A Double Header - Happy New Year And Unboxing Papergang - Box No.46 - December 2019 Edition - Groovy Kawaii*

I guess I should start this post by saying Happy New Year eek - I had only intended to take a few days off over Christmas but unfortunately bar a quick collaborative post, life got in the way again. I spent some quality time with my family, and I got sick! I'm still not feeling quite right, but at I'm definitely feeling a little bit more human than what I was this time last week.

As you know I'm not big on making new years resolutions, instead I have more flexible aims and goals, and one my major ones for 2020 is to be a little bit kinder to myself and to not beat myself for things that I can't control.

Last year in particular I seemed to start almost every blog post with some form of apology, I started so many posts on a downer and that's something that I definitely don't want to continue in 2020. The plain and simple fact is posting regularly is sometimes hard for me at the moment, I'm having more bad days than good days, and I don't think putting loads of pressure on myself helps anyone. I'd rather churn out one decent, well researched, well written blog posts, than 3 or 4 half arsed ones, so I'm going to stop apologising about the lateness of certain posts and instead I'm going to focus on both keeping up, and even improving the standards of the content that I am posting.

That said, January is pretty much going to be a catch up month, and hopefully I'm going to try and get up everything that I wanted to post in December, with a few extra posts thrown in for good measure, so there are some super late unboxings, including the Glossybox Advent Calendar and some long overdue review posts.

So welcome to 2020 on LouLouLand, and I'm going to start off the year with a couple of unboxing, and first up I'm unboxing the December edition of the Ohh Deer, Papergang, stationery subscription box.

December's box saw the introduction of a new style of packaging, the separate, cut out sleeve, and brown cardboard box design, has now been replaced, with a singular patterned box with a tear open strip. This new style of box is apparently safer, more secure, and it will cut Papergang's cardboard usage in half. I personally loved the old style box design but this option certainly seems better for the environment, and Charlie seems to approve, even though he is a little bit too big for the box!

The box itself was pale pink in colour, and it featured all sorts of cute and fun Kawaii style designs including fruit, items of clothing, stationary, plants and much more.

Tear the box open the bulk of the contents were wrapped in a sheet of bright pink tissue paper, but there were a few escapees that didn't quite fit.

As per usual the box contained a little information booklet talking about the box contents and telling us a little bit about the box designer.

The designer in this case is one of Ohh Deer / Papergang's in house designers, Amy Lesko. This will be Amy's last box, so the booklet talks about her decision to go freelance, and about her career, her inspirations and her influences.

Wiro Notebook

Okay, Papergang officially described this as a notebook, but let's be honest, it really isn't, it's another planner / organiser.

Don't get me wrong, it's a gorgeous one, it's spiral bound, hard backed, and it comes in a fabulous pink colourway, with the words "Go with the flow" and loads of cute kawaii style illustrations on the front, but open it up and it's clearly a planner.

Printed on FSC paper, it features a double page design with sections for Goals, To Do, Timetable, Notes, Up Next and Doodles.

The quality is amazing, and the illustrations are super cute but at the end of the day, it's another planner / organiser / to do list. Since I subscribed to Papergang last Spring, I can remember a couple boxes that haven't contained any form or organiser or planner. Yes I will probably use it but I really didn't need it, I would definitely have preferred a proper diary or even a plain notebook instead. There are lots of organisers and planners on Ohh Deer but I can't see anything similar for a price comparison.

Sticker Set - 4 x Sheets Stickers

I've said it before but I do love stickers and I was pleased to see another set of stickers in December's box. This is a pack of four identical sheets. There are lots of stickers on each sheet and again they feature the same kawaii style of illustrations featuring everything from sunglasses, and rainbows, to cherries, plants, and stars, as well as words and phrases. They coordinate perfectly with the planner so you could definitely use them together, or you could stick them pretty much anywhere else you fancy. 

Stickers always make me happy so these were a welcome addition to the box. This particular set is exclusive to this particular box but Ohh Deer sell similar size packs for around £4.95.

Sticky Notes

I definitely think there is something about adhesive, and me - I love stickers and I love sticky notes. I already own loads of them but they are just useful. This pad is particularly cute, containing 85, lilac and purple sheets it's shaped like a flower / sun and features a smiley, kawaii style face. It's useful and super cute, so what's not to love. There is nothing similar on Ohh Deer but different sticky note pads retail at around £2.95.

Universal Calendar Card 

Next up the ever present universal calendar card, and this was a particularly nice one. In various shades of pink, it has a slightly blurry print style, and it features several cute illustrations, as well as white spaces for the month and date, and a it also features a space to write one of your goals for 2020.

4 x Gel Pens

The eagle eyed readers amongst may have already spotted the next final two items in the box because they weren't wrapped up. First a set of 4 fine liner, gel pens. Each subscriber received an orange pen with the words "harness today" printed on it, a black pen with a rainbow design, a purple pen with the words "doing things" printed on the barrel, and a red pen which features a strawberry print.

As you can see from the pictures below, the pens are really nice writers, the ink dried quickly without any smudging or smearing. Whilst there are quite a few different pens on Ohh Deer, they don't have anything similar in their inventory.

Candy Kittens Tropical Mango Gourmet Sweets - 24g

The final item in the box is also something that never made it in to the tissue paper, and it's an unusual one for Papergang, because it something that you can eat. Created by Made In Chelsea alumni Jamie Laing, Candy Kittens is a gourmet sweet brand, that produces a range of yummy jellies and sweets that are predominantly vegan and gluten free, and that contain real fruit juice.

I've tried quite a few flavours from Candy Kittens, and these mango jellies and without a doubt my favourite. They are really fruity, and you can really taste the zingy mango. They really tasty and I will definitely by tracking down another bag. This particular sized bag is only available in a mixed multi pack, but a 108g treat bag retails anywhere between £1.50 - £2 from various retailers including Ocado, Morrisons, and of course directly from Candy Kittens.

So what did I think about this box? Well positives first - I love the design and the illustrations, and a lot of the positive quotes statements, and reinforcements. The box quality as per usual is superb, every item is well printed, and well made and the products inside are well worth the price of the box however again there is the issue of repetition. Since I subscribed to Papergang way back in May I've received numerous planners, organisers and to do lists. The format hasn't always been the same but the purpose nearly always has.

As much as I love the designs and the whole concept and design, I wouldn't go out and buy as many to do lists, and planners as I've received in the last 8 months, plain notebooks and pads, yes but certainly not something with only 1 or 2 uses so I've  therefore made the decision that January's Papergang box will be my last. It's not to say that I won't buy the occasional box again in the future, but at the moment with the repetitive nature of the boxes I just can't justify continuing my subscription :( I'd love to know your thoughts on this box and the whole idea of repetition in subscription boxes? Is it really inevitable or is it just lazy and ill thought out? Let me know and if you fancy trying Papergang for yourself then use my link to find out more x 

*This Post Contains Both Affiliate And Non Affiliate Links

Trimming My Stash - December 2018 Edition - Empties, Mini Reviews, A 2018 Round Up And A Life Update

Since this is my first post of 2019, I'd like to start it off by wishing you all a very Happy New Year x I had originally intended to keep on posting right through the Christmas and New Year holiday, but I changed my plans slightly and decided to take a bit of extra time out, for me and mine, and do you know what? I'm glad I did! Coping with chronic illness at the best of times is a struggle, but at Christmas time, that struggle seems to be amped right up, and even though I didn't do a lot of extra work or socialising by some peoples standards, by Boxing Day all I wanted was my bed, so I took a few unplanned days off to recharge my batteries enough to enjoy a bit of extra rest and a bit of extra family time.

I'm not a fan of going out on New Years Eve, it's hard when you can't drink much, and you don't have the energy to stand or dance all night, so I saw 2019 in, in front of the TV, in my PJ's with Mummy Lou, some fizz and some nibbles - simple pleasures! Despite the usual optimism at midnight, 2019 hasn't actually started off that well if I'm being honest - case in point, 2 days into the new year, and thanks to a jar of marmalade I managed to shatter my iPhone screen in several dozen pieces! My poor phone didn't look pretty at all and within a couple of seconds it became pretty much useless. The obvious option was to get it fixed but after being blessed with some Christmas money, and being able to upgrade my mobile phone contract, I took the plunge and got myself a shiny new iPhone X. It has a few quirks that I'm not quite used to yet but I'm getting there and I'm slowly falling in love with an inanimate object! Is that wrong? LOL probably but the battery lasts longer, everything seems quicker, and the camera is well on point, oh and I even managed to sell on my poor little 6S, so bar my bank balance being a little depleted, and a couple of stressful moments, I dealt with it and moved on.

I wish I could say the same thing about my poor little tooth though - For a change I had a really productive day on Friday I took some photos, did some editing, and sorted out the music on my new phone, by the time it got to 4pm though I was a bit tired so in true spoonie style I went for a quick Nana nap, or should that be a spoonie siesta? You know the story though my hours rest turned into a six and a half hour, full on sleep, I woke up about quarter to 12 at night, and I was hungry. I'd missed dinner, no problem though, we have still have plenty of food leftover from the holidays so I made myself a cheese sandwich and had a few posh crisps on the side. All good, good sandwich, good crisps, but then suddenly it all went wrong! I put a couple of crisps in my mouth and crunch I bit down on something hard, it felt like cat litter, it gets everywhere, but how did it get in my crisps? - I'll spare you the graphic details but it wasn't actually cat litter it was much worse than that, I'd taken a chunk out of one of my bottom teeth - sob - I care for my teeth, I do everything I'm supposed to, and then this happens - one of the perils of taking medication that leaves your eyes and mouth as dry as the Sahara Desert, can be dental problems - woohoo! Thankfully at the moment it doesn't really hurt bar a bit of irritation where the jagged edge is scraping my cheek and tongue, but obviously I'm going to have to be really careful about what I eat until I can see my dentist on Wednesday, so no nuts or toffees for me, and lots of gentle brushing, water flossing, and antibacterial mouthwash - oh the joys! -

So there we go, two things that have gone wrong already in 2019; They say that things come in 3's so can the third thing, if and when it comes, be equally minor and relatively easy to deal with, and then please can the year get better from then? I certainly hope so! 2018 wasn't the best of years for me for a lot of reasons but I came out of it a stronger, and hopefully a better person, and hopefully that will put me in good stead for whatever 2019 has to offer. I'm not big on resolutions, maybe because I'm not big on failing, but probably more so, I don't always feel that you should change who you are. Like my new diary suggest I don't really want to change the essence of who I am because the date on a calendar changes, I just want to be the best person that I can and do things for me and not for anyone else. What does that mean? well it basically means that you aren't going to get any life changing or world changing new years resolutions from me in 2019, I'm just going to try and make a few small changes to make my life easier, and hopefully even better. I am going to talk about a few changes that I'm going to make that may impact the blog in my next post, but other than that it's just the usual aims, and goals - to try and concentrate on the important things and the important people, try to save a bit of money and think about what I buy a bit more, and of course to try and be a bit more organised.

I seem to say the same thing pretty much every year but I'm hoping that 2019 will be the year that I wear more, and use more, and buy less. I'm already planning a huge clothing and accessory purge, and I am of course going to keep on tackling a significantly reduced beauty mountain. I didn't make a what I got for Christmas video this year but I was really blessed and received some lovely things (check out my Instagram if you want to see some of the things that I got x). Compared to previous years though I didn't get that many beauty products, I got quite a few nail polishes, and a few make up kits, but I didn't get a lot of skin care or body care bits, and since I've avoided the sales, I haven't added to my stash too much over the festive period, and since I'm only going to try and buy what I need in 2019, I don't intend to add too much more to it over the next 12 months or so. It therefore goes without saying that Trimming My Stash will be an ongoing thing in 2019, but before we get started and focus on the here and now, lets take a little look back and see what I managed to finish in December 2018..

Lush Snow Fairy Body Conditioner - 100g
Skin Republic X Olivia Buckland Prep + Glow Face Mask Sheet - 25ml - 1 x Sheet Mask
Superdrug Nourishing Nail Polish Remover - 250ml
The Body Shop Merry Cranberry Bath & Shower Gel - 250ml
NIVEA Caring Shower Gel Love Sunshine - 250ml
Primark PS Cuticle Oil
Primark PS... Micellar Facial Cleansing Wipes x 25 Wipes

Total - 7 Items 

Well I ended the year by finishing a pretty solid 7 items, which seems to be a little bit better than my average monthly performance. I finished a nice assortment of items including lots of body care, products and a few skincare items, a couple of new things, and a couple of old favourites. In fact the only thing that would have made it better would have been to finish a make up item or two - pretty much the story of my year - I've managed to finish loads of everything else but hardly any make up, so that's definitely an area I need to focus on in 2019.

1. Lush Snow Fairy Body Conditioner - 100g

Ah Snow Fairy, would Christmas really be Christmas without that sweet bubblegum, candy floss like scent - I don't think so. Now you're probably familiar with the original Snow Fairy shower cream but have you tried this? Originally released in 2016, Snow Fairy Body Conditioner almost resembles pink blancmange, it's has a creamy buttery texture, and it contains organic cocoa, mango and avocado butters, and almond and jojoba oils as well as a smattering of iridescent shimmer.

Now despite the suggestion that this is a body moisturiser, Lush actually promote this as a shower product and they advise that you smooth a layer of the cream all over your body before rinsing it off in the bath or shower. As well as cleansing the skin it gives it a much bigger moisture boost than just using a conventional shower product, and because it's so creamy it's also brilliant to shave with. It is a really indulgent shower product but it does seem a bit of a waste to just wash it off, so what I and a lot of other Lushies tend to do it to use a small amount either as a body moisturiser, or to add a bit of shimmer to the skin. It takes a little while to absorb but it leaves the skin feel really smooth and deliciously scented.

I think that this is a lovely product but I think you have a tendency to overuse it so it doesn't seem to last that long. That said if you love Snow Fairy and you want a really indulgent and pampering product, and you want to fully immerse yourself in that sugary sweet scent then this is the product for you. Alas I did manage to get any more of this, this Christmas but I do have a large bottle of Snow Fairy to indulge all of my pick 'n' mix and candy floss fantasies in 2019 without all of the calories and the sugar.

2. Skin Republic X Olivia Buckland Prep + Glow Face Mask Sheet - 25ml - 1 x Sheet Mask

Now when I received this in November's Pink Parcel I openly admitted that I had no idea who Olivia Buckland is - what can I say I'm not a fan of Love Island or reality TV in general, and whilst I still don't know much about her what I can say is that this is without a doubt one of the nicest sheet masks that I've ever used!



High praise from moi! but just why did I like this so much well, for a start it did exactly what it promised - it promised me bright, hydrated and flawless skin and that's exactly what I got! This spun lace / paper feel mask contains plumping collagen, pomegranate extract and hydrating hyaluronic acid.

The first thing I noticed when I took the mask out of the packet was just how wet it was, it wasn't watery wet though, it felt thicker then that and almost slightly gel like. After doing my best Phantom Of The Opera impression for around 15 minute I removed the mask to find a layer of almost serum like liquid on my face. It was pretty easy to massage into the skin though and it didn't take too long to absorb. In fact there was so much extra liquid left over both on the mask itself and in the packet that I massaged the excess over my neck, decolletage, and even on my hands. Once it had absorbed my skin looked brighter, and felt smoother, plumper, and crammed full of moisture without feeling oily. I've tried quite a few sheet masks now and this is before the best I've tried in terms of feel and in terms of noticeable results. It may be a coincidence but in the days after I'd used it a few people commented on just how clear my skin looked, and how well rested I looked, despite the fact that I certainly didn't feel it! It's not the cheapest mask at £5.49 for one application but I was so pleased with the results that I'm definitely considering buying this one again, if you fancy giving it ago yourself, you can get it in Superdrug.

3. Superdrug Nourishing Nail Polish Remover - 250ml

Now nail polish remover isn't the most exciting of beauty products, but if you love your nail polish as much as I do it's an essential x It's acetone free, it's not drying on the nails, it doesn't smell horrible, it's cheap and it works, in fact I love it so much that I actually class it as one of my holy grail products - you can find out exactly why I love it so much in this post from 2011! The product is still exactly the same and it's still just £1.39 for 250ml - what is not to love?
4. The Body Shop Merry Cranberry Bath & Shower Gel - 250ml

Right I have no idea how old this product is but I'm sad to have finished - Every year I look forward to the Christmas collections from The Body Shop, and every year I pray that there will be something apple scented and something cranberry scented - in 2018 none of the scents made an appearance so for the first time in many, many years I didn't buy anything festive from The Body Shop. To be fair I didn't need anything but still it was a slightly strange feeling. Merry Cranberry was one of my favourite festive scents in recent (or maybe not so recent) years, the sweet, tart fruity scent was a delight to the senses and this was a shower gel that I really enjoyed using - Something makes me thing I have a few more cranberry inspired bottles tucked away so I'm going to dig those out and enjoy using them, and again I live in hope that 2019 will see the return of some of my favourite festive scents from The Body Shop 

5. NIVEA Caring Shower Gel Love Sunshine - 250ml*

From something old to something a lot more recent, and this summer scented shower gel from NIVEA. I was sent this product last summer to try and it really was summer in a bottle x You can read my full review here x 

6. Primark PS Cuticle Oil - 10ml

Yawn, you're probably sick of hearing about this stuff - I seem to have talked about in pretty much every other Trimming My Stash post in 2017 and 2018. Briefly it's cheap, and it works wonders, for just £1 a bottle it's a skin and nail saviour at this time of year buy it you will not be disappointed!!

7. Primark PS... Micellar Facial Cleansing Wipes x 25 Wipes

Since I bought these Primark's face wipe range has been completely overhauled and repackaged so I honestly don't know if these wipes are still in existence. I think I picked these up once when I couldn't get the tea tree ones, and I have to say they weren't half bad - Yes I know cleansing wipes aren't good for you but in an emergency, be that a real one or laziness these were decent, they weren't quite wet enough for me but they removed make up, and grime without leaving the skin red or dry or irritated - you can't ask for anymore than that.
So all in all, not too bad an end to 2018, but how did I do over the course of the whole year? and just how many beauty products did I manage to finish? Well let's see...

January - 4 Items
February - 6 Items
March - 6 Items
April - 5 Items
May - 11 Items
June - 4 Items
July - 3 Items
August - 6 Items
September - 7 Items
October - 10 Items
November - 3 Items
December - 7 Items
Total - 72 Items 

Over the course of 2018, I managed to finish 72 beauty products, which isn't too bad. Although I'm a long way off matching 2016's total of 91, I managed to finish 2 items more than I did in 2017, so any improvement has to be seen as a win. I'm not resting on my laurels though, this is an ongoing thing, and like everything else I'm learning a few lessons on the way. The first one of course being, why on earth did I buy so much stuff in the first place!!! Whether I was trying to keeping up with Jones's or other bloggers, or I thought that I was getting a bargain, or was it because I needed a little treat to cheer myself up? Who knows? It's taken a while but I've definitely realised that I either need to be a little bit more selective in my shopping, or I need to cut down on the shopping thing altogether - hmmm a tough one that but as needs and bathroom cupboards must I guess - so for 2019 my mantra is buy less, and wear and use more x Again I'll be documenting all my trimming my stash ups and downs for you right here on my blog and if you're doing something similar I'd love to hear why, what your motivations are ? and any hints, tips or suggestions that you have for making 2019 the best year yet. I'd also love to hear from you if you're are doing Project 10 Pan this year, I've been debating for quite some time over whether or not to do it again, and I'm starting to think that this that it may be time x Let me know your thoughts, and I will see you soon with a video and a little announcement,  and a very late post sharing days 13 - 25 of the Glossybox All I Want Advent Calendar x 

*Press Sample

Happy New Year - Reflections And Looking Forward

I'm going to make no apologies for this statement but goodbye 2015 and good riddance. This year has a tough one for so many people that I know, and so many people that I love, and for a lot of people it's been a one to forget. It's been a hard one in particular health wise for both me, and some close family members but a new year is about to begin and we're all still here and we're all still fighting.

I'm not a one for making new years resolutions really but every year I always like to make a list of my hope, dreams and aims for the year, and this year I thought I'd share them with you.

1. Family

My most important aim of 2016 is to spend more time with, and to appreciate my family a lot more than I already do. I've had a few close shaves this year, and it's made me realise that life is short, and you need to appreciate and spend time with those you love whilst you have the chance. It's easy at times to yell at someone, or to make excuses not to see someone but next time, take a step back and think about it before you do it or before you speak, I know I will trying my hardest to do that in 2016.

2. Me - Health, Stress, Weight Loss, Love

I used to consider myself quite a selfish person but over the last 12 months I've realised that I spend an awful lot of time worrying and stressing about other people, If you care about someone that's a fact of life but I need to learn to take a step back and take care of myself for once. There is no point in worrying about other people to the detriment of your own health and that's what I need to remember. I went to CBT sessions and I was always told not to worry about things that might not happen and things that you can't control and that is something that I need to keep in mind in 2016.

I also need to listen to my body a little bit more - I need to take time outs from life occasionally and I need to realise that there is no need to feel guilty about doing it. I also need to learn to switch off the tv, put down the book, and go to bed, I've had a few early nights lately and I feel a lot better for it.

Something else that I plan to do in 2016 is learn to love myself just a little bit more - I probably say this every year, but on numerous occasions in 2015, I've experienced so much self loathing it's untrue. I need to accept myself for what I am - I'm not perfect but who is! It's so easy to compare yourself to other people especially online but where does it lead you - more self loathing and hatred - be you and love being you, is my new mantra. Other people have issues and problems too even if you can't always see them.

That said although I'm going to try and love myself no matter what my weight is getting me down a bit again so once the hellish tooth is removed (15th January at the moment) Healthy eating and weight loss will resume. I'm also going to try and do a bit of walking, and maybe a bit more yoga to try and untangle my achy muscles.

3. Blogging, You Tube And Social Media

Blogging has been a constant frustration to me in 2015 - I didn't post as often as I would have liked, my content waned at times, and I was left feeling mehhh on more than one occasion. I felt guilty at times about it, and I know I shouldn't have done but I did. In 2016 I'm going to try and develop a whole new attitude to blogging - first of all I want to regain the blogging love, I want to enjoy posting and writing again, and feel passionate about my blog. I want to get more organised, develop a regular positing schedule, mix things up a bit and provide you my loyal readers with quality, and individual content. Above all though I want to avoid comparing myself to others - it's hard not to but we're all individuals, we all write differently and about different things, and we really shouldn't judge ourselves by somebody elses achievements and standards. Again I want to thank you all for your support in 2015 and if there is anything specifically you would like to see on the blog in 2016, leave me a comment and let me know x

You Tube wise I've been pleased with my progression in 2015, I've been uploading more regularly and I've really enjoyed doing it so that's something that I'm aiming to do more of in 2016. I'm also going to mixing my content up a bit and trying some different types of videos, so again let me know what you'd like to see x

I've had a love hate relationship with Twitter and Facebook in 2015, and that's something that will no doubt continue in 2016. Social media has at times stressed me out a lot over the last year, so whilst I'll continue to use it and at times enjoy it, I'm not going to stress about taking some time out. I've taken a few days off social media this year and I think it's done my the world of good. Don't be afraid to step away from twitter every now and then for your own sanity if nothing else.


4. Organisation, Clutter And Spending Less

This is something else that usually ends up on my list every year - I need to be more organised, and I need to sort out my crap. I'm untidy, badly organised, and flaky and it needs to stop. I intend to attack every drawer, wardrobe and cupboard that I own and  clear out what I don't need and I don't use!and I need to put things where I can find them! I also need to write things down so I remember them and as I've already said I need to be more organised blogging wise, and I need to remember to reply to my comments more regularly.

In order to prevent some of this crazy clutter that I always seem to accumulate, I also really need to cut down on the shopping, so that's another aim of 2016 to try really hard and only buy what I need, and I definitely need to stop buying so many beauty products, but more on that tomorrow.

Basically no matter what happens in 2016 I fully intend to make the best of it and be the best person that I can, 2015 has been a learning curve but it's one I'm happy to say goodbye too x  I'd like to wish you and yours a very Happy New Year and I really hope that 2016 is everything that you want it to be x

Happy New Year - Reflections, Looking Ahead And My Goals For 2015

Happy New Year Everyone x  I hope you all had a fabulous New Years Eve what ever you did x Mine was quiet, me and Mummy Lou spent the evening eating, drinking and reflecting on the year gone by.

2014 was a tough year in a lot of ways, my health issues continued and in some ways worsened, my godmother had an accident and broke several bones, and both my mum and my godfather are set for surgery and hospital stays in the New Year, but we're all still here and we're still battling on.

My health issues have affected my blog a lot more than I would have liked over the last 12 months and as a result my blog hasn't moved on as much in 2014 as I would have liked. I didn't post as much as regularly as I could have done and I wasn't happy with the quality or variety of some of my posts, at time it all felt a bit samey.

It wasn't all negative when it came to the blog though - last week I hit 700,000 all time blog views,  Thank You so much it's an amazing feat which I'm unbelievably proud of, and it really shows how far that I've come. I also attended quite a few blogger events last year which I really enjoyed - I'm still quite a shy person and if you'd asked me a few years ago if I could walk into a room full of people I barely knew and feel pretty comfortable I would never have believed you. Blogging has made such a difference in helping me get some form of independence back. It's given me something to focus on other than my illness, and it's helped me to meet so many new people.

Unlike some people who've hidden their blogs from their friends and family I've always been open with mine. My friends and family might not always understand some of the things that I do or I talk about but they've always been 100% supportive. For Christmas my lovely mum treat me to two things that are hopefully going to make blogging and social media a little bit easier for me in 2015 -  a shiny new laptop and quite fabulously a video camera.

My aim in 2014 was to expand both my blog and my You Tube channel, but as you've probably already gathered that didn't really happen. Hopefully my new camera and some new lighting will enable me to make more and better quality videos, and hopefully a speedier laptop will make all of those blogging tasks such as photo editing and drafting much easier.

So what can you expect from my blog and You Tube in 2015? Well  I want my blog  and my You Tube channel to grow and to improve. I've listened to and read your comments over the last few months and the majority of you want to see more beauty reviews. Your wish is my command and whilst my blog is still about a bit of everything, beauty will definitely dominate in 2015. I'm also going to try and do a few more outfit and fashion posts, and a few more home related, food and lifestyle posts to mix it up a bit. I'm also hoping to post more regularly too, and of course there will be some more giveaways. I've already asked this question in my recent giveaway post but there is any specific post that you would like to read please let me know x

You Tube wise, monthly favourites will resume, and I will eventually get round to doing my much requested room tour post. I'm also planning on doing a few tags, an updated what's in my bag and maybe an updated perfume collection video. Again if there are any videos that you would like to see than please leave me a comment and I'll do my best once I get to grips with my camera x

Away from blogging and You Tube I'm not big and resolutions but I do have a few personal goals that I'm going to try and focus on that I'm going to share with you.

Goals For 2015

1. Stop comparing myself to others! Why do we do this? Someone will always be better than you at something, prettier than you, cleverer than you. It only depresses you - I need to concentrate on me and my positives rather than bothering about other people so much

2. Use and wear what I buy  - Looking back at last years haul posts I bought so much stuff. Do I really need another nude eyeshadow palette, another blue nail polish, and yet another black or white vest - quite frankly no. Trimming My Stash is going to continue and I'm going to make a huge effort to cut down on my spending and buying so much of the same stuff.

3. Be more organised - I make this resolution / set this goal every year but this needs to be the year that I actually do it. I need to be tidier, and I need to clear out my clutter. I dread to think just how much time I've wasted looking for things I've mislaid and how much stress its caused me.

4. Food - I did so well on my healthy eating plan at the beginning of last year that it goes without saying that in 2015 I'll be trying to do more of the same. My aims are 3 meals a day, healthier snacks and to try and do a bit more exercises and physical activity.

5. Sleep - My illness plays havoc with my sleeping patterns but at times I don't think I help myself. My aim for 2015 is to make it into bed before midnight, to cut down on social media late at night, to cut out the afternoon naps and to try and get up at a sensible time no matter how useless I feel or how badly I've slept.

6. Switch off the laptop, the iPad and my iPhone for one day a week - This is a pretty big one but like most of us communication and social media plays such a huge role in my life that sometime I neglect other things. On those days I'm planning to spend time doing other things that I enjoy, reading, watching films or craft and spending  more time with my family.

Like any year I'm expecting 2015 to have it's ups and downs, life's like that and nothing ever goes to plan, but in the majority of cases we are in charge of out own destiny, and I'm going to do my level best to make 2015 my best and most successful year ever x Happy New Year and here's hoping it's a good one for all of us x