is a harsh word).

Ophelia Lovibond

Jennifer Metcalfe

Yael Stone

Tess Daly

Photos have all been taken from the BAFTA's website.

B x

This post has been one of those that has been sat in my drafts for some time. 

Un-able to come up with content that wouldn't harm how you guys see me, I have opted to give you a  links.

These links, whether you click on or not, will show you the effects of an association which is supported by LUSH.

HSA attack Huntsman

(The Facebook group I came across originally) 

I am not here to tell you to turn your back on the company, but I for one do not condone violence and therefore will no longer be purchasing products from them that support the Hunt Saboteurs Association.

I am now on the lookout for a new bath bomb company, so if anyone knows any please comment below.

I apologise that this isn't a normal post of mine, but I felt like I needed to share what I found out. 

Eek, I missed a week but I really needed that break!
I would love to know how you guys manage a blog and YouTube channel with content. Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Last Week's Weekly Wishes:

1) Get Snapping - Yup, this was completed and photos have been uploaded to the Facebook page. I think I will also share the photos on here :)

2) Buy car tax - This was bought with minutes to spare. Good think we are no longer required to display them!

3) Film YouTube content - I actually filmed two videos, and uploaded one today! Here is the link

4) Comment on posts and videos more - I commented on a few posts and videos but not as much as I wanted. Though to be honest, I'm finding it difficult to comment on my phone. It's like the iPhone just hates commenting on posts!

5) Purchase my pass for The Photography Show in Birmingham - This hasn't been completed and if I'm honest, I have a feeling I may not be attending.

This Week's Weekly Wishes:

1) Edit video's - I actually filmed my January Favourites and I really want to get this up soon before it is too late!

2) Edit photos from recent photo shoot - this is actually my job so I really need to get this sorted!

3) Get commenting - Because I didn't really complete this goal I am carrying it over for this week :)



Only setting myself a few goals this week after a positive week, despite it being a quiet one :)

See you around,

Becky x

Have you ever bought a product which you have seen appear on other blogs, instagram pages and youtube videos, only to buy it and be majorly disappointed?

I have and annoyingly I’m not learning from my mistakes. 

As I use to work in a hotel, I was never allowed to paint my nails. Until 2 months ago when I left my job for an office desk.

I jumped at the chance and went out and brought some new nail polish in some colours that I didn’t already have.

I had seen Essie nail polish all over twitter and many blogs raving about the colours and quality.

Previously, when I chose nail varnish, I have been playing it safe and buying Nails Inc. I love their colours, the packaging and the quality. And I'm quite happy to spend £11 on one colour, knowing I won't be disappointed.

As I walked into Boots, I stopped at the Essie section and picked up three colours. 

Mint Candy Apple, which is a light mint colour. Chinchilla, this is my favourite colour out of the three and I have received a lot of compliments about it and A-List, this is the most popular and I have seen it being used by probably everyone that I know.

Mint Candy Apple

A-List

Chinchilly; after a shower

The price for each bottle is reasonable £7 and at the time I believe there was a deal going on.

When applying the nail varnish I found that the Chinchilly needed 6 coats until my nail was covered and the A-List was a lot brighter than the colour in the bottle, while the Mint Candy Apple was fine. 

What disappointed me was how long they each lasted. Now I may of been silly and commenced a beauty faux pas and please let me know if I did. 
But after having the nail polish on for an hour, you expect it to stay on your nails and not remove itself when in the shower..

With in seconds the polish started peeling from my nails and I came out finding it in my hair.. not nice!

I originally put this down to the polish being fresh on my nails and re-applied the colour. However, it happened again a day later!
Soon I realised that it happened with all three colours!

This won’t be a brand I will be returning to in a hurry, however the colours are gorgeous and having them in my drawer means I can grab hold of them whenever the 'peeled' look comes in fashion.== 

I have never had this problem with Nails Inc. 

Has anyone else had this problem? Did I do something wrong, or maybe there is something I can do to prevent the nail polish from peeling in hot water? Let me know in the comment section :)

Until next time, 

Becky

On the 1st January, I , along with others, decided to take part in the 28 day water challenge.

If you are unaware of what it entails, then check out my post here. 

The original plan was to post a weekly update to show the difference. This was a massive fail as I just kept forgetting or something would crop up which had more importance. 

What I have kept to was to post at the end of the 28 days. 

Drinking 3 litres of water a day honestly did not seem that hard at the beginning.  However, when you cut out the amount of tea you drink and just limit yourself to water, thats another story. 

The first two weeks I felt awful in that I had to force the water down me. 

I planned that if I drank a pint every hour, I would be fine.  Every hour I would down a pint, worst thing to do ever!

I wasn't expecting to see any drastic changes, but my word did I wee a lot more! 

My work colleagues thought there was something wrong with me until I told them what I was doing. 

The bags under my eyes became less noticeable. Unfortunately, my dark circles are heireditry and will never disappear.

One change I did notice, no more dry skin!

This is one outcome I am happy with, I have struggled with dry/oily skin and I was told that my skin goes oily as it is it's way of saying it is thirsty! No matter how much moisteriser I put on, it just wouldn't work. 

I was a victim of so many beauty consultants on counters telling me to try this cream or that. When actually, it was all down to drinking more water!

By week three, I was struggling and found I was only drinking 1-2 glasses a day. Headaches were appearing and sometimes never disappearing, and my skin had gone back to it's dry stage :(

Annoyingly, this has carried on over to the last week.

I haven't stopped drinking water completely as I still drink my mountains worth of tea. I will admit that I have at least 1 glass a day and I want to improve this.

I will definitely try and carry on drinking more water a day as I really enjoyed having skin that wasn't flaky etc. I may just invest in a water bottle to ensure I drink plenty of water a day and keep it on me at all times. 

I feel that the plastic water bottles you get at super markets (that already have water in them) make the water taste a horrible plastic taste after a few uses. Just me?

Did you join in with the water challenge? How did you do?

See you around,

Becky x