Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Girl Online | Behind The Scenes


I'm sure a lot of you will have heard by now that I'm writing a book (I KNOW, CRAZY AND EXCITING AND SO INCREDIBLY AWESOME) I absolutely love writing and ever since I was a  young'un I have dreamt about my very own book, and so this is an absolute dream come true. I thought I'd share a little bit about it and the journey so far..

When I was 13 I would rush home from school to work on a book I was writing. Sadly I don't still have that book now. I wrote it up on word and it was hundreds of pages long, I don't even remember what it was called. I saved it all on a floppy disc (remember those?), and then I think I threw it away (DAMMIT), I even drew a front cover. I've known since then that I've always wanted to write my own book, so was so excited when I was approached by Penguin to make this a reality! Since then we've been working together to bring my ideas to life and create my very own novel - Girl Online!

I don't want to reveal too much about the story as I don't want to spoil the surprise, but it was so important to me to include things that are big parts of my life. I wanted to make sure anxiety was a key feature, as it's something that myself and so many other people have to live with, in the hope that it might help someone out who is suffering with the same. Blogging is of course a major theme too, as well as cyber bullying, friend fallouts and romance. EEEEEEK. It's a Young Adult fiction, so none of the characters are based on people I know, or myself but it was so much fun creating them and seeing them come to life throughout the story.

Last week I had a two day meeting with my editor Amy where we went through the first final copy just be sure of any changes (As you can see I provided quite the table display of snacks - yes, those are Percy Pigs) There are still a few more stage to go before it's ready for the printers and can't wait to share it all with you, i'm also very nervous! The book is being released on 

Tuesday 25th November

But you can preorder it already by clicking here!

I don't think i've ever been so excited for anything my entire life, it's like all my Christmas' rolled into one. 



Monday, December 29, 2014

Top 5 Tuesday | Face SPFs



SPFs are so important at this time of year, especially with all of this amazing weather we've been having! I always make sure to use them in the summer to make sure my face is protected from the sun to avoid any damage to my skin. 

I've chosen my favourite five facial SPF products and find they are all great for different things. First up is Murad's Essential -C Sun Balm, the packaging makes it easy to apply and is small enough to take with you in case you need to reapply, and the SPF 35 is a good level of coverage. Next up is Vichy's Capital Soleil face cream which I reach for on holidays or really sunny days, the SPF 50+ gives very high protection so is perfect for when the sun is really strong.

Next is something slightly different but so useful, an SPF 30 lip balm that can be worn under lipstick and so goes well with your makeup. People tend to forget about protecting your lips but it is so important, sunburnt lips are no fun at all! Fourth is the Sisley Super Stick Solaire, which is great for sensitive skin, as some sun creams can be irritating for some skin types. This is also SPF 30 so great for protecting more delicate areas of your face, including around your eyes. 

Last but not least is L'Occitane's Jenipapo Face Protecting Veil which I love taking with me if I'm going away for a few days, it's such a great size for your handbag, has SPF30 UVA and UVB protection so is a great all rounder! It smells lovely too which is an added bonus!


Beauty | Autumn Colours

ColourPop Eye Shadows in So Quiche, Lace and Krinkle
Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy Palette in 06 Currant Desire

One of my favourite things about Autumn is all of the beautiful seasonal colours and shades that start appearing in beauty products and new releases. I thought I'd share a few gorgeous shades I've spotted recently..

When the weather gets cooler I tend to move away from pastel nail shades and into deeper tones, and the new Autumn Collection from Barry M and the Hollywood collection from Leighton Denny are perfect for that. I absolutely love the deep blue LD shade 'No Pictures Please'.

I find myself wearing more shimmer in eyeshadows at this time of year too, these shades from ColourPop are so pretty and great for creating a more shimmery smokey eye. This palette from Estee Lauder is absolutely stunning too, the purple berry tones are stunning and the shades compliment each other beautifully.

For lips I again go for deeper, richer tones, and the new Matte Revolution collection by Charlotte Tilbury is perfect for this. Amazing Grace is a lovely vintage rose shade that would be lovely in the day time, and Glaston-Berry is much darker, and more vampy, so a great evening wear shade. I actually did a tutorial using this lipstick which you can watch below...





Saturday, December 27, 2014

Makeup Collection & Storage 2014





Zoella Beauty | The Launch


I sort of think that with this post, the pictures speak louder than any words, and I'm also very unsure how I could possibly put into words just how amazing this night was for me (and hopefully others who attended). 
I don't want this post to be solely about the products even though that is what this night was all about, but I want to talk about why this was the best night of my life. I was surrounded by my family, my friends, fellow youtubers and bloggers, some who i've just met and others I've known through the joys of the internet for many years (and not had the chance to meet yet). I felt like there was so much support in that room and that everyone there was genuinely so happy for me and that was something I was so unprepared for. It was so overwhelming and I felt so happy to be with all these amazing people. I pinch myself every single day that this is my life, and that I have been so lucky to be given these amazing opportunities and to have so many friends who I feel like are standing right beside me the whole way, supporting the things I do with such genuinity. I felt so warm and fuzzy inside the entire evening and every time I caught sight of my products or my name on a giant tin bathtub or on the wall or the mirrors, I almost had to take a second glance to realise this was actually happening. In 2009, I attended my first launch event which was for Barry M, 5 years later, I had no idea I would be having my own beauty launch event with all my favourite people. 

*PINCHES SELF WHILST WRITING THIS BLOG POST*

Among the many friends, bloggers, family and other youtubers who I am wholeheartedly so grateful to have in my life supporting the things I do and the path I am on, I am also eternally grateful to you reading this, the viewers and readers who have been here since 2009, or yesterday. I love you and thank you for making my dreams come true. The happiness scale right now is through the roof, so I will leave you to enjoy this montage of photos from the evening.