2018 Blogging Goals

Last year for the first time I set myself some blogging goals and it was only right I did the same this year! Blogging is just the best hobby but I always think there is room for improvement and I'm always trying to find new ways to get better at this, so setting goals is a massive motivation!

Don't Put Myself Under Pressure To Post

As much as I would love to stick to blogging 5 times a week throughout 2018, it was tough sometimes last year and I just don't want to force myself anymore to post if I'm not feeling it. Last year regardless of how ill I was feeling (which happened pretty much every few months) or no matter what stuff I had going on, I still posted and some days it was so difficult. Even though I usually have posts ready to publish, I don't want to do it if my heart isn't in it and some days it just isn't. I do love having a routine and I'm so proud I managed to stick with it for as long as I did last year but I'm not going to put myself under loads of pressure to post this year if I just don't feel like it because I feel like it shows then to my readers and if I'm not happy reading it, why would others be? I think sometimes it's okay to take a break and if I feel like I need to do that sometimes with my blog this year, I will.

Reach Out To More Brands

Since my blog started I've been quite open to contacting brands and PRs and telling them why I'd love to work with them. I always get nervous beforehand and a huge amount of people have never got back to me, but some have worked out really well and I've formed some brilliant working relationships with people. I definitely cooled it down a bit over the last few months of 2017 because I was planning a wedding, my anxiety was all over the place, and it just didn't feel right to be reaching out to brands, if I wasn't 100% able to give them a great post. Now I'm feeling much better and ready to get back to it. I have an idea of some I'd like to reach out too, and I'm just going to keep an open mind about it all. I feel like 2017 was a brilliant year blog wise for me as I got to work with some amazing brands so I'd really love for that to carry on this year.

Reach 5000 Twitter Followers

I feel like I've been much more optimistic with my Twitter goal this year but I'm really hoping I reach it. Last year I started the year with about 500 Twitter followers and my goal was 1000, I ended up reaching over 2000 by New Year which I was incredibly happy with. I know followers aren't everything but it does help when it comes to reaching out to brands, and just getting your posts out there, so I'd really love to hit a bigger number this year. I think just even getting close to 5000 followers would be amazing!

Reach 2000 Instagram Followers

 Again I think I've gone quite high with this one! Last year I aimed for 500 Instagram followers as it's just such a pain to grow but I ended up with over 1100 by Christmas so I'm really hoping over the next 12 months I can double that. With so many people struggling on Instagram at the moment, I'm not sure how likely this is but anything would be a bonus to be honest! I never expected to even reach 1000.

Reach 200 Facebook Likes

Facebook is another platform that I find is a real struggle to grow. I'm not sure what it is, and to be completely honest I don't use Facebook anywhere near as much as I used to, but I would still love to grow my Facebook page. I ended up reaching 100 likes last year so that's another one I'd like to double. I think I've invited the majority of my friend list and I'm not getting too far with that so if any other bloggers would like to help me out that would be amazing. Just to grow this even a little bit would be fab.

Improve My Photography

I had this on my blogging goals last year and I think it's one I'll keep adding each year! I definitely think my blog photos have improved massively since I first started but I'm aware I still have a long way to go. I look at others photos and can't believe how good theirs are, mine just look a mess in comparison so I'd really like to try and get better this year with them. I think photography for me is a bit of a slow one as I'm not too creative but hopefully by the end of the year I'll be more happy with them than I am now.

I don't think I've set myself quite as many blogging goals this year as I'm trying not to put too much pressure on it all but I do still think it's good to set yourself a few. I'm so proud of it and how it's grown, especially in 2017 so let's hope it continues this year!

Have you set yourself any blogging goals?

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Bakerdays Letterbox Cake Review & Giveaway*

In May last year I collaborated with bakerdays, a brand I'd been wanting to work with for a long time and I got to review one of their Letterbox cakes. You can read my full review here but in short, me and the rest of the family who tried the cake, absolutely loved it and the personalised design was much better than I could have ever expected. As I loved working with them last year, I was so happy when they got in touch and said they'd love to collaborate again this year, and as my birthday was in January, it was kind of a perfect fit! I decided on a cake for myself this year and again, I am so impressed!

If you've not heard of bakerdays before then where have you been?! They are growing and growing in popularity and it's easy to see why. They provide cakes for all sorts of occassions, letting you personalise them with your own message or picture and you can pick from a variety of flavours. All cakes are handmade to order and only the best ingredients are used so there is no need to worry about the quality. Like last time I was sent one of the Letterbox cakes to review, and what is so great about these is that they do just fit through your letterbox with no issues! No worries about if they'll survive the drop to the floor or get through the door, they are packaged securely in a protective cake tin so no damage can be done. 

The design I went for this time was the Panda Cake which I had personalised to say 'Tiffany have a wonderful day!'. Pandas are one of my favourite animals so this seemed like the obvious choice and look how cute it is! Like last time, it looked even better than I expected and it almost looked too good to eat. Almost...now onto the taste which is obviously very important. I went for the traditional sponge flavour this time as last time I went for the chocolate chip and it was just as delicious! It was moist and spongy, not too heavy, and the icing on top was sweet but not overpowering which I find sometimes happens with birthday cakes like this. Everything about it tasted beautiful and there was the perfect amount for 4 of us to share, though you could definitely cut it into smaller slices if you like.

I think these letterbox cakes are such a brilliant idea, they really do taste beautiful and the designs always come out so well. They have such a variety to choose from, including birthday cakes like mine, christmas cakes, easter cakes, new job cakes and so much more, there really is something for every occassion. One of the reasons I think these cakes in particular are so good is because there isn't always time to make your own for a birthday and shop bought ones can be very hit and miss, whereas with these you can really tell so much time, effort and care has gone into each one. The letterbox cakes are priced at £14.99 but they also do small, medium and large cakes so brilliant if you have a party coming up, and even cupcakes and personalised balloons are available to buy! I wouldn't hesitate to order from bakerdays in future, they are so convenient and as you can order up to a year in advance, it takes so much stress away when it comes to birthdays. They also stay fresh for up to 14 days so if you get it a bit early, no need to worry as the cake will still be perfect on the day.

I don't have a bad word to say about bakerdays, they definitely helped make my birthday and I can't wait to try more from them in future. If you have a birthday coming up or another special occassion, make sure to check out their website. You can also enter my GIVEAWAY over on Twitter where you can win your own personalised letterbox cake!

Have you ever tried a cake from bakerdays?

*Letterbox cake sent for the purpose of this post. I only work with brands relevant to me and my blog

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My 23rd Birthday

Birthdays are a bit of an odd thing for me and have been for a few years now. I know most people get so excited about their birthday but I kind of always dread it, especially as it's just after Christmas and I'm always a little bit sad that my favourite time of year is over. Last year I was really down about it and got myself in such a state but this year I like to think I dealt with it much better. Even though I was a bit stressed beforehand, on the day I felt much better than last year and generally so much more positive than I've felt in the past. I ended up having a really nice weekend and even though it was quite chilled and simple, it was just 'me' and really lovely.

My birthday was on Sunday (7th) but we kind of celebrated it on the Saturday instead and made a weekend of it. We went to Pizza Hut for a meal, which is actually exactly what we did last year too, and all of the food was so tasty. I just love Pizza and could eat it pretty much all the time so it was definitely a good choice, and also does anyone else love the salad bar as much as me? I genuinely get really excited about salad bars 🙊 Despite being full from Pizza we opted for Dessert too because who can turn it down? George and I shared the chocolate waffle which was so much better than I expected it to be, the chocolate ice cream and sauce were gorgeous and I could totally eat it all again right now. That night was spent watching horror films, eating yet more food and then on Sunday we just relaxed really.

I opened my cards and birthday presents, and George had totally spoilt me again with very thoughtful gifts. I unwrapped bath bombs from Bomb Cosmetics, including one called Candy Cane Lane which is like the ultimate for me as I love anything minty, and also the Bear Necessities one which is is just adorable. I also got a mini Ghost Eclipse perfume which is beautiful. I love the Ghost perfume bottles, and as this is a mini it means I get to try it out and see if I like it before buying a bigger bottle, luckily I love it! It's the most gorgeous bottle and it reminds me of sunsets, I already don't want it to run out. He also got me the Hunger Games DVD Boxset which I can't wait to watch. I never thought I'd be a fan of the films so I put them off for a long time but after watching them all a while ago, I realised I'd been missing out so I'm so happy to have them all ready to put on whenever now. They're like the Harry Potter films for me, I can just rewatch them and not get bored.

I also got a few foodie bits which I can't wait to tuck into and the most special present out all, a Paddington print! I mentioned a wedding print the lovely Zoe did for us in a recent blog post, little did I know after that George got in touch as he had an idea for a birthday present and she created this beautiful Paddington Print. I don't need to go on about Paddington, it's one of my favourite films and I just love bears, and I also have a huge love for London so this print is so, so special. I've always wanted some sort of print like this because as I said I just love him, but I could never have expected to open this. It's just perfect, and I've already framed it. It's in the office/spare room on the windowsill so now when I go and blog in there, it's right next to me. Thank you so much Zoe for creating another amazing print! (Link to her Etsy store, you should definitely have a look!)

After a chilled day eating birthday cake (I got 2 this year, a chocolate one and my bakerdays one which I'll have a review up of tomorrow, so lucky!) and watching films, we ended it with a chinese takeaway and Celebrity Big Brother which was perfect.

To say I don't usually look forward to my birthday, it really was a nice weekend and definitely one I'll remember. I'm hoping each year it will get a bit easier every time and next year I won't be as stressed about it beforehand. 

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The Makeup I Wore On My Wedding Day

It's no secret if you're a long time reader of my blog that I really don't experiment much with makeup! In fact a lot of the time now I don't even wear it as there's just no need, whereas I used to no matter whether I was leaving the house or not. I'm a lot more comfortable now with what my face looks like without makeup (though right now my skin is having a major tantrum) and it really does no good for my skin when I wear it all the time so it's pretty much just when people are coming round or I'm heading out, that I actually make the effort. Of course for our wedding I wanted to look nice so I started thinking a few months before of how I wanted my hair and makep and that also gave me plenty of time to add any new products in or pick up anything I needed to repurchase. In the end I pretty much stuck to my usual products but there were a few new additions that I'd got in past Birchboxes and also in Boots when we were last in London so I thought it might be nice to do a post about it as I know I'll want to read back on everything about the wedding one day! As always I went for quite a subtle, casual makeup look so if you're hoping to do the same sort of thing, some of these products might be worth considering.

Starting with the base I used my trusty Rimmel Lasting Finish Foundation. I've not tried another foundation for absolutely ages because I'm worried none will ever live up to this one! It's quite high coverage so really does cover up any spots well and I find it lasts all day. Most of my makeup was applied using my new Real Techniques PowderBleu Brushes and also some of their classic ones, they are my go to brush brand. I then moved onto concealer and the one I picked up especially for my wedding day was the Maybelline Fit Me. This is another product that I can't live without. I've tried several concealers but this is the only one I find really works. It lightens under my eyes, covers spots and blends so easily, it's just the best. For contour and bronzing I stuck with my favourite Seventeen Define and Conquer Contour Kit. This was something else I picked up recently as I had just ran out and knew it was one I would want to use on the day. I'm not massively into contouring and probably don't do it very well, but I find this gives some actual definition to my face and just makes me look a little bit better! I then added a bit of Benefit Hoola Bronzer all over which I find gives me a nice bit of colour and then I used my Rimmel Lasting Finish Blush in the shade Pink Rose on the tops of my cheekbones. The final base products I used were the Manna Kadar 3-in-1 which I use as a highlighter (it's such a fab product, a little bit gives a lovely glow) and then to finish off my Maybelline Matte Maker Powder. I always dust some of this over my face to really blend everything in and just set it all so it stays in place a bit longer!

Moving onto eyes, I used a standard MUA black pencil eyeliner. Eyeliner is one of those products I can't not use now, it makes my eyes stand out so much and I really do love how it looks. Definitely one of my must have products. I then curled my eyelashes with a Superdrug Eyelash Curler and then added loads of Benefit Roller Lash Mascara. I have a love/hate relationship with this mascara, some days it works so well and makes my lashes look great, other days they just look a clumpy mess. Luckily on the day, it went well! One of the final steps of my makeup was to have a quick brush through of my eyebrows with my Billion Dollar Brows Universal Brow Pencil.

The last thing I did was apply some of my favourite lipstick at the moment, the Max Factor Elixir in the shade Burnt Caramel. I've mentioned this a few times on my blog in the space of a month but it's just brilliant! I'm not a big fan of lipstick as I've just never found the right colour for me before really but this is just it. It's a subtle, pink nude colour and aswell as looking pretty, it also feels really moisturising. I'm so glad I got this and it looked okay because it was perfect for the day.

To say I did all of my makeup myself and just stuck to mainly drugstore brands, I think I looked okay! I'm usually quite hard on myself but I do think my makeup looked good and most importantly, I felt good. I'm so glad I stuck with my trusty favourites as they didn't let me down and it all stayed on so well throughout the day. I think I'll always be repurchasing these products now!

Have you tried any of these products before?

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