My Purrfect Christmas

Back in June I signed up to Cat In A Flat, and 6 months later I've had the pleasure of looking after 10 other cats as well as my own fluffy two! I had a handful of enquiries about cat sitting on Christmas day, but this year after visiting my Mum in the morning we'll be heading up to Perth for the night to stay with Pete's dad and have our dinner there. So if I'm not watching anyone elses kitties, what will I be doing with my own? I thought I'd write up some suggestions for how you can best prepare your cat and your home if you don't have a sitter for them, and will be off visiting family or friends this Christmas.

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The Grand Central Sleepover 2016

I can't believe it's already been a whole year since the last Grand Central Sleepover! We kicked off December with what's becoming an annual tradition, and a really lovely way to spark up that festive spirit. Plus, any excuse for a night in with pj's, snacks, and some of my bestest blogging babes. Lovingly organised by the wee legend who is Laura - myself, Lynsay, Lori, and Lisa and Sami descended on the Grand Central Hotel in Glasgow's city centre for a very merry girls night in.

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Cruelty free brands for gifting this Christmas

Since April this year I decided to make the switch to going completely cruelty free with my skincare, makeup and hair care products. It's been a really interesting process and I'm still learning something new every single day about animal testing and the different regulations (and often loopholes) which various companies adhere to. I'll only be doing one gift guide this year,  so I thought it would be apt to do a little round up of some of my favourite cruelty free brands which are all perfect for gifting your loved ones (or hey, yourself!) this Christmas and beyond.

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My eyebrow tattoo experience

Hats off to all my fellow millenials out there who spent most of their teenage years over plucking eyebrows within an inch of their life. It was the done thing, so many of us did it and now live to regret the aftermath 10 years later while feeling bushy in all the wrong places when it comes to the eyebrow department. Hells yeah I can grow little caterpillar brows! They grow down the way, and out the way, and slap bang in the middle... but never enough to merit a good, long shape. Just an interrupted monobrow of sorts. Alas, earlier this year I finally bit the bullet and decided to invest in a tattooed pair of brows. I say invest, because the money I would spend getting them tinted and waxed and buying products to fill them in would probably equate to the same amount of money over the same amount of time. However, I know it's a slightly bigger commitment than your average HD brow appointment, which is why I thought I'd share my experience so far.

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Good Morning, Vietnam

Vietnam was the last place I expected to fall head over heels in love with on our south east asian adventure. We knew we wanted to add a bit of a beach escape to our busy Singapore sling, and we most definitely almost had a week in Bali on the cards. However after speaking to my Uncle and his wife, and hearing about the various places they had visited on long weekends and public holidays, we ended up settling on 5 days in Hoi An instead. It blew our expectations and hope for a tropical paradise right out of the water.

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I got that red lip classic thing that you like

It's funny how after 7+ years I still never quite know how to start off a blog post without feeling slightly awkward, so I'll just begin by going HEYYY there! Again, I meant to be back into a posting routine sooner but I'm still feeling in a bit of a funk. My motivation levels are all over the place and often being sooked dry by work, but that's the constant battle I face trying to get the balance just right. I tend to get pangs of motivation at the most unlikely times (like yeah let's totally clear out and rearrange the contents of my makeup drawer at midnight because why not?!) rather than when I know I need to get shit done. So it's Sunday night, I'm feeling pretty rested from lots of sleep this weekend, and have decided to treat myself to a bubble bath once I hit publish on this blog post. BYE THEN, THE END. Just kidding, I have some lovely pictures I'd like to share with you from last weekend at wedding number four of 2016.

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Singapore Sling

If you follow me across social media, then you'll already know me and Pete got to spend a couple of weeks sunning it up in Singapore and Vietnam. I have so many pictures from the holiday (as you could guess with the instagram spam) So I've decided to split our travels into two posts. One for Singapore, and one for Hoi An. I'd been meaning to get these up sooner, but the post holiday blues and anxiety crept back in much stronger than I expected them to. Once we got home, I had a week off (which was mostly spent getting over the jet lag!) before I went straight back into a new film job. That's me signed over my assistant art direction services for the next 11 weeks, on a movie which is starring the most high profile actors I've ever worked with. I can't share many details about it at the moment (keep an eye out on twitter for some sneaky clues) but the script is fantastic and I'm counting my lucky stars that I'm working right up until Christmas. Now, time to share some travel tales while I'm cosied up on the sofa with a hot cup of tea and my fluffy pj's while Glasgow seems to be freezing over. Such a contrast in weather from our first destination - Singapore.

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Oyster Happy Hour at Hutchesons

They say as you get older, your taste buds change and you're able to appreciate the finer things in life (ie, you learn to love the food that previously wanted to make you vom) I'm not fussy at all when it comes to eating, but there are a few select things which have escaped me. I don't like them, and even though I try so damn hard to like them it's just not happening. Perhaps with time? Or maybe it's never meant to be! This list currently includes Olives, Avocado, and Red Wine (to name a few) Until very recently, Oysters were sitting pretty high on that list too.

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Easy beach waves & glitter roots DIY

Wavy beach hair always looks so effortless, but ironically can take quite a bit of effort unless you have a whole load of sun, sea and sand on your doorstep (and the type of hair which likes to cooperate) While sunning it up in Vietnam I can happily proclaim that summer ain't over yet, for either of us! Here's my super easy beach waves tutorial (aka a cheats guide) on how to get those surf laden locks, even if you're land locked. Oh, and a bit of glitter thrown in for good measure.

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The Mussel Inn - Glasgow

I spoke so much about food in that last post that I thought it would be extremely rude not to share some foodie diaries from August. The proof is in the pudding, right? SORRRRY, I couldn't help myself. As you read this I should be a few hours into flight one of two (Glasgow to Dubai, then Dubai to Singapore) We left at 2pm today, and arrive in Singapore at 3pm tomorrow, and they're 7 hours ahead - which I think equals jet lag? We'll see! We are spending a few days with my Uncle Chris and his wife Rachel, then heading across to Hoi An and Da Nang in Vietnam, back to Singapore for the last few days of our trip, then home! I've scheduled a few posts for while I'm away, and you can keep up to date on my travels on instagram and twitter (@hellorogue) Any recommendations for things to see and do while on our South East Asian adventure would be much appreciated. Now, I'm pretty sure I mentioned food...

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Where you been, boo?

Oh hey you guuuuys. I took a little break from blogging for the last couple of weeks, mainly because I was mad busy and really wanted to focus on getting things wrapped up at work and a few other bits and bobs which have been happening. Thought I'd give you a run down on whats been going on recently, and what my plans are for the next little while now I'm finished up on my latest BBC job 'The Replacement' (which is hands down one of the most exciting scripts I've ever worked on, if you like thrillers then you are gonna love it. Along with Vicky McClure, she is one crazy talented actress)

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The Scottish Blogger Shop - Save The Date!

I'm super excited to announce that at in a couple of weeks time, myself and eight other Scottish Bloggers will be holding the first ever Scottish Blogger Shop! If you love a bargain and fancy shopping some of our wardrobes (or just wanna come hang and say hello) then on Sunday 21st August you can come down to Hillhead Book Club and do just that.

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She bangs with #BLOW Shawlands

It wasn't gonna be long before I started missing having a fringe! Or 'bangs' as all the cool kids call them. I get awfully bored when my hair stays the same way for too long, so having a fringe cut in tends to distract me from taking any length off the ends. I'm trying to grow my hair at the moment (and maybe even considering extensions) cause as I get older, I feel like my hair takes even longer to grow. I'd love to hear your opinions and experiences with hair extensions. I'm off to Singapore and Vietnam for two weeks in September, so will probably wait until I get back to look into them properly, as I know it's gonna be ridiculously warm and muggy over there, and my hair will be getting tied up into a birds nest on the top of my head most days.

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The long lasting makeup must haves

Another weekend, another wedding! Tis the season and all that though, eh? Pete and I spent last Friday to Sunday at Carberry Tower out in the countryside near Mussleburgh to celebrate his cousin Louise's wedding. This time rather than getting super emotional blog post wise (sorry not sorry for that last one) I thought I'd try to be semi useful and share some tips for long lasting makeup, for a long day such as a wedding. My pores are feeling really clogged at the moment, just with months of working like mad and sort of (to be honest, COMPLETELY) neglecting my usual skincare regime. You can see it pretty badly on my nose in this picture, but I know it's down to my skin at the moment rather than the makeup I'm using. It gave me a kick up the backside after seeing this photo (my new Canon M3 is lovely but rather unforgiving) so I started a new skincare routine last Monday which I shall share on here soon. Pore-y noses aside, here are my long lasting makeup must haves.

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My Best Friend's Wedding

“A soulmate is someone who has locks that fit our keys, and keys to fit our locks. When we feel safe enough to open the locks, our truest selves step out and we can be completely and honestly who we are; we can be loved for who we are and not for who we’re pretending to be. Each unveils the best part of the other. No matter what else goes wrong around us, with that one person we’re safe in our own paradise. Our soulmate is someone who shares our deepest longings, our sense of direction. When we’re two balloons, and together our direction is up, chances are we’ve found the right person. Our soulmate is the one who makes life come to life. ” — Richard Bach

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Bronson's first Jurni

Would ya just look at that lil' heartbreaker. I'm back with another puppy related post already, and I'm kinda not even sorry! Bronson has really lit up my life from the day he came home with us. He's a squishy wee ball of energy and love, and me and Pete are having so much fun being doggy parents. It has been a massive learning curve (for me especially, I've never owned a dog before or had one in the family whereas Pete has) but day by day it gets that tiny bit easier. Bronson is one smart cookie and I'm amazed at how quickly he is learning new things and coming on leaps and bounds. Last weekend my Mum and Step Dad played puppy grandparents while I went off to be a bridesmaid for my bestie Heather. Being apart from him for only two nights was really strange, and I was worried sick making sure he had everything packed for his first overnight adventure.

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My Summer Essentials

On the 11th of June I turned 27 (yikes!) and every year it feels like my birthday properly marks the start of summer. Even if the weather doesn't quite match up to it (I'm looking at you, Glasgow) This time of year is always really busy for me work wise, as the longer days are always used to their full advantage by film & tv crews. This current BBC job has been super busy, we started filming on Monday and surprisingly I've had quite a nice spring in my step all week. It's probably a lot down to my medication kicking in right about now (Thanks for all the nice messages after that last post ♥) but also to do with the extended daylight! It gives me such a good buzz and I feel like I get a lot out of my week. I've felt inspired to kick start my self care regime again properly, refresh my routine, and spring clean (in summer!) my clothes, makeup, and pretty much every nook and cranny of my house. Anyways, whether this summer ends up being filled with rain or not, my brain is in a much better place now so I really don't mind. Here are my top summer essentials while the season is upon us.

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Introducing Bronson

If you follow me on instagram, twitter or facebook, then you'll have seen that two weeks ago me and Pete became the proud owner of a French Bulldog puppy. Everyone, meet Bronson...

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#tastetheworld at Giraffe, Glasgow

Last month I was invited down to Giraffe in Glasgow to try out their new Spring menu. I've only been to Giraffe once previously when me and Katrina were down in Brighton around 4 years ago now. The menu is extremely varied with a little bit of something for everyone, and dishes inspired by loads of different countries, so their #tastetheworld hashtag is pretty spot on!

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Undearwear as Outerwear & A Lingerie Wishlist

BOOOOOBS! Do I have your attention? Put a bunch of bloggers in a room with a rail full of beautiful clothes from House Of Fraser, a selection of bralettes from the new Ultimo SS16 collection, and a photographer... well, this is what happens!

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#Dothelot with Intu Braehead

  I love challenges, and competitions, and shopping - so combine the three and I am GAME! If you follow me across my other social media channels then you might have seen this little video already. I won a competition recently with Intu Braehead, and they armed me with a £100 gift card and challenged me to 'do the lot'.   

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A Bespoke Facial at 33 Dowanhill

The last 12 months have been an absolute roller coaster ride for me in terms of my skin and skincare routine. It was around a year ago now when we started filming Shetland (the very first day of filming, actually) that I came home from work having worn a beanie hat that day, and finding my forehead was itchy and had broken out into a sort of under the skin rash. You can read the post I wrote about it here (suitably named a mid twenties skin crisis!) From that point, my skin progressed from bad to really bad, and I can honestly say it was a huge knock to my confidence that I wasn't expecting. Makeup made my skin look and feel worse, and I spent so much money overwhelming my face with a boatload of different products every week, not to mention the expensive facial peel which scared the absolute life out of me. Your skin literally does peel, almost like sunburn or a snake shedding a layer of skin... you think I would have realised that before I went for one huh? Anyways, I recently went for a bespoke facial at 33 Dowanhill and thought I'd give an update on how my skin is looking almost a year on.

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Pastel Dreams and Braids 4EVA

I remember the first time when I was little and my Mum styled my hair into what can only be described as a pineapple pony tail (half up, half down, with the pony swinging about like nobody's business) and I made her put my hair like that every day for the whole summer. This is pretty much how I felt at my recent visit to Paddy for a colour refresh. I'm obsessed with anything Opal at the moment, and my new colour definitely fits the bill. Business in the front, braid party in the back!

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A Hen Weekend at the Old Nunnery

I'm at the age now where it feels like everyone on my facebook is getting married, buying a house, or having babies! This doesn't freak me out or bother me in the slightest, I guess it just illustrates that 'grown up' life is in full swing for most of my peers. I squee in excitement when one of my friends tell me they are expecting, or that their other half has popped the question. I'm like shit, does this mean we are all becoming adults now?! I don't feel like an adult! When my Mum was my age (26) I was three years old. Right now I'm caring for a three year old cat rather than a three year old human, but that's cool with me! There are no rules or time limits as to when and how we should be moving through this life. It's hard not to compare yourself to others, and think 'by THIS age, I should have my dream job and be on the property ladder' and 'by THAT age, at the very latest, I really want a ring on it and lots of lil' babies crawling around at my feet'. You might want all of these things or you might want none of these things. And that is totally cool. Don't let anyone tell you any different, or feel like you have to explain yourself to anyone. I've went off on a bit of a tangent here but I just wanted to say I am just as excited watching my friends go through their journey as I am venturing on my own. On sure fire way of uniting lots of ladies from different friend groups and walks of life, is at a hen party!

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Lazy Sundays with The Trading House

I meant to publish this post on Sunday but I was tenderly nursing a hangover from my bestie's leaving do the night before. I still can't believe that Leah is moving to Canada on Saturday for two whole years. I am so proud of her, but man I'm gonna miss her. There's gonna be tears at the airport, that's for sure. What I reeeeally could have done with on Sunday, was to spend the afternoon at The Trading House like I did a few weekends ago. Coffee, a couple of newspapers, great banter, and a good old Sunday Roast - yes please!

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The Scottish Tattoo Convention 2016

Every year on the last weekend in March, the Corn Exchange in Edinburgh plays host to one of my favourite days out... The Scottish Tattoo Convention! Scotland isn't the only holder of weekends like this, there are annual conventions all over the country (and all over the world too I guess!) throughout the year - in the likes of London, Brighton, Manchester, Liverpool and Carlisle to name a few. I thought I'd share some pictures from this years Edinburgh convention, to give a little insight as to what actually happens at them apart from the obvious tattooing.

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Coffee is always a good idea

A few weeks ago I took a little day trip through to Edinburgh with a handful of other Scottish Bloggers, for a coffee themed event with Curry's! My day actually began with a trip to see the fantastic Dale at Pixie Hair and Beauty for some brow tlc and makeup, but more on that later. You all know how much I love coffee (and my lil' death before decaf tattoo tribute) so I was super intrigued to try some Nespresso infused dishes. Coffee flavoured coffee, yes. Coffee flavoured food? Let's see how this goes...

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Sunday lunch at the Drygate, Glasgow

Happy Sunday folks! As you're reading this, I'll be on my way down to the coast for my bestie Heather's hen do, but I thought I'd schedule in a rather delicious review of the Drygate Brewery in Glasgow, where me and Pete went for lunch on Easter Sunday. Think you don't like beer? Me either, so do read on...

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Rocking the rainbow roots!

It feels pretty appropriate to be sharing my colourful new doo on such a sunny Sunday in Scotland (I actually saw a double rainbow last week, as did most people in Glasgow on my facebook, does that mean we all get to make a wish? Or something magical along those lines) A couple of weeks ago I had a trip to Rainbow Rooms in George Square to let the awesome Paddy loose on my hair again, and do these fun-tastic rainbow roots!

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A newbies guide to cruelty free beauty

I love animals. All creatures great and small. Even little Barry the Bath Pug here, who keeps me company every time I take a dip. After working at Lush over the Christmas period, and learning so much about their strong stance and pro-activity when it comes to things like ethical buying, environmental policies, and fighting against animal testing, a little light bulb in my head switched on. Why should any of the products I use on a daily basis be tested on animals?

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Can you be a girl boss and have a healthy work/life balance?

I'd say the answer to the above is yes. But my goodness it takes a hell of a lot of practice and much trial and error before things feel 'right'. That horrible feeling of overwhelm is the biggest source of my anxiety, with too much to do in too little time being the ongoing theme throughout my life. Not enough time to do all the things I wanna do, and see the people I wanna see. While squeezing a bit of time in between myself to do absolutely nothing (Cause we all need a bit of that sometimes, right?) Or simple pleasures like reading, baking, painting... things which I hardly do these days because I just guilt myself thinking I could be clearing up, or doing that pile of washing, or getting some tax paperwork done! Yay to adulting! Yay to being freelance and spinning an abundance of plates at the one time, always knowing that if you let one drop then you might not pay your bills that month. But y'know what, it's okay. I've just spent 7 weeks on an extremely enjoyable but intense job, and I feel like for the first time in forever I didn't feel anywhere close to burn out at any point during it.

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Maison De Moggy, Edinburgh

Sorry all was a bit quiet on the blog front last week. Telly land has well and truly taken over for the time being, but only two weeks left of this job and then I'll have a nice wee break before I'm onto the next one. I've very much been living for the weekend while having such busy weekdays at work. So last Saturday was a pretty epic one. I finally got to visit Scotland's first Cat Cafe, Maison De Moggy in Edinburgh.

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Mama, I love you

When it comes to personal posts like this, I legit feel like my heart is going to burst before I even begin writing the first sentence. I have so much I want to say, but I don't even know where to start. How much detail do I go into before it snowballs into a full blown word vomit of emotion and tears and all of the feels. Basically, I bloody love my Mum. I love her, I know her, and I feel like I understand her. As a woman, and a friend, as well as a mother.

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Caring for coloured hair

I've had my fair share of different hair colours in the past 5 years or so. Growing up with a hairdresser Mum, she let me experiment with semi permanent dyes and various slices and flashes through my hair (Fudge paintbox, anyone?) However I'm not gonna be pulling any of those photos out from the dark depths of the internet! It wasn't until going blonde for the first time in my early 20's that I really started to take my colour into my own hands (no offence, Mum!) I think she was just worried about me ruining the quality of my hair, like so many others she had seen (and ultimately had to fix) over the years. To this day, despite my hair being pushed to the limit a few times, I think it's pretty safe to say it's still in a great healthy condition. So today I'm gonna share some tips on how I care for coloured hair.

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February Favourites

February already, say whaaaaat?! I can't get over how quickly the weeks are flying in, especially since I've just started a new telly job and each day feels like it's over in the blink of an eye. Which is good, because it's super busy! But it means that the weekends also pass by a little too quickly. At the weekend just there we celebrated mine and Pete's anniversary with cocktails and dinner at a local tapas restaurant which was DELICIOUS. We caught up on lots of sleep, I spent saturday afternoon at Cafe Strange Brew with Lori, Lynsay and her lovely pals for a Galentine's gathering, worked on my new blog layout (what d'ya think?) had pizza for dinner on sunday, and watched a few movies (Oh, and started on the new X-Files, holy smokes it's good!)  This has been a pretty great month so far, even though we're only half way through. So I thought I'd share a selection of my February favourites!

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Happy Galentine's Day

I really don't get why people hate on Valentine's Day so much. Every week there seems to be something new on the internet for people to get mad at. Facebook crazes, memes, outrageous celebrity gossip, controversial tweets. I just wanna stand back and say, Y U SO ANGRY people?! Save your passionate energy and that fire in your belly for stuff which actually matters. I understand that some folk see Valentine's as a money making machine for the greeting card industry, but isn't every holiday/celebration? I just love Love, and wanna celebrate the shit out of that all year round. But hell, if there's a special day dedicated to the patron saint of lovers, then I'm all for it. Ahead of this weekend, I wanted to share a massive chunk of love and appreciation for all of the fantastic women in my life. This February 13th isn't just the day before Valentine's day, it's also Galentine's Day!

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A birthday weekend and the Lush Spa, Edinburgh

Last week my lovely boyfriend turned 27 and it ended up being a four day celebration full of food, tattoos and spa treatments. On the Wednesday, Pete ended up taking the day off work (before his planned days off on the Thursday and Friday) because he's having mega back problems at the moment. That's what happens when you get oooold (Just kidding, I'm 27 this summer too. HALP ME) I'd had plans of running a few last minute errands that day, and going to Wholefoods to buy stuff for a nice birthday dinner and his birthday cake too. But OF COURSE the wounded soldier ended up complaining that he wanted to come with me. So the game was a bogey in terms of foodie surprises. I even tried to hide the birthday cake but they gave me it in a box with a see through top. I'd done quite well in hiding his presents anyways (this sorta thing becomes a bit of a challenge when you live with someone) so wasn't gonna beat myself up too much that he'd seen his cake, despite me trying my hardest to be a birthday ninja!

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Make me up! I get by with a little help from the internet...

Jeez guys, I need to be honest. I literally have no idea what I'm doing these days when it comes to makeup! I love all of the products which I use, but I feel like I'm on autopilot when it comes to their actual application. I decided to film a video for the first time in aaaages, chatting about makeup and using some tutorials to see if I could mix up my routine a bit and improve my technique. It's a long one - sorry about that! It should only really last 10 minutes but I spend the last 5 addressing a little something which has made me feel a bit deflated this week. High five in advance if you manage to watch the whole thing! After making this one I definitely know what I would do differently next time, I'm extremely inexperienced when it comes to vlogging - I take my hats off to all of you who do it on a regular basis! You must have the patience of saints. Any suggestions or feedback would be much appreciated ^_^ Thinking of doing this once a month if there's anything in particular you'd like me to chat about?

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Urban Exploration and trusting your gut

Things have been pretty quiet on the work front for me so far in 2016. TV jobs normally don't start to appear until early February, so I've been taking advantage of this time to focus on my Forever Living business, get some 'life admin' done, and take part in other little projects and experiences while I've got this chilled start to the year. Every day feels like a blank canvass, and that excites me so much. You know how I said before that we should do something every day which scares us? Well for every week of the new year which has passed so far I've tried to really push myself and do things totally out of my comfort zone. If you never try, you'll never know, right? The first week in January I signed up as a Glasgow Catsitter through Cat In A Flat, last week I went through to Edinburgh to shoot with a photographer I'd never met before - Impish Eye, and next weekend I'll be going up on stage at the Clyde Auditorium to get recognition for my recent Forever promotion. Even on days where my anxiety takes hold I want to look back on this year and think girl, you nailed it! I constantly have that inner dialogue trying to figure out the best balance between self care and confidence building (Thank you Lynsay for helping get my brain around that phrase and truly understanding what it means to me) I'm trying to dip my toes in the water as much as possible, and go with my gut feeling rather than sitting there for too long pondering 'is this water too cold, too hot, too choppy?!' The thought of going through to a city I'm not familiar with, to work with a photographer I've never met before was pretty daunting. But I really clicked with Michael over instagram, so thought why the hell not! The water felt warm, but my goodness Edinburgh was cold...

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New year, new hair

Who am I kidding - it doesn't take the excuse of a new year for me to go for a new hair colour (much to my hairdressers dismay...) After having lovely orange and copper locks for a few months, I decided it was time for a change. Timehop had been reminding me that two years ago I went blonde, which I really loved. I started to get major hair envy over my own old photographs (THAT BITCH, I want her hair!) I only went and ruined it by dying it blue, thinking that the blue would fade out to a nice pastel colour and then go blonde again, just like the pink did. Boy I was wrong! I loved my blue hair, but it was very hard to upkeep. The blonde was beyond saving so I ended up going dark brown over the top late last year. I feel like now is the time for me to head back to blonde again, and hopefully not ruin it this time! Being able to wash light pastel colours in and out of blonde hair should keep me entertained for the forseeable future (fingers crossed, I am a rather fickle wee bird as you can see)

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