Life Lately - Another Year Older, Outfits, Piercings And A Few New Purchases*

Well hello there, it's been a while I know but since my last post life really has got in the way again, nothing major just the usual trials and tribulations of someone struggling with chronic illness, and life in general. Exhaustion is something I’ve gotten quite used but over the last couple of months I’ve genuinely felt as though I’ve had the life sucked out of me - on most days I’ve managed to do the bare minimum and that’s it - I’ve had weeks when I haven’t left the house and socialising, blogging and anything that’s involved using my body or brain has been put on the back burner. I was at the doctors yesterday for bloods so hopefully that will give me some answers even it’s just a flare of existing conditions at least I’ll know!

So apart from sleeping, and lots of rest what have I been doing with myself? Well I completed another trip around the sun and celebrated my birthday in the middle of May. I didn’t do anything or go anywhere, instead I spent it with my two favourite people in the world, my mam and my godmother eating my mams homemade carrot cake, and playing with my new iPhone 15. My mam contributed towards the cost and since I mainly got money the plan was to pay for it, and to have a nice little solo shopping trip and whilst the intention was to go as close to my birthday as possible surprise, surprise that didn’t happen so I ended up ordering a few things online and I eventually made it to the Metro Centre a fortnight ago

I haven’t really been buying a lot of beauty and make up so I decided to really treat myself to a few high end products including the new Clinique Pop Black Honey Lip & Cheek Oil, the Dior Rosy Glow Powder Blush in Pink, some Sol De Janiero Bum Bum Cream, a mini Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Dewy Liquid Blush in Happy and a Charlotte Tilbury Eyes To Memerise Cream Eyeshadow in Champagne. 

I will definitely be talking about some of these products in due course but if there is anything you would particularly like to see then please let me know. I’ve also picked up a few more affordable bits including the Bum Bum Cream Dupe from Home Bargains, and some of the lip oils from Aldi so again if you’d like to hear my thoughts let me know in the comments section below x 

The first place I actually went into when I went into the Metro Centre was Primark. The new extended store opened on my birthday and this was the first opportunity I’d have to have a look round, and to be honest I was a bit underwhelmed - yes it’s bigger, self checkouts, more items, but there just wasn’t much that I actually wanted  or maybe I should say needed. There was barely anything above a size large, and some of the stuff was well, ugly! I only ended up buying a new duvet set, some slippers for my mam, some rubber Birkenstocks dupes, some chub rub shorts, a Hello Kitty t-shirt, and some beauty bits. I have to say the beauty section was decent and it wasn’t as wrecked as it usually is so  I picked up a few summer themed bits, and some skincare.

After I’d been to Primark and spent way less than I’d anticipated I thought I’d treat myself to something a little more permanent and I headed straight across the mall to Doc Black Ink. 

When I got my daith done nearly two years ago now I definitely reawakened the beast, and ever since then I been playing planning out what piercings to get next. Initially the plan was to add another two helix’s to my right side but instead I went for another helix and a flat. Taking me to 7 in each ear, and 14 in total! Head piercer Kelly was an absolute angel as per usual, and whilst they were a bit nippy at first and they’ve been a little bit uncomfortable, the irritation is easing off now and they don’t feel too bad.

I was only in the Metro Centre for a few hours and whilst I was only there for a short time I certainly paid the price and I was literally useless for about 4 days afterwards - it’s definitely one of the most frustrating parts of chronic illness, acting like a ‘normal’ person for a few hours, having fun, and then feeling worse then you ever did.

Although I’ve been quiet on here I have been flirting with my other more instant, easy access social media channels, which has mainly involved arguing with people, expressing my frustration with football, and despairing at the state of the world on twitter,  (it will never be X to me !) and when I'm not living in shorts or leggings, posting the odd outfit pic on Instagram, some of which you can see here. 

I’m not in a good place body confidence wise at the moment, but on the journey back to some form of self acceptance I’m putting my animal print clad self out there, and saying this is who I am. For some one who originally started out posting fashion content on online forums I’m enjoying even this small return to my fashionista roots, and I’m looking forward to hopefully creating lots more fashion content in the future.

So there you have it I’m still tired, my blood pressure is a little bit higher than it should be, and I’m still on the lookout for an NHS dentist, but I’m back feeling a bit more reenergised at least blogging wise, and I’ve got plenty of things to review and to talk about x Thank you as per usual for sticking with me and if you’re in the UK today don’t forget to VOTE! 

*This Post Contains Affiliate Links

Sweet Sixteen - Happy Birthday LouLouLand, And Life Lately

It wouldn't be a birthday in the UK without a caterpillar cake, and whilst it's not my birthday, my baby aka my blog celebrates it's 16th birthday today eeek. When I clicked publish on that first post, I never thought that I would outlast so many of my favourite blogs, and still be churning out posts (all be it sporadically!) 16 years later, and what a 16 years it's been!

So much has changed in that time, not only in my own life but also in the worlds of fashion, beauty and of course social media. Blogging to be honest now is a bit passe, people, advertisers and brands, now seem to want faster, simpler content like Instagram and Tik Tok which I can completely understand, but whilst I do dabble in other mediums (check out the links in my sidebar), blogging is the place where I feel really at home, using all be it rambling words to express my feelings, views and frustrations, as I muddle through life. 

I'm not going to lie the last few years have been rough not only personally but also blogging wise. Although I am partially to blame, lack of engagement and lack of progression has all made me wonder if it's all worth while, but I still love writing and creating content, and blogging gives me an outlet and a place I can escape to when life gets a little bit too much. Not only that but my stats show that there are still some of you out there that continue to read my blog even when I haven't posted for an age, which is still pretty amazing to me and I really can't thank you enough.

So I guess the gist of this is that I'm not going away anytime soon, I'm trying not to look too far into the future (one of my very bad habits!) instead focusing more on the here and now, and despite several blips at the start of this year, LouLouLand will continue into 2023 and hopefully beyond that.

This year has had a slightly delayed start because, and yes this is the main reason, my mam ordered me a new bed as part of my Christmas present. My old one as you can see was well past it's best, and it was starting to interfere with my sleep, and my pain levels, so I asked for something practical from Santa. We managed to get a really good price on one in the after Christmas sales but we couldn't get it delivered till the end of January - annoying but on reflection it was the best thing that could have happened. My room had to basically be gutted, to get the old bed out and the new one in, and believe me it was hard work, especially for two people with chronic illness but the room was cleared, the bed base was removed and yes I ended up sleeping on a pretty wrecked mattress on the floor for about a week which did nothing for my back.

Eventually we got both the mattress and the bed frame outside for council collection, the new one arrived, and thankfully the fabulous delivery guys took it upstairs for us so it just needed minimal assembly, and voila, new Orla Kiely bedding, and a new duvet, and already my sleep had improved at least 90%, and my back feels less achey when I wake up - result!

Getting the bed back in was the main thing, but we're still unpacking boxes and try to find homes for all the shoe boxes that were under my bed, the furniture is all back in now but since I've decided to go through my belongings with a charity bag in hand as I'm bringing things back in, I've still got quite a way to go before every is back in and in it's correct place - arghhhhh! why is nothing in my world ever simple?

There is no question that I've been doing too much physical stuff so I'm seriously lacking in spoons at the moment hence I haven't really had the energy to do much of anything else, including blogging. That been said I do actually have a couple of posts that are just about ready to go up, so you'll hopefully see both of those next week and I can actually start 2023 properly.

I have no idea in all honesty what direction the blog is really going to go in this year but I'm going to try and live a bit more in the moment and post about what I want, when I want. I have lots of ideas flying around in my head about things that I want to do but as per usual it's about putting them into practise x So Happy Sweet Sixteen LouLouLand, it's been a journey and thanks to your support, and my own bloody mindedness, it's not over yet x 

Collaborative / Partnered Post - Get Out Of That Rut In 2022 And Find Some Creative Inspiration Online*

Hi Guys and Happy New Year! Although this wasn't the post that I'd planned for my first blog outing of 2022, I thought it was an interesting one to start with x Over the last couple of years so many of us seem to have lost our way somewhat, and while some people have found new hobbies and new ways to express themselves, a lot of us have just ended up stuck in a rut, and do you know what? that's okay, but now with hopefully a better on the year on the horizon, surely it's time to start doing more of the things that we love. I know a lot of people are planning all sorts of elaborate and fun holidays, but it can be as simple as finding a new hobby, planning a house makeover or trying a new recipe, whatever it is in 2022 hopefully we can start being inspired to try new things and to do more of what we love.

After the last two years or so though it probably isn't surprising that so many of us are feeling uninspired and as though every ounce of creativity has been snuffed out but there are ways to get your creative juices flowing again and to get that mojo back for the new year.

It sounds obvious but start off by thinking of the things that you love and enjoy, sometimes all it takes is being introduced or even reintroduced to something you find appealing, and then at least you have a starting point. The most important thing to remember is that we can't force ourselves to be inspired by anything, yes so many of us baked banana bread during lockdown but how many of us are now ready to apply to Great British Bake Off, not many of us I imagine, doing something like a hobby shouldn't be done purely for something to do, it shouldn't be artificial, it should be something that we enjoy doing, and it should say something about who we are as people.

In this post, then, I'm going to share a few ways of finding creative inspiration by using one of my favourite methods, social media. Social media has a bad rep at times but it can actually be a really helpful tool to help us find things that inspire us and things that we enjoy, so try this out to make sure your computer and digital organisation efforts are up to scratch before giving some of these tips a try x

Collate Images You Appreciate

Now I wouldn't be a blogger, and an avid social media user, if I did't recommend some of the top social media platforms. Using online tools like Pinterest, Instagram, blogs you enjoy (Mine ;), image boards, and more, you can put together visual mood boards that help you think through ideas. I've recently got into Pinterest and that is one addictive platform and already I've learnt so much from it, I've found recipes, nail art ideas, outfit ideas, and crafting suggestions, and that's just on one site, you can also search tags on Instagram, and for blogs and You Tube channels that can inspire you to cook, paint your nails, and decorate your bedroom - the online world is your oyster!

Even looking through digital art using platforms like Behance can make a great deal of different. Simply consider the kind of art style you find enjoyable and influential, and collate them in a note-taking app, or if you're more of pen and paper person print them for your sketchbook, or your notebook This can help you index and hold on to material that's inspired you, and will help you flourish as a creative hobbyist or that can even help you grow in your professional life

Follow Influencers That Inspire You

Much is said about the rise of the influencer, both good and bad, but it’s true to say that you only need to focus on those that inspire you. I have to be honest and say that I've unfollowed a lot of people / influencers over the years, and I've gone on to follow different ones as I've changed and they've changed. Don't be scared to unfollow people, if someone makes you feel bad about yourself, and you can't relate to them then it's the best thing to do. There are many artists, writers, bloggers, fitness professionals and more with your sensibilities, or sensibilities that might challenge you at first but also help you think of the world in a different way. No matter if you’re hoping to learn more about plus-size fitness, or African fashion trends, or anything else that inspires you, searching for these profiles is as simple as a few worthwhile hashtags. Whatever your interests or passions, there will be people out there that you'll love and that will inspire you, don't necessarily look for the big names, there are some fabulous smaller 'influencers' out there that produce some fabulous work and really have something to say.

Read Blogs You Can Relate To

As a blogger I'm bound to push this one but again the same applies, there are so many amazing bloggers out there, again not necessarily the big names, that produce some fabulous informative, and from the heart content. Outside of social media posts and Instagram pictures, however, a blog gives us the chance to understand people’s intent, their meaning, and their willingness to be vulnerable. No matter if this involves a bloggers’ struggle in raising their child right, to losing weight bit by bit, to managing a health condition, following those you appreciate, supporting them, opening that dialogue, all of this can and will have a profound effect on your faith in people in general, because although it's hard to admit it social media can often be pretty fake. I've been blogging for a long time now and things have changed a lot over the years, and whilst the focus is now on Instagram with it's pretty pictures, and constructs, blogging for me has always been about keeping it real, being honest about my life and my failings, whilst at the same time enjoying talking about my passions and things that I love. The written word for me is always more honest than a photograph, and that's why blogs will always win out. From baking blogs, to make up blogs, to crafting and interiors blogs there is something out there for everyone, and being inspired by real people doing real things has to be one of the best ways to learn, and if you are inclined there is no better way to create something than to create your own little space on the internet, and to start your own blogging journey.

So whether your looking for inspiration and for a new hobby online, or like me and numerous craft kits buys, in the middle aisle at Aldi, hopefully I've given you some ideas, all be it ones that are close to my heart, about how to get out of that creative rut. We all have dreams so why shouldn't we start trying to fulfil them in 2022, whether you want to write a novel, paint a picture, or even set up your own food blog, don't dream it do it!

*Collaborative / Partnered Post 

A Late Happy New Year And A Little Blogging And Life Update*

Hi Guys x I know it's a little bit late but since this is my first post of 2021, I guess I can still say an albeit snowy,  Happy New Year x Like most people I couldn't wait to see the back of 2020 but with another lockdown in place here in the 2021 hasn't started out the way that most people wanted, but without putting a jinx on it, surely it can only get better from here on in!?

2020 was a fail on so many counts but on a personal level I don't think I've had such an unproductive year. After a viral infection at the start of the year that didn't seem to want to go away, I struggled with my physical health for most of the year, which is bad enough, but the combination of illness, and lockdowns meant that my mental health reached rock bottom. My personal relationships suffered, I felt my self worth diminishing, and my enthusiasm for life pretty much disappeared. I spent a lot of 2020 trying to put on a happy face and pretending that I was coping, after all being at home for the majority of the time wasn't that strange to me, but in truth like so many people I was struggling.

It's no surprise therefore that yet again my blog suffered, my 2020 content when I did manage to post anything was pretty samey. I'm fighting the urge to apologise for that but at least I tried to keep posting and keep a sense of normality, which was a huge plus point, when you consider that deleting the whole thing crossed my mind more than once.

As I've said before my blog has always been my safe place, but at times last year, it made me feel anxious as though I could and should have done more, I became hypercritical of everything that I did manage to write, and I felt as though the whole thing was just a massive disaster, and a complete waste of time.

Looking back with clearer eyes, I don't think anything that I wrote or product was that bad, it was just symptomatic of the negative mindset that seemed to overtake so many of us in 2020.

Despite hitting over 1,500,000 all time page views last year, I still think 2021 is going to be a make or break year for me when it comes to the blog, even before Covid, I've struggled to maintain my niche and fell out of love with blogging, so hopefully this will be the year when I get my mojo back.

So what are my plans for LouLouLand in 2021, will first up I'm going to catch up, I have loads of  backdated Glossybox unboxings, and Glossybox advent calendar reviews for you, that I'm still planning on writing, as well as lots of new beauty reviews, hopefully some more fashion and lifestyle posts, as well as the return of some old favourites like empties posts and maybe the odd foodie Friday post.

I can't promise that I won't disappear again, after all my physical and mental health, and the health and wellbeing of those I love comes first but no matter what 2021 throws at us, I'm still going to be here x So thank you for sticking with me, I hope you're all doing as well as can be expected (don't forget about the helpline numbers in my previous post if you need someone to talk to), and I hope that 2021 is a better year for all of us xx 

*This Post Contains An Added Affiliate Link

Strange Times

A Fluffy Sheep Hot Water Bottle - Just Because :)

Hey Guys, it's been a while hasn't it. I did a bit of a disappearing act and I'm sorry for not updating you all sooner, but after a little bit of toing and froing, for the first time since the 31st January I'm back with something for you to read.

I guess this is really just an update, and explanation post as to where I've been and how in these pretty uncertain times I'm going to be moving forward.

To put it mildly I've been poorly, sick, I had a horrid chest infection, the only thing that came out of my mouth for over three weeks was a pitiful squeak, and if that wasn't bad enough I then developed viral conjunctivitis. Thankfully a course of antibiotics cleared my eyes and my vision, but despite a course of oral antibiotics the chest infection refused to budge, oh and did I mention Mummy Lou had the same virus. 

Yeah it's been fun, thankfully I don't think it was "the virus" but I can't be sure and it shows exactly how even a bog standard flu bug can effect people who are vulnerable, I've still got a bit of a cough which is sending my own personal paranoia into overdrive but at least I have a bit of experience of self isolating now - I probably only left the house twice in nearly 6 weeks, I went to see my GP, the chemist, a couple of shops, oh and my local hospitals Urgent Care Centre.

Yes, just as I was starting to feel better I stood on a piece of glass, which went straight into the ball of my right foot. The staff were amazing, I was x-rayed, had it all cleaned and dressed, and was in my way home in less than 3 hours - alas it still hurts quite a bit so I may need to go and see about it, but that's something that I'm trying to avoid at the moment.

So what have I been doing, apart from coughing and spluttering that is? well I've been practising self care, I've been snuggling up with a nice hot water bottle, I've been reading books I've wanted to read for sometime, and I've been trying out lots of lovely face masks. 

I also celebrated a couple of things - Shrove Tuesday, with a mountain of gluten free pancakes, and of course my blogs 13th birthday, which was a bit of a milestone that unfortunately I couldn't share with you, and of course we had one horrible day of snow!

I did a little bit of online shopping and I treat myself to some new shoes, and a few of the NEXT limited edition beauty boxes, and I was also eventually overcome by the power of advertising on Facebook and I treat myself to a box of fudge from The Ochil Fudge Pantry - all I can say is YUM, my Grandma used to make tablet and my mam used to make fudge, and the bars I had took me straight back to my childhood!

When I've had the energy I have also been trying to do a little bit of blog work, I'm now so far behind with my Glossybox unboxings it's untrue but thanks to this little hiatus I've had plenty of time to try most of the products in every box, so I'm going to be bringing those unboxings and reviews right up to date just as soon as I can, as well as sharing lots of other content and reviews with you.

I know a lot of people are quite hesitant about posting quite light hearted things at the moment but personally it's what I need. Life is so scary and serious at the moment, I think we need a bit of light hearted relief so I'm just going to be posting my usually beauty, lifestyle and fashion content, all be it with little to no hauls. 

I'm not making light of things at all though, we've made the decision to stay away from my 89 year old Godmother, which is breaking my heart, and from this weekend myself and Mummy Lou will be self isolating for as long as it takes, my mum is over 70 and has several long term health conditions, and with my own health being so precarious lately, we're going to be following guidelines and staying indoors where we can. So providing I stay fit and healthy, I'll have plenty of down time so proper posting should resume soon x In the meantime keep washing your hands, follow government advice, and try and stay as safe as you can x Thanks again to all you for sticking with me and I will see you all soon x 

An Announcement On My You Tube Future, And An Unboxing Video

Next month my blog celebrates it's 12th birthday - sometimes it's hard to believe that I've been blogging for so long, I've seen some many amazing bloggers come and go in that time, but some how I've managed to keep at it and stick it out.

It hasn't always been an easy ride, in the last few years especially I've found it hard to stay motivated, and sometimes I've started to wonder if it's all worth while. Life and my health really have started to get in the way at times, and my blog has definitely suffered, posting has been sporadic at best and as a result, my blog hasn't grown in quite the way that I wanted it to. It's a vicious circle I guess, you don't post, you don't get views, you miss out on opportunities and you feel as though you've let people down, and as result you wonder if it's all worthwhile, and if it's worth ploughing energy that you don't really have into something that's on a downhill slide, so you don't post, and the circle continues.

The easiest option would be to give it up, but I don't want to do that, I've worked too damn hard to get as far as I have, and unlike a lot of people who've say they've fallen out of love with writing, I haven't, I still enjoy writing, using my brain a bit, and the whole blogging process, I want to keep going and despite the likelihood that life is still going to get in the way, in 2019 I want to be a better blogger and I want to push my blog on, like I know that I can. In order to do that though, I'm going to have to make some sacrifices, and unfortunately one of them is going to be my You Tube channel.

For 9 years now, I've regularly posted videos to my You Tube channel, I've posted everything from cat videos, to holiday snapshots, to unboxing's and hauls, and it's something that I've really enjoyed doing. Despite the odd nasty comment, I've really found that it's boosted my confidence, and it's given me another way to express myself. For whatever reason though my channel never really hit the heights that I wanted it too, and I found it incredibly difficult to grow any sort of following on You Tube, despite my own perceived failings in that sense though, I achieved enough views to earn a little bit of money from my videos, which was an added incentive to keep at it. Alas like so many small You Tubers policy changes meant that I lost the ability to monetise my videos, I wasn't earning a lot by any means but it as I say it gave me a reason to continue; Around the same time coincidental or not my views dropped like a stone and any form of interaction pretty much dried up.

I've gave it the benefit of the doubt for quite a few months now and I've kept at it, but given the time and the energy (that I don't really have) that it takes me to film, edit and upload even a short video, I've came to the conclusion that I could put both my time and my energy to better use. So after 9 years, I've decided at least in the short term to call it quits on You Tube. I've given it my best shot but at the end of the day I think the odds were always against me. I won't be deleting my You Tube channel so by all means stay subscribed and watch a few of my videos if you haven't already but for the foreseeable future I won't be posting any new videos.

So now that my You Tube channel is officially on hold, hopefully now I can give my blog all the love, time, attention and energy that it deserves. A lot of the content that I produced for my You Tube channel such as favourites videos, and unboxings will translate pretty well into blog posts, so you can look forward to lots of new posts and different types of content, including some unboxing posts, the first of which should be live next week x In the meantime though don't forget to watch my You Tube back catalogue, and please have a little watch of my last video where I'm unboxing the December 2018 edition of Pink Parcel x You can watch below or via this link x



Thank you as per usual for watching, reading and for all your support x

2017 / 2018 Brought To You By Tissues And Paracetamol

Well that didn't quite go to plan did it? It always seems to be the way with me every time I make plans, something always seems to throw a spanner in the works or in this case should I say a boomerang!

You've probably all seen the semi sensationalist newspaper headlines but it does exist and me and several members of my family (including Mummy Lou :() have been stricken by the evil thing that is Australian Flu.

So instead of blogging, making You Tube videos, enjoying the Christmas leftovers and of course celebrating New Years Eve, I've spent most of the last week and a half in bed surrounded by tissues, olbas oil and paracetamol!

It definitely wasn't the way that I'd planned on starting 2018 but it can't be helped and as the saying goes things can only get better,

Although it's something that I've subscribed to in the past I'm not really a fan of that New Year, New You thing, I don't want to be a new person I just want to be the best person that I can, and to be honest I know what that entails, so as per usual I'm not going to make any earth shattering new years resolutions, it's just a bit of the same old, same old, lose a bit of weight, be more organised, save a bit of money and generally just be a nicer person and stop worrying about the little things in life and the things that I can't change. 

So instead of getting stressed out about the posts and videos that I've had to put on hold over the last few weeks, I'm going to start the year off as I mean to go on, obviously by being productive and by getting things done, but I'm also going to stop putting so much pressure on myself and I'm going to try and enjoy blogging again but without the stress, the pressure and the self imposed expectations.

For the next week or so I'm going to be in catch up mode, I've got a few You Tube videos coming soon including some unboxings, a sale haul, and a Christmas pressie haul, and I've got a few blog posts in the pipeline as well including a late December Primark haul, a late Look Fantastic Beauty In Wonderland Advent Calendar catch up, and of course my December empties post and my 2017 Trimming My Stash totals.

I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for sticking with me in 2017, and I hope that you'll continue to support both my blog and my You Tube channel in 2018. Don't forget to enter my PIXI giveaway if you haven't already and if that one isn't to your taste, I have lots more giveaways planned for 2018, so from me and mine, to you and yours, Happy New Year and let's hope that it's a good one for all of us x

Life Lately, Social Media And Trimming My Stash - June 2017 Edition

Hey Guys? Remember Me? It's safe to say that when it comes to blogging, June was a little bit of a fail. I managed to upload quite a few videos to my You Tube channel but the words on the screen thing just didn't really happen for me last month.

I seemed to spend most of June in a weary, Fibro and ME induced foggy haze, I had the best of intentions to get out there and get things done but for most of the month neither my mind nor my my body would play ball.  As I say I managed to upload a few videos to my channel, and I was pretty active on Instagram, but the thanks to a lot of brain fog the words just wouldn't come, so I took a bit of time out, had lot of me time, and as a result I feel a little bit more refreshed.

I firmly believe that sometimes you do need to take a bit of time out, and spend some time concentrating on yourself and your own well being. Like a lot of bloggers I do feel guilty when I can't and don't post as frequently but I'm really trying to teach myself not to. I love my blog, my followers and the little space that I've created for myself online, but my blog is only part of me and my life, and sometimes as much as I love it, I just need to focus on the bits away from the camera and the screen. I've seen a few people saying that they'll stop following a blogger or a You Tuber if they don't post every single week, and I guess what I'm trying to say is for those people, no matter how "big" (I hate that term!) or small a blogger is they deserve to take time out and have some time away from it, we're are all but mere mortals and sometimes you need to say enough is enough, I need some R & R.

So I've had a mini blogging break, and whilst I can't guarantee that I won't be having another one in the near future, I'm back for now and I'm ready to get my blog on again, and since it's the 1st day of a new month, there is no better place to start than with a empties post x

Primark PS Love Your Skin Oil Balancing Facial Cleansing Wipes x 25 Wipes
Philosophy The Gingerbread Man Exfoliating Shower Gel - 473.1ml
Beauty Bible Face And Body Oil - 60ml
Dove Pure Care Dry Oil Non Greasy Conditioner - 50ml
Dove Pure Care Dry Oil Non Greasy Shampoo - 50ml

Total - 5 Items 

Hmm maybe it wasn't just my blogging mojo that disappeared in June! Again I had the best of intentions when it came to trimming my stash last month but it just didn't really happen. For the second month in a row I only managed to finish 5 items, and 5 very uninteresting items at that. 

1. Primark PS Love Your Skin Oil Balancing Facial Cleansing Wipes x 25 Wipes

Yes, another packet of these, and believe me they only slipped into June's total by the skin of their teeth! There is pretty much nothing else that i can say about these that I haven't already said! They're cheap, they do what they say they do, and they are one of my holy grail products even if I don't really use them for their intended purpose, like most of these wipes that I've used up this packet were used mainly for swatch clean up and freshening up x 

2. Philosophy The Gingerbread Man Exfoliating Shower Gel - 473.1ml

Instead of swapping my Christmas shower products for more Spring and Summer themed ones, this year I've decided just to leave them in the shower and try and use them up. I love Philosophy's Gingerbread Man range, it doesn't smell particularly gingery to me, instead I get sugar, and warm spices from it, and even a little bit of cheap cola but I've used it for years and the scent just makes me think about Christmas. That said this isn't my favourite product in the range, I like a gritty, grainy scrubs, and this one is basically just a whole bunch of fine particles surrounded by a runny, brown shower gel. I love the scent but it doesn't look particular pleasant and it's just not scrubby enough for me.

3. Beauty Bible Face And Body Oil - 60ml

Next up a mystery product, and it's a product that I was sent last year from the team at The Beauty Bible. If you don't know what The Beauty Bible is then where have you been? Basically it's a series of books that are crammed full of beauty product reviews that are written by real women. All you need to do to take part is sign up to be a tester on their website, and if you're selected, you pay a small fee to cover postage, and administration (and to prove that you're committed to taking part), and then you'll receive a huge package of goodies to try out and review. I've done it a couple of times now, and I've discovered some really nice products because of it, the only thing is that you aren''t supposed to share the products that you tried on social media so all I can say is that this was a body and face oil, I loved it on the body, but it was a big thumbs down from me as a facial oil.

4. Dove Pure Care Dry Oil Non Greasy Conditioner - 50ml

5. Dove Pure Care Dry Oil Non Greasy Shampoo - 50ml

Finally two products that came in successive Pink Parcel's and they are hair products from Dove. After a period of relative stability my hair problems returned with a vengeance and the only thing that seems to have helped has been to load it up with as much moisture as possible - I've been layering on the Philip Kingsley Elasticizer, and the hair oils, and I've been trying out a few different moisturising shampoos and conditioners. If you look at the Boots website these two Dove products for dull and dry hair have some amazing reviews, and even though these were just travel sizes I can see why. Not only do they smell great, with a fresh and clean scent, but both of these products left my hair feeling smoother, and more manageable, and thanks to the dry oil ingredients, unlike some other oil rich products that I've tried they didn't leave my hair feeling greasy, heavy or lank. I literally have a drawer full of shampoos, conditioners and hair products to use up, but if I was on the lookout for a new shampoo and conditioner I would definitely consider repurchasing both of these products, and if you have hair that needs a little bit of love then this range is definitely worth a try.

So bar a couple of shopping trips, my ongoing weight loss journey, and an afternoon tea, this post has pretty much summed up June in LouLouLand, My aims for July? lots of self care, lots of blogging, a bit of You Tube (check out my channel if you haven't already), a bit of Instagram and hopefully lots more empties x Whatever I do and whatever you do, I hope that July is a good month for all of us x Thanks for reading x 

Illamsaqua Extinct Go Nude Lip Kit Winner Revealed

Just a quick post for you today and for one of you it's going to be a good one, because today I'm announcing the winner of my 10th blogging birthday, Illamasqua giveaway x

I've really enjoyed reading through your comments, and suggestions on what you would like to see on the blog and I'm definitely going to be taking some, if not all of your suggestions on board as I try to take the blog forward in 2017, so thanks again for all of your feedback xx

I had over 700 entries and as much as want to give you all a prize to thank you for your support over the last 10 years, there can only be one winner, and the winner, picked randomly via Rafflecopter is

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Ashley Bree Perez

Congratulations Ashley x Can you please send an email with your postal address to louloulanduk@gmail.com as soon as possible and I'll get your prize sent out to you x 

You know what I'm going to say now I guess, but the same thing I always say still applies, don't worry if you weren't lucky enough to win this time, I have several more giveaways coming soon. There probably won't be another big one till around May time, but I do have a few smaller home, and beauty ones to come so make sure you're still following for a chance to win x Thanks for reading and of course thank you for following and for your continued support x 

Happy 10th Birthday LouLouLand! - Reflecting On 10 Years Of Blogging

You can't celebrate a birthday without cake, but unfortunately for me or should I say unfortunately for my stomach, all I could get my hands was these yummy and super sweet Tesco cupcakes.

It isn't my birthday of course, but it's the 10th birthday of something that's slowly become to define me, and become a part of me, my blog! It's hard to believe that 10 years ago today I made the decision to sign up to blogspot and I decided to start sharing my life and my loves online.

Since I started celebrating my blogging birthday I've posted quite a few of these Happy Birthday posts now and they all say something pretty similar - I usually talk about how much blogging has changed over the years, and how grateful I am for all of the opportunities that have came my way, and to be honest today, my feelings are exactly the same. I've been very lucky over the years, I've worked with some amazing brands and I've met some lovely people ,all through farting about on the Internet as one of my relatives describes it!

As I've said before though, blogging really has become my lifeline, it's given me something to focus on and something to do when various aspects of my life on turmoil, it's helped me meet new people, it's helped me learn lots of new skills, and I'm now lucky enough to class as a part time job.

The last few years have been hard for me personally in a lot of ways, and unfortunately I feel as though my blog has suffered, I haven't spent as much time and effort on it as I would have liked, and as I've said previously my posting and my content has suffered, but you're still here and you're still with me. So I want to say a huge, huge thank you to every single person out there that's read or followed my blog over, and I'd also like to say a huge thank you to the brands and companies that I've worked with, and I'd also liked to thank all of my follow blogging friends both new and old, if it hadn't been for all of your support and encouragement there is no way I would still be prattling on 10 years after that first not very exciting post x

After a couple of frustrating months I'm just about ready to get back to where I want to be - I have lots and lots of plans and ideas for the future and I'm looking forward to my blogging future with both optimism and enthusiasm. As I say I can't thank you all enough for your support so as a way of expressing my gratitude I will be hosting another high end beauty giveaway on the blog which should be live in the next few days x So Merci Beaucoup again and I hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend xx

LouLouLand - 2016 - A Year In Review - Part 1 - January To June

Hi Guys x I hope you all had a lovely Christmas x It was a quiet one here in LouLouLand but it was a one filled with lots of love and precious family time. This year has been a sad and reflective one for me for so many reasons, and as a result I think my blog has suffered. I haven't been able to devote as much time and energy to it as I would have liked, and as much as I know I shouldn't have to apologise for that, I still feel as though I should.

Despite the fact that my posting has been a touch on the erratic side this year, I still managed to post quite a few pieces that I'm pretty pleased with, so in this post I'm going to take a little look back at 2016,  both on a personal level and on a blogging level, and I'm going to share with you some of my favourite and most poignant blog posts of 2016. I've had to split this into two parts so here is Part 1 - January to June x

January 2016

The last few months of 2015 were a bit rough thanks to a very inflamed wisdom tooth, but thankfully in January the tooth said goodbye. Without going into two much graphic detail I shared my wisdom tooth removal experience with you, and I also talked about how even the smallest thing can knock you for 6 when you suffer from chronic illness.

There have been a few fabulous tooth fairy stories floating around on the internet this year, but seeing as I'm an adult the tooth fairy doesn't visit me anymore but thankfully my lovely Mummy took on the tooth fairy role and bought me a couple of things to cheer me up after my surgery. 

She got me two of the exclusive QVC UK, Hello Kitty For OPI kits, and on the 24th January I shared pictures and swatches of those two kits with you. The first kit was a beautifully packaged 3D collectors box which contained 6 full sized lacquers and the second was a beautiful full size duo pack. I've posted a few nails of the days over the course of the year but there are still plenty more to come in 2016.

Recipes and Foodie Friday posts were a bit thin on the ground in 2016, but I started the year on a high by sharing one of my favourite quick meals, my version of Nigella Lawson's Eggs In Purgatory. Soft, quick, and warming and perfect for when you're short on energy and time x 

February 2016

Although February is the shortest month, in 2016 it was my busiest blogging month and I posted more in February than I did in any other month of the year.

There was a nice assortment of posts including some hauls including some more Hello Kitty For OPI kits , some nails of the days, the start of yet another weight loss journey and my usual Trimming My Stash posts, and it was my birthday, No not my real birthday but in February I celebrated my blogging birthday and 9 years of LouLouLand - eek! I still can't believe that it been 9 years and I'm already looking forward to celebrating 10 years in February 2017.

To celebrate my 9th blogging birthday I held a little giveaway and I gave away what would become one of my favourite eyeshadow palettes of 2016, The Balm Nude Dude. Alas the giveaway ended a long while ago now, but this palette is still widely available, so don't forget to have a read of this post, and view some of the swatches for yourself x 

February also saw the first post in what would become Benefit Cosmetics love in. In 2016 I fell in love with Benefit Cosmetics all over again, and in February I reviewed the Benefit Cosmetics Do The Hoola Beyond Bronze Kit For Complexion, Lips And Eyes. 

I love Benefit's mini kits, either for travel or for trying out new products and this kit was no exception. It contains 6 pieces including a mini Hoola Bronzing Powder, a mini Dew The Hoola Liquid Bronzer and it's perfect for adding a bit of colour to your complexion all year round.

March 2016

March saw the appearance of another Foodie Friday post and this time I shared one of my favourite Hello Fresh recipes with you, Mexican Bean & Buckwheat Bake With Creme Fraiche, and I talked about using Buckwheat as a grain and how I use it instead of pasta, rice and cous cous.

I also dug out one of my Hello Kitty plushes out and shared a Hello Kitty For OPI Nails Of The Day with you, in the blackest of black shades, Never Have Too Mani Friends.

There were a few nail posts in March and in celebration of what was a very early Easter, I shared a Mini Egg themed manicure with you, using Models Own Speckled Egg in NP202 Swan, a lovely lilac shade, which is crammed full of matte black glitter x 

In March I also talked about one of my best discoveries of 2015 and 2016 the RESEED* hair care system. This was quite an emotional post for me because I talked about my relationship with and experience of hair loss. Like so many treatments for hair loss, the RESEED system isn't the cheapest but it made a real difference to my hair. You can read my thoughts here x 

April 2016

April was a busy month review wise, and in April I reviewed a few natural make up products from both Benecos and Lavera, for My Pure*. I also shared you a few hauls with you, including some beauty bits, and a Primark haul. Primark hauls were a real feature on both my blog and my you Tube channel in 2016 and they've proved really popular in both formats so that's definitely something that will be continuing in 2017.

Something else that I hope will be continuing in 2017, are the Intu Metrocentre Style Garden events*. I've been to quite a few of these now and I've loved every minute of them. April's even beautifully combined some of the centres best fashion and beauty offerings.  I had a Giorgio Armani makeover, I tried some Liz Earle fragrances and thanks to the event I also ended up having a beautiful Kiehls facial and hand and arm massage, and I ended going on a little bit of a shopping spree which I ended up talking about much later in the year, see I told you I'd been a bad blogger ;)

In April I also shared a pretty large Beauty Haul with you, but unusually for me I just did it in video form and I didn't write an accompanying post to go with it. I utilised You Tube this was a lot in 2016, and I produced a lot of exclusive content that was just for my You Tube channel including favourites, lots of unboxings and some exclusive hauls like the one that you can see below. I've really enjoyed making videos in 2016, and I'm definitely going to be working harder to grow my You Tube channel in 2016 so make sure that you're subscribed x 

April was also the month where I got messy, and slathered my hair in Lush Henna. Despite the fact that it's more than a little bit messy I'm a big fan of traditional henna hair dye. It leaves my hair in fabulous condition and I love the subtle wash of colour that it gives. So if you want a full demonstration and you want to see some pictures of me with a carrier bag on my head, don't forget to look back and read the post here x 

May 2016

May is probably my favourite month of the year, probably because it's my birthday month! On the 15th I celebrated my 30 something th birthday and I shared an exclusive What I Got For My Birthday video with you x 

I also shared a very rare outfit of the day post with you. I love my clothes but lately I've been really lacking in body confidence so outfit posts have been a little thin on the ground. I am hoping to get back on track and build up my confidence though so here's hoping that I can manage a few more in 2017. In the meantime though check out this post, to see a gorgeous bright floral Simply Be dress on mah body!

2016 was definitely the year when I tried to be a little bit more experimental with lip colour, and in May I was lucky enough to be able to try out a berry toned lip colour from Smashbox.  This is the Smashbox Be Legendary Long Wear Lip Lacquer in Currant and I love it! Find out why in this post x 

June 2016

Ah June half way through the year, and the official start of summer! At the start of the month, I celebrated one of my best friends birthday with ice cream sundaes at Lickety Split in Seaham, and a home fragrance inspired shopping trip. This haul post was a sign of things to come, and 2016 was officially the year when I went candle daft, check out this post for some beautiful smellies from Yankee Candles, Village Candles, M&S, and Poundland.

I also shared a few beauty reviews with you from the likes of Kiehls*, and Lavera* and I also shared with you my love / hate relationship with Benefit Cosmetics They're Real Beyond Mascara. I love the effect but sometime it just turns into a clagg fest. I'll definitely continue to buy but in my opinion always have a lash comb at the ready you can read my thoughts here x

So that was LouLouLand 2016 from January to June in review, don't forget to let me know your thoughts below and don't forget to read Part 2 which should be up soon x

*Press Samples Or Blog Events