March Summary

The end of March is here, which means my birthday is mere MINUTES away now. Okay maybe not minutes... 16 days more like. But who's counting, right?! Anyway, I hope the month has been kind to you guys, and you're all ready to head into April with determination and positive thoughts.
GOALS:
A new month always brings new motivation and new goals for me, do any of you lovely readers feel like that too? It's that feeling of a fresh start, the same as starting a brand new blank notebook, or buying a new calender at the start of the year and filling it in with all your plans. It's a great feeling; it's possibility, and it's the best.
For April, my personal goals/aims/plans will be to finally determine proper 'days off' for myself, to keep up with regular yoga and exercise, start a bullet journal to keep me on track, and to start saving more money, to just help get my finances a little better.

New Spring Beauty Buys

Last week I decided to pop into Boots and pick up a few little treats for myself, since I've not been feeling my very best lately and I thought it might cheer me up. And you know what? It did a little, haha. 

I picked up Seventeen On The Spot Foundation, Seventeen Stay Time Long Wear Primer, Natural Collection Lip gloss, Soap & Glory Kick Ass Just Bright Concealer, Soap & Glory Shea Butter Sugar & Peach Body Polish and the Soap & Glory Sexy Motherpucker Gloss Stick.

Five Things I've Learned About Relationships

It's coming up to my fifth anniversary with my boyfriend, Gary; and in that time I feel like I've learned a lot about myself, him, our relationship, and relationships in general to be honest.
I had my first 'proper' boyfriend when I was 12 years old, and since then I basically spent the next 10 years with boyfriends. I was that girl that never stayed single more than a month or so really. When I was around 21 I broke up with a long term boyfriend (of three years), and had about 3 months single. Then I had another serious relationship with someone. After that one ended I ended up being single for about a year, before meeting Gary. I think that year was my longest period so far being single, and that was now five years ago. It's fair to say I feel much more confident talking about relationships, than single life. I'd be hopeless as a single pringle, probably. 
Today I wanted to share some little pearls of wisdom with you guys that I've picked up on my way. Obviously I can only speak about my own experiences, and everyone learns different lessons throughout their life. However I got such lovely messages from other dating and relationship posts, such as 5 Tips For Long Distance Relationships and 8 Things I Do and Don't Miss About Dating - that I thought I'd try make relationships a more regular theme on my blog. I'm really excited about this, and hope you are too!

50 Thoughts This Week

If you missed last week's, I've started this new thing where I share 50 of my most random, intimate or boring thoughts with you guys. Enjoy.

1. I bloody love my blogging friends. 2. Hayley got me a 'blog birthday' card and omg she's so cute. 3. I am exhausted all the time. 4. Double Wear is just the best effing foundation ever tbh. 5. I prefer A/W but I really am looking forward to Spring and sunshine. 6. People have no idea how much certain compliments mean to me, and stay with me. 7. I need a new tv show to watch. 8. I really like that I have friends of all ages, different walks of life and personalities. 9. I just want to say HI CHRIS (blondie) if you're reading this, love you & I miss you. Come have a drink soon! 10. I'm really happy right now. 11. I wonder if Gary would paint my nails for me if I ask nicely? ....(yep.) <3 12. I really don't want people to copy these posts tbh. 13. I'm definitely gonna start doing yoga to help my back and flexibility. 14. I love my family obviously, but visiting them is a chore, lol. 15. Am I a bad person for thinking that? 16. My nails always look like crap! 17. I feel like a failure. 18. I just realised I have no red nail polish. 19. Must change this. 20. I think I have a crush on Keanu Reeves. 21. Maybe Keanu 10 years ago though. Why have I only just realised this? 22. I've started doing Yogo (that I mentioned in 13) on Wii fit. Is this lame? It's fun though. 23. I'm kinda glad Spring is here. 24. I miss doing DIY/creative posts as much as I used to. 25. I'm gonna plan some now for the next few weeks :) 26. Definitely have a Keanu crush, mmm. Think I'll change my desktop wallpaper. 27. Maybe my phone too. 28. I just ordered clothes and makeup to cheer myself up, and I can feel it working already. 29. Does number 28 make me a really shallow person? Or did I just desperately deserve a treat? 30. Whyyyyyyy does she hate me though? 31. Why do I care, more importantly. 32. I think Terry Crews would be cool to hang out with. 33. Yoga is effing hard. 34. Why does the skin on my chin feel like crap? I need a super exfoliator. 35. I just rebought my fave Soap & Glory exfoliator so this should do the trick. 36. I really like the look of the new Bridget Jones movie. 37. I want to change my hair already. But I don't know what to. 38. I've got some really fab blog events/meet ups/gigs/fun things to look forward to in the next few months. 39. Pinterest is just SO good for inspiration (for anything!). Baking, art, DIY, beauty... so good. 40. I hate when people have generic names on Snapchat; 'Sarah/Jenny/' - who the fuck are you?! 41. I wish seasons lasted just a week, and then a new one started. 42. Luna always wants to cuddle when I'm busy, but never when I try to cuddle her, LOL. 43. If Luna had been a boy she was going to be called Sebastian. 44. Why do I always need to pee when I'm taking blog photos?! 45. I hate cooking. 46. It's exactly three weeks until my birthday (as I write this). 47. I might genuinely start lying about my age now. Let me know how young I can pass for. I'm hoping 21. 48. I wish I were magic. 49. Lists are my life tbh. 50. Everything will turn out okay.
Have a great week guys!


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Get £10 Off With House Of Fraser Beauty Event

There are certain things that make me sit up and pay attention instantly; a nice brew of coffee, anything to do with Kristen Stewart, ...and this week? - The House of Fraser Beauty Event. Every time HoF do a beauty event, it's worth paying attention to. It's officially on NOW until 3rd April and the event is based around getting you a beauty bargain!

If you spend £50 on beauty, including one of the HoF beauty picks, you get £10 off your purchase and double points too! Pretty damn good to be honest. The full list of 39 products included in the offer can be found here.

Struggling a Little.

Hi guys, hope you're having a good week so far.
Right now I have no idea what to say in this post really, except that I know I want to write it. I feel like I need to share how I'm feeling right now. 
I'm struggling a bit.
Nothing major, nothing to worry about, I'm generally good. But, also... not? It's a combination of things really; my schedule, my physical and mental well being and my overall feeling of confidence I guess.
You lovely lot must be sick of me always saying how busy I am, I appreciate that. But it's the truth, I'm ALWAYS busy. I'm trying to balance everything, and it's become a game of 'How much sleep can I survive on?' or 'Do I really need to make time for myself this week?'. Not great. I spend all my time working on designs for people (bloggers and small businesses) and I need to do this, as it makes up the majority of my income. Then I try to work on building up The Girl Gang, whether it's helping people out, promoting others, working on upcoming newsletters or even just keeping up with messages. Then there's planning the event, that's a whole other job in itself. I know the event is months away, but it takes serious planning and a lot of time and energy and I'm basically shitting myself with worry about pulling it off.

New Brushes

Beauty lovers, answer me this; Can you ever have enough brushes? If you answered 'yes', well then I just can't relate to you, you're a much better person than me (probably) haha. I'm forever on the hunt for more beauties to try. I have so many, ranging from Zoeva, Real Techniques, MAC right down to bargain Ebay finds. And now, I've added to that collection with the So Eco brushes* from MakeupBrushes.co.uk.

Spring Handbag Wishlist

Spring is officially here, according to Google anyway; though I'm yet to see any real sunshine or daisies. However I've got myself all excited for refreshing my wardrobe a little, especially as it's my birthday in just over 3 weeks, and I just might get the opportunity to ask for something special. 
I've been wondering about indulging in a brand new bag the past few weeks, and I was browsing the House of Fraser website looking at satchel bags, when I found the above. 
There was one DKNY black bag I simply loved and couldn't not put on my wishlist, but the rest as you can see are colourful and perfect for Spring. I'm naturally drawn to the baby pinks more than anything though! From top to bottom, left to right, they are: Coccinelle Neutral Medium Satchel Bag, Ralph Lauren Tate Blue Satchel Bag, DKNY Chelsea light pink small satchel, DKNY coated logo black satchel, Coccinella Mel yellow satchel bag, Coccinelle  Arlettis light pink satchel bag. I think my favourite is probably the third one; the pink DKNY Chelsea bag - look how adorable it is!
Do you guys have a wishlist for the new season?

*Post in collaboration with House of Fraser

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50 Thoughts I Had This Week

A summary of my week, in 50 quick thoughts.


1. I really want colourful hair again. 2. I wish I had more time for reading. 3. I need to do a craft post soon. 4. The only colour I don't like is brown. 5. My hair doesn't grow as quick as I'd like it to.

10 Things You Might Not Know About My Blog/Routine

Hello lovelies, today I thought I'd share with you some of the things you might not know about my blog, or my blogging routine. Because it's not often we get to chat about 'behind the scenes', and it's interesting to share snippets of that with each other.
So here are ten things you might not have known about this blog, or my blogging routine.

1. I take most of my photographs at night. Ever since I got new lights, I've enjoyed the freedom of taking photos at any time of day, so 2am photo taking seshes are normal for me.
2. I try to break up my content. There might be times when I have 20 ideas for great beauty posts, for example. But I try break this up between lifestyle/craft/other posts so there's a nice flow of content here on my blog. 

Replacing My GHD's

I know, that title huh? The thing is, before I've even written this post I just know some people aren't going to believe me; which is infuriating! Because I think I've found my new favourite straighteners ever ever ever. I know GHD are like, the holy grail there. But I can honestly admit these lilac lovelies have now replaced my GHD's in what I choose to use on my tresses everyday. 
I was kindly sent the Corioliss Lilac hair straighteners* from JustMyLook, and I couldn't believe how pretty they were; I was in love! But could they get the job done? Hmm..

Life This Week

Happy Sunday guys! I thought today would be the perfect day to sum up the past week or so, and have a little catch up blog post. I like to do chattier posts where I keep you all updated with what's going on at least once or twice a month, and I hope you won't mind me rambling.
Firstly I'd like to say a huge thank you to Love From magazine for featuring me on the cover of their March issue and interviewing me (shown above). It was so much fun and it's lovely having something like that to keep. My mum said she felt all proud, especially as she doesn't understand all this blogging malarkey. So it's nice to have something to give her to help her understand what it's all about!

I had some great and funny reactions to my recent ASMR post; I didn't realise how many other people could relate, which was really good. It's such a strange thing, but I personally find it so helpful. And thank you to anyone who sat down and read that post, as I know it got a bit wordy, haha.
At the start of the week we celebrated Gary's birthday, and had his mum and nan visit us for a few days which was lovely. They haven't visited us in Liverpool before, and it was nice to finally let them see our home; especially as it's starting to really look and feel 'homely'. Birthday cake, balloons and presents were all present, so it's fair to say it was a good start to the week.
I've also been snapchatting a lot more recently, and those of you who follow me (Jemmamorgan) have been enjoying them, yay! I tend to annoy Gary a lot, video Luna, or myself looking horrendous; but it's all fun. 

Free Blog Post Checklist

Putting together a single blog post can be quite time consuming, especially with all the extra work that has to go into it to really make it work. Obviously the words and images are the backbone here and the only things that should matter, but taking the extra time to fix up a few other details can make a huge difference to your audience and stats.
Today I've put together a free checklist for you guys to use when producing blog posts. This is my own personal list I use, which means it's simply what I find works best for me. You are welcome to just refer to the list below, or there's a handy download for a free printable at the end of this post. I hope it helps!

50 Things To Post On Instagram

I love Instagram. I post every single day, I am forever scrolling through my feed, and I'm obsessed with keeping my theme colourful. I'm always looking for something I can photograph and so I thought I'd share with you guys some of my ideas, which may help you if you need a bit of inspiration.
Enjoy!


1. Your breakfast, lunch or dinner - what are you nibbling on?! :) 2. Your planner - I love noseying at people's planners to see how they decorate it. 3. Your favourite outfit ever. 4. Take a photo of your feet/shoes everyday to document your journeys. 5. Stationery - one of my favourite things to see on Insta is cute stationery! 6. Flowers you see throughout the day. 7. Pretty leaves. 8. A selfie - obvious but lovely! Let's see your pretty face :) 9. Quotes - A great way to break up your photos is with an inspiring quote. 10. Show us your most Insta-worthy makeup, make us jealous!

Makeup Revolution Rose Gold Lipstick Collection

Makeup Revolution are one of my most purchased beauty brands; they produce fantastic quality products at affordable prices and I just can't get enough of them to be honest.
Last week these beautiful lipsticks from the rose gold collection made their way into my online basket and before I knew it I was entering my payment details. I couldn't resist how gorgeous they looked, and as much as I wanted all five from the collection, the nude shade was sold out. Booo! This means I have (from left to right above) 'Girls Best Friend', 'Private Members Club', 'Red Carpet' and 'Diamond Life'. I'm determined I'll purchase 'Chauffeur' too as soon as possible to complete the set.

New Beauty Products: Jurlique

Bonjour you gorgeous folk! I hope the week has been treating you kindly so far, and you're full of positive vibes and all that. It's been a SUPER busy one for me, with an extra workload and my partner's family visiting; so I haven't blogged as much as usual admittedly.
Today though I wanted to jump right back in with some beauty products I've been raving about lately to anyone who will listen! The Daily Exfoliating Cream and Hydra Gloss products from Jurlique have been on my radar for a few weeks now. You may remember last month I posted about my favourite Jurlique products (the Rosewater Balancing Mist and Rose Hand Cream) and how much they had helped my skin. Well since then I've been trying out the exfoliating cream and glosses, and can confirm I love them just as much!

Tips For Funding Education Abroad

You may have read on my blog before about my wishes to travel more, as it's always been a passion of mine. However I've also spoken about how hard that can be right now, and the things holding me back. 

One of my greatest wishes is that I went travelling as soon as I left school/college or even studied abroad. I wish I'd used that time when I was a little more 'free' and able to do so. With that in mind, today's post features tips for funding education abroad, so you may have the opportunity I never really gave myself! 

Looking for an adventure while you study? Tips for finding funding for education

abroad

There's plenty of advice online for young people who are looking to continue their studies abroad, but sadly, much of it revolves around fairly mundane opportunities. It seems there is little of interest to you if you are looking for something to give your creative side a little more reign. For UK students who want to pursue creative avenues in a different part of the world, there are many exciting locations that offer cultural inspiration for artists, writers and more. The problem is getting the funding in place to make such a trip possible for many already burdened with the debts and loans needed to pay for their day-to-day education at home.

Worth the work

It might be a challenge to work out how you can do it, but the rewards of having a valuable experience that can give you lifelong inspiration and a whole new set of skills is certain to be worth it in the long run. Exchange programmes are run by many educational institutions with similar set-ups in other countries, and these have a long history of fostering cross-cultural support and understanding. Many European countries also offer free or cheap undergraduate education to UK students, and scholarships, bursaries or fee-waivers are available to varying degree depending on where you want to go. Making enquiries at embassies, consulates or education offices of your chosen country is the best way to find out all the details of what might be on offer.

Self-funding

As a modern UK student, you'll be well aware of having to fund yourself through your education, and whether by taking out loans or working part-time, you'll be used to managing your own personal funding budget. However, self-funding a trip abroad can be more difficult as depending on where you go, you might not be able to work due to student visa restrictions.

Scholarships can be the perfect answer, such as those given out by Fondation Latsis Internationale. This is a non-profit, public benefit foundation established in 1975, whose purpose is to encourage and recognise outstanding work. John Spyridon Latsis began the organisation, and today his son Spiro Latsis is top of the richest Greeks in the Forbes list of the richest people on the planet. Well known for his contributions to the charitable foundation in the name of his father, Latsis himself holds three degrees from the London School of Economics and is the chairman of the board of the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton University.

 

Time of your life

Studying abroad may become one of the best times of your life, and it may be the only time in your life when everything comes together and allows you the space to take on such a big adventure. Soon, the day-to-day duties of running a business or having a career might mean that you'll never be as free as you are now to take up the chance and make memories that will last a lifetime.

*This was a collaborative post.

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ASMR And Me

Perhaps you've already heard of ASMR since it seems to have become the big Youtube 'thing' over the past year, or maybe you've no idea what ASMR is and you've stumbled onto today's post anyway. Well hi either way :)
Today I wanted to chat with you guys about ASMR and how it affects me, and how I use it to take better control over my sleeping pattern, helping me to relax and to get myself out of stressful moods. So bear with me while I try to explain something that is probably going to sound really weird.
ASMR stands for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, and although very hard to describe to those who do not experience it; it can be 'summed up' as a euphoric feeling of relaxation and pleasure, with a tingling sensation usually in the scalp/neck/back area. Okay, with me so far? People experience ASMR in a number of ways, and not everyone gets it from the same thing. So for some people listening to quiet, repetitive sounds works, or watching someone perform a mundane but attentive task can trigger it.

Hello!

Happy Thursday guys! I thought I'd sit down and just 'check in' since I have an hour 'spare' anyway. By spare, I mean that our new sofa has just arrived and I'm taking an hour out to enjoy it and sit down and write, woo!
It's beautiful by the way, and so comfortable. Our living room is finally complete which I'm super happy about. I now just have to finish my office and then I'll be so happy with our whole place. My new photography lights are due today, so this should mean a huge boost in the quality of my photographs too! They are an early birthday gift from my mum, and she couldn't have got me anything better.
I'm sure I'll do a bit more homey stuff soon, and show how the place is looking since I'm becoming more and more happy with it :)
In other news; this week I realised I can't make it to the Makeup Revolution 2 year celebratory party in London. I'm absolutely gutted as I was so thrilled to get the invite, but I just don't have the pennies to travel there, get accommodation and of course have spending money. The life of a freelance worker eh? Oh well, these sacrifices have to be made to pursue happiness... I guess haha.
Other than that, life right now is just quiet and trying to slug through. I've been trying to sort the first girl gang event, which will hopefully be around the end of August. But I have to try secure a venue first for 40 people.. for free! Anyone have any tips there?! Haha. I'm sure it'll all come together in the end, but it's terrifying putting it all together!
Anyway before I go and try to tackle the huge job of tidying up my office, I'd love to know what sort of content you guys want to see most on this blog? If you have any suggestions on new content, or what you already like seeing most - please comment and let me know and I'll really try to put any ideas into my schedule. 

Hope you have a great weekend guys (it's almost here!), Lots of love,


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20 Blog Post Ideas For Spring

Spring is almost here! I know the official first day of Spring is nearer the end of the month, but there's nothing wrong with getting excited is there? Even though it's not my favourite season, it comes pretty close (sorry but I'm an Autumn gal if truth be told). I love Summer because the bright days are finally back; which means great blog photos, and it's not too hot to be annoying/overwhelming. 
With each new season comes a fresh batch of inspiration for me, and today I thought I'd share with you some ideas for Spring based blog posts. I hope you enjoy!

Beauty; 1. New beauty launches - brands push new, exciting products with each season. Share with us your favourites.  2. Refreshing your look - show us how your makeup changes for the new season. 3. Skincare - Going from Winter to Spring often changes our skincare routine, how it affect yours? 4. Lipsticks of choice - share your favourite lipsticks that you'll be wearing in Spring. 5. Spring nails - Try out some new nail art for Spring; perhaps something floral?

Lifestyle; 6. 30 Things you love about Spring. 7. Spring clean your life - share with us how you're tidying up your life/routine/workspace. 8. New season, new reads - what books are you reading? 9. Outdoor in Spring - what places will you be going/what will you be doing? 10. Share a day in your life with us. 11. Mothers Day post - tell us all the reasons your Mum is ace. 12. Photo challenge; capture your favourite moments throughout Spring. 13. Great at organisation? Tell us your tips to reorganise our home for Spring cleaning.

Other; 14. Spring outfits; share the faves you'll be wearing. 15. Start a Spring scrapbook. 16. Make your own Easter eggs. 17. Easter themed baking - even if it's just mini egg cornflake cakes, try make some yummy Easter treats! 18. Hair inspiration; try out new hairstyles. Bonus points if you get some flowers in your hair. 19. Pinterest inspiration - share your favourite Spring themed boards on Pinterest. 20. Change up your theme on Instagram for Spring and share it with us!


Hope this helps give a little inspiration guys, thanks for reading! :)



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