2014 - 2015

I am going to be completely honest here. I really don't enjoy New Years. The whole idea of a 'new year, new me' really winds me up because honestly, how much can you change?! 

But then I realised that in 2014 I changed quite a lot. I decided to reach for my dream job as a make up artist, & quit my not so dream job to achieve success (not quite there yet, but I'm sure I will some day soon) which is 100% not something I would do. I mean, for a girl who has zilcho self confidence to pursue a dream that is not completely financially secure, who am I anymore? Luckily, I passed the assessment, my coursework was successful & everything is going pretty well. Hopefully soon I can start handing out my beautiful business cards with confidence that I can do anything with my tools & bring confidence & happiness to other ladies, or men, who ever really!

Which brings me on to my next point, Youtube. I decided this year to start creating videos for the internet, prominently make-up videos, which people might actually see. I have never been so far out of my comfort zone in my entire life & all I was doing was sitting in my bedroom, talking to a camera about my favourite eyebrow pencil & body lotion. Normally I feel uncomfortable in big social situations, like walking into a pub, club or bar, not sat on my bed with the door closed & nobody else around. My first one was just a '50 Facts About Me' video, telling the world what I liked & disliked, but it was the biggest rush when I started to edit it & actually liked what I saw. This was the best, most confident version of myself, & I loved it. Uploading it to the internet was terrifying, but when it hit 100 views (not much I know, but still a small milestone for me) it felt like I had just finished a marathon, except I wasn't out of breath or at all sweaty. So even if sometimes I don't feel up to filming a video, I will continue to do it when I fancy, & when I WANT to. 

Obviously, there have been things that I have succeeded a lot less at, I am no fitter now than I was at the start of the year. I have no more friends now than I had in January & this blog hasn't received a post a week like I really wanted it too. But it's hard to put things out there when they have been forced, & sometimes I just don't feel inspired enough to put words to paper (or words to keyboard, should I say?), but at least I am trying & that's pretty good I think. 

So, I am going to end this long & rambling post with 3 more 'resolutions' (damn I hate that word), which I am going to TRY to achieve. And yes, trying your hardest is enough. 

1) Reach my 2015 reading target of 35 books! It's not 50, but I would be chuffed if I hit that!

2) Travel more, if money allows! Even going to a few more cities in the UK would do. 

3) Be more confident. This is a pretty general one, but I want to be more confident about myself & my abilities. I CAN do things! And I need to remember it more often. 

Also, the usual apply, get fitter, eat healthier, become totally sexy but they don't count as 'resolutions' (eugh!), because by the beginning of 2016 I will have consumed within the last month or two approximately 100 cocktail sausages, three tins of celebrations & 2 gammon joints with all of the trimmings, & I will not purposely bring myself down because I have enjoyed my christmas, a little more than I should have!

So, what did you do in 2014 that you are proud of? I would really like to know (and don't try & tell me that there's nothing, because you have & I know it!)

Lots of Love,

Hayley!

xxx

Divergent by Veronica Roth.

Hello, and yes, today i am going to be "reviewing" a book! Probably in a really poor and unprofessional way, but I really want to share it with you guys. 

I really like the cover of mine!

Firstly, i'll tell you the summary of the book.

"In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself."

Ooooh, intriguing right? So, i'll start on my opinions. 

This book is of the Young Adult genre, it's set in a dystopian world (that means "An imaginary place or state in which the condition of life is extremely bad, as from deprivation, oppression, or terror." Thanks dictionary!), and it's a novel. All things I tend to really enjoy, and this book was no exception.

This book had me hooked from about chapter 3, I would say, which is pretty much a record for me! I really enjoyed the way that the author, Veronica Roth, structured the book so that the chapters were quite short making every one end on some kind of cliff hanger. 

I found the main character Tris to be very likeable, so I always wanted her to be the best at everything. Also, this made me very much hate all of her enemies. That and they were easy to hate. (Peter, I am looking at you.)

And Four (or should I say, PHWOAR! my my when did i get so witty) is one of my favourite things about the entire book. I don't think I have ever fancied a character from a book as much as Four, and I just really want one for myself! I'm going to blame Veronica Roth for my future disappointment in the male gender, I think.

At parts, this book did get a bit gushy when Tris talks about boys and things like that, but I guess it a kind of 'coming of age' time for her and it doesn't go smushy for a long time, so I can get over that. Also, I found myself always wanting to know more about the world they were in, I mean is Chicago the only city that's left in the world? But I may find more out in the next two books in the series ,which are Insurgent and Allegiant (exciting!)

Personally, I do kind of  think that this book may have jumped on the Hunger Games band wagon. But I am probably going to think that with every single YA Dystopian novel, just because I absolutely love that series and it has a big place in my heart for getting me back into reading. So if Katniss and Tris got into a fight, I would be backing Katniss all the way.

This book was action packed, funny in parts, romantic and very easy to read, so I would definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys the Young Adult genre, and I will probably be trying to force all of my friends into reading it in the next couple of months, so that must mean it's good.  So go to your local bookstore and give the first chapter a read, get it on your e-reader, or if you trust me that much (which you should) you can buy it from here. (FREE WORLDWIDE DELIVERY GUYS!)

Also, it's coming out in movie form on the 21st of March in the US, so if you're going to read it, do it before the movie comes out!

wooooooah..

Lot's of love,

Hayley

x

My New Years Resolutions!

I just thought as it's the last day of 2013 I should write a post to signify it. This isn't make-up related, or anything related really, so it will probably bore most of you, but I think it's always important to make a note of your new years resolutions so you can see if you have achieved them the next year!

So, mine include:

1. Read more. I really want to start reading more in 2014, as feel this year I only read when I went on holiday, and now i regret it. I love to read and you can learn so much from a book!
2. Learn how to cook in general, but especially healthy food. I'm not going to put the same old stuff about losing weight or exercising more, but this kind of relates. I want to be able to cook healthy, yummy food for my family (and I also really enjoy looking at cookbooks!).
3. Write at least 1 blog post per week. I really enjoy this blog, so hopefully as the year goes on it will get better and better! 

That's all of them, I think....

I had loads of different ideas of what I could do this coming year (I think at the most i had about 6) but I think keeping it down to 3 achievable important things is a good idea. I can think about more of the little things later. 

So, what are your new years resolutions?

Oh, and 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Love, Hayley.