30/06 - Vlogune Catch Up

For those of you who missed it, I vlogged every day this month.. you can see what I got up to in June below..

29/06 - I Don't Know About You.. But He's Feelin' 22

I've already warned my brother that I will call him once a day for the next year and play that song to him.. he will be so glad to be 23. I thought I would carry on my Taylor Swift themed posts this week as it seemed so very fitting, my brother turned 22 yesterday, we had a little celebration in his honour - good times! It was actually the first party we attended since Milo was born that we didn't have to leave suddenly due to unhappy baby/Ella. Don't get me wrong we don't make a habit of party-going with the kids but my parents throw the occasional get together and so of course we attend. They start early but can go on, Milo took a nap last night but woke at around 10 so it actually worked out pretty well, we didn't have to wake him and irritate and already irritable boy, his nap put him in a good mood for his goodbyes and car ride home and after a quick tussle with his giant teddy bear he was happy enough to get in his own bed. Ella made a deal with Grandma and Grandad and stayed the night (I don't know how they sleep with her - she's so wriggly) so it was just one to bed before us - easy. A good night all round and most importantly little alcohol was consumed (diet coke saved me from the cocktails) so I feel just fine this morning *phew*

In other news we went shopping, I picked up a pair of All Saints jeans for the bargain price of £22 from TK Maxx and Milo and I shared a burrito.. delicious.. could eat it again now actually.. nom!

Khi

28/06 - This Face!

Another late one at work, missed my train to Sheffield to go with Laura to the LUSH event, perfect end to a great week.. On the plus side it's Saturday tomorrow so we can start over

27/06 - There's Somethin' Bout The Way..

I'm currently walking home from a very long day at work and thought I'd take this time to check in..

I'm listening to Taylor Swift "Fearless"
And noticed the symmetry between the song and my walk.. "There's somethin bout the way the street looks when it's just rained" - huh?

Does that ever happen to you guys cause I feel like it happens to me a lot, music is so relatable on even the most mundane level. In other news this has been my most listened to album this week, reminds me of last summer when I climbed out from under my rock and "discovered" Taylor Swift - yes, LAST YEAR!

Anywho, nearly home now and I have a bath waiting for me (lucky girl) and lots of blogging to do (sigh but only cause it's already so late!!)

Laura and I are heading to a LUSH event tomorrow evening and Saturday is my brothers birthday so busy few days for me coming up but lots of vlogging fodder so I'm not complaining :)

26/06 - Before & After - DIY Lowlights

I'm going to post properly about this on my beauty blog but I thought I'd share my immediate thoughts and before/after here.

I really like it and I'm considering going even darker with it. It's closer to my natural shade and the lowlights themselves match my roots almost perfectly - natural dark blonde from the loreal preference reusable mousse range in case you're wondering. The problem is that although this is always the shade I have in my mind as my "dream colour" this Jennifer Aniston-esque blonde it's not particularly interesting and I inevitably will grow tired of it and make some drastic change. I'm hoping that now my hair is getting longer I will be able to play around with the style to satisfy my wanderlust but knowing me I'll be raven haired by August.

25/06 - Well That's One Way..

Today I decided to give myself low lights.. I bought the dye which turned out to be mousse and impossible to use in a traditional way, found I had no foil and appear to have lost my tinting brush so this was my make shift technique. I did use the end of my comb to section my hair through the middle but when it came to the top section I just picked out strands and tried to keep them away from the rest of my hair. I dyed the very bottom layer entirely in the hope it would add a little dimension if the rest didn't turn out but I'm actually really pleased with it. I'll share a proper picture tomorrow and I did film it so that will give you a giggle..

24/06 - Oreo IceCream? No Thanks!

Utterly disappointing. I was so excited to try this but it's just not what I expected at all. Those picky ice cream eaters among you will understand when I say that I was expecting the white ice cream to TASTE like white IceCream but instead it's more like the super creamy Cornish kind - of which I'm not a fan. It just doesn't go with Oreos if you ask me and as a consumer I felt misled by the colour of the product. Am I alone?

23/06 - Girls Weekend

I'm so happy to be home but that was a weekend to remember. IMATS shopping wasn't up to much as the crowds were mad (60% of NARS was worth queuing for however) but I met some subscribers and of course.. MissGlamorazzi.. Amazing! In the evening we were invited to a Style Haul party which was the absolute highlight, such lovely people, delicious cocktails and a Benefit goodie bag (Laura was particularly excited about that last part). Today we went to meet Rebecca and Lauren at Bills Cafe in Covent Garden for breakfast, visited ChoccyWockyDooDah (cazs favourite) and Pixi where I picked up the glow tonic, We made a pit stop at Victorias Secret for a PINK body spray (love) before heading to Charlotte Tilburys House of Rock and Khol at Selfridges. We couldn't leave London with out picking something up from the food hall and then it was time for home.. Tired isn't the word! Seeing everything I bought I'm kind of suffering from buyers remorse now but I've made peace with my bank balance, after all how often do we get to shop in the capital? Rarely.. But we're already planning our next trip!

22/06 - IMATS!

I will blog properly about the weekend soon but sitting in a bar feeling worse for wear I thought I'd share some pictures from yesterday - I didn't get many on my phone, more video and camera so this is a tiny snapshot of the awesome people I met!

21/06 - Full Time Blogger?

Isn't that the dream? For anyone who's been blogging for a couple of years it's got to be in the back of your mind that one day this could be a viable income whether it subsidise a job you love or lets you quit one you really don't it's now a legitimate job for a lot of people. I've never been particularly ambitious in the work place, I do my job and I like to know I'm doing it well but I've never had designs to advance to the top of the career ladder. I'm most at home at a computer but I'm a creative soul and unless I started over and retrained to do something like web design I will be stuck behind a desk working for someone else for not great pay for the rest of my life, the reason? I just don't want it enough. For some it is all about the money, they will work 12 hours a day at the worst place ever if it pays well, I'd rather be broke and happy. I don't hate the job I have now, I actually used to quite like it but between the recent changes, increased stress levels and the amazing opportunities that I am being offered via blogging it's making less and less sense to stay. Potentially if I left I could earn more money doing something I truly enjoy from the comfort of my own home while being able to spend more time with my family so when tempers flare and things start to get shouty over at the office I wonder, what am I doing here? At the same time being home all day with the kids can leave you stir crazy.. I know that without my blog I couldn't be SAHM, I'd go mad with no adult interaction all day, at least via the internet I have 'friends' keeping me sane. I go to work for the money just like everyone else but I also go for the social aspect, I would miss the familiar faces, the banter and the company.. it adds structure to my week and without it I might not be the same person. Im might lose my drive and motivation.. I might just become a bore since I have no need to keep my witty conversation sharp if I'm alone all day. These are things I think of when I consider taking the leap in to full time blogging, that and of course the stigma. People seem to turn on bloggers who jack in their day jobs, I have lost count of the amount of comments I've had praising me for being a 'normal person' with a 'real job' - I've always liked that but what if I no longer have a 'real job'? Am I no longer relatable to my readership? Is their a chance that what I've given up that 'real job' for will dwindle and fade away because I actually needed it for my totally unrelated blog? Crazy but possible. As a blogger I look up to my peers who have been lucky enough to go it alone but I can see why there many be animosity from those reading posts on their commute from girls sitting home all day in their pyjamas, I'd be jealous too but I wouldn't begrudge them what they've built for themselves. It's 50% luck when it comes to online publication, obviously you have to have something people like but they have to find you in the first place and there's only so much you can do to help that happen. I've worked damned hard to get to the point I'm at now but now I'm finally here I'm not sure I can do it.. it's scary without the thought of alienating my audience so what that adds is just a lovely bonus. I'm not sure what this post is, just a rambly rant but I'm hoping one way or another over the next week or two I will come to a compromise in my work and home life that will give me a little more balance.

20/06 - See You At IMATS!

Yay!! It's finally here, in just two days time I will finally get to see what all the fuss is about! In my 3 years on YouTube I can't believe I've never been to IMATS but this Saturday I will be there with Laura and my friend Caz and we couldn't be more excited. We're set for a girly weekend in London with the big event on Saturday day, an evening event with Style Haul, a brunch with LaurenAliceMUA and Rebecca from BeBeautiful. I'm sure we will squeeze in a few cocktails and heck of a lot of shopping so don't forget to follow my vlog channel to see what we got up to but I will of course be posting bits and pieces here over the weekend. Once again.. excited!

20/06 - The Ultimate Breakfast Yoghurt

I warned on my vlogs and on twitter that I was going to blog about this yoghurt so superfans will have been expecting this post but those of you who pop in occasionally.. yes.. I'm talking about a yoghurt. I'm not usually a big fan of yoghurt, they're not very filling and I often feel hungrier after eating one that before so it's generally a bit meh for me but when I was doing my online shopping last week and searching for Granola these popped up. Thick, Creamy, Greek Style Vanilla Yoghurt topped with granola.. interesting! Here's my bug bear about granola.. you can't buy it plain from anywhere near me, look online at Asda, you can get in about a gazillion flavoured varieties but no plain old granola so I bought a couple of these to try and man oh man are they delicious. So delicious in fact that I went back and bought 8 more.. and Lee topped them up in the week too.. soooo good! They're just enough for me in the mornings to put me on til lunch and just so yummy I can't tell you. I'm sure they're jam packed with sugar and not remotely healthy or good for you but dya know what? I couldn't care less. I'm not a big sweet tooth but I'd take this over sweets and chocolates any day and I'm not the only one, I've already made so many people try them and am yet to find a disliker so you muct try these and they're currently on offer - 2 for £1!!

Buy here... do it now!!!

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with Asda but if they'd like to pay me to talk about these yoghurts I could retire in a month!

18/06 - Outfit Dilemma

I've mentioned multiple times this week already that I cant decide what to wear for IMATS at the weekend but you guys are basically a mass audience of friends to me. If I have a problem I ask for your advise (90% of vlogs I have some variety of problem) and you always come to my aid. I am torn between a jersey tshirt style dress and jeans and a vest. I would layer both with a cardigan at most, I think it will be warm and sticky, humid weather in London and I just do not want to be a sweaty mess. I'd definitely rather be cold than that so I'm thinking I will pack a pair of tights just in case and hope I don'y spill anything on my only dress as I will be taking no other clothing option - dangerous game!

17/06 - Shouting At Cows

Last year I discovered what could quite possibly be the funniest web blog of all web blogs. Shouting At Cows primarily focuses on taking the michael out of popular TV shows and it had me hooked from it's fantastic description of the #MIC cast. From the Exquisite Mark Francis to Rosie and her 'Wide Eyes Of Doom' it had me giggling through, reading aloud to my husband. The nicknames stuck in our household but I forgot all about the site until tonight when watching Made In Chelsea, it dawned on me that not everyone refers to them as Francis Boule CEO and Douchelord Spencer.. we got it from a website.. and I once again lost hours catching up with the recent musings. So so funny, I'm just majorly disappointed that they haven't spoken about MIC since series 2 :(

Read Shouting At Cows here but specifically the MIC thread here

If you're not convinced/need a little push check out this teaser (one of my fave paragraphs)

"So, remember Ollie with his make-up and his hair and his fake tan? And Gabriella and her needy desperation? Well, she’s taking him skiing for his birthday for some alone time. Naturally, he’s invited Binky and Cheshka but doesn’t tell Gabriella. It’s while they’re hanging out in a hot tub with Gabriella whining about how Ollie doesn’t treat her as his girlfriend and that she’s totes in love with him and she’s scared of skiing that they burst in much to Gabriella’s dismay. Ollie looks like he’s been saved from a fate worse than running out fake tan."

Brilliant!

16/06 - Fathers Day Snapshot

15/15 - On Top Of The World

I thought today I would share a song I've been enjoying lately.. For many reasons. I think I first heard it on The Amazing Burt Wonderstone (was that the name? I think we were the only people that actually liked that movie) then more recently it's been played almost constantly on a Disney jr. ad so it's been in my head a lot. I finally downloaded the full song last week and it's one of the most uplifting tunes in my library. Whenever I'm feeling less than 100% (generally at work or on my way there) I pop it on and feel instantly better. It's like an emotional face mask and my current favourite!

What's your 'make me happy' song?

14/06 - Hush Hush

So if you watch my vlogs you will know I've been having a pretty tough time of it with work lately and things kind of came to a head today. I don't want to say too much until I know what's what but I do know I will be have a lot more time to talk to you guys very soon. As soon as I can I will let you know and I'm sorry for doing the mysterious blogger thing but I share everything with you guys so it frustrates me not to just be able to sound off as soon as something happens. In this case it doesn't seem entirely appropriate until I'm back in to work on Tuesday but long story short, life is too short to be miserable and I'm hoping to be a whole lot happier now.

Khi

13/06 - A Parody.. of me

You maybe familiar with my friend and colleague Danielle but if you're not this will give you a good insight into our friendship. It was filmed months ago but she's finally uploaded it to her YouTube channel, a parody of me, very funny!

12/06 - Smile!

Had a bad day? Well I had the mother of all of them but dya know what? Smile.. Tomorrow's a new day and if it was really that bad it can only get better, right?

11/06 - A Step In The Right Direction

Tonight I tried a new version of the Birds Eye Rice Fusions I love so much, Tender green vegetable rice with a herb seasoning. I have no idea what the herb seasoning it's but it's EPIC!!! It was soooo buttery and just really tasty, the perfect accompaniment to my pork chop.. And a much better choice than the fries I'd normally have. Since cutting back on my exercise and becoming a bit lax (okay a lot lax) with my diet again my weight has risen and I need to take the hint and make some healthier choices with my meals. I went back to the gym today after a couple of weeks off and I do t know about you but the first day back always gives me fresh resolve. Tomorrow nights menu is a vegetable heavy beef stew... Must stay away from McDonald's at lunch!

10/06 - I Found NEMO!

There were so many other things I could have blogged about today but I'm watching the penultimate episode of Weeds and while looking up Shane Botwins age I discovered that this lil dude played NEMO!!! Freakin' Nemo people!!!! So yeah, I thought my fellow Weeds fans would appreciate that little tidbit

Also... I can't wait to see how this ends, there may have to be a follow up post tomorrow since it's the end if the road finale... Eek!

Miss BB

09/06 - Game Of Thrones.. Not For Me

I'm not sure quite what I was expecting from Game Of Thrones but a creepy decapitating dead girl in the opening scene wasn't it. They really do like to chop off heads, don't they? I'm not one for gore and guts at the best of times but that little supernatural element was too weird. I'm a bone fide scaredy cat and I just don't think it's for me.. But it's SOOO popular! I don't get it. I thought it was about monarchy, I knew there was some kind of love story and MissGlamorazzi promised HBO raunch but episode one was just not what I thought it would be. Oh wait we've got naked girls... Oh and there's another, what? Is that her brother fondling her? Why yes and he appears to be pimping her out to an army. Then a man pushes a boy out of a window cause he caught him screwing someone he shouldn't have been screwing. I was told to watch at least 2 episodes as the first is a bit all over the place trying to set the many scenes so I will give the second a go tomorrow but I'm not enjoying the general tone of the show so I'm not hopeful that episode 2 will convert me.. Honestly the whole children killing is pretty much a deal breaker and I'm informed this happens frequently.

Am I the only one who doesn't love this cult show?

08/06 - Urchin

I had to share this photo of my little urchin I took today. I was blogging and her was playing outside with Daddy (hence the dirty face) when he ran in to see me and I snapped this. I love those totally accidental pictures that I get of the kids that end up somehow so much better than the intentional ones. He looks like he's staring right through you.. creepy huh? But very cute.

PS.

He has a bruise or something on his lip, no idea how but to my knowledge he hadn't bee eating dirt (not to say that that's never happened - he is a boy)

07/06 - The Vlogging Camera

So I finally bought myself a vlogging camera.. My iPhone just wasn't cutting it anymore so I had to upgrade. I asked you guys (via missbudgetbeauty.co.uk) which of two cameras I should choose and the Panasonic received all the votes so.. That's what I have. The model is the Lumix FS45 and so far I'm really happy with it. The video quality is great and the photos are nice too, though that's a secondary feature for me as it's mainly going to be used for video. I keep saying I'm going to do a run down of all the cameras I've used for YouTube and blogging for those of you wanting to know so this might just push me to

06/06 - A Losing Battle

Last week I posted about how I'd fallen off the diet coke bandwagon and how I fully intended to jump right back on just as soon as.. Well I'm not sure but the intentions were good. Since then I've been exercising less and eating more since I'm having such a crappy time at work and totally lacking motivation and so I just don't feel like I can give it up. It's a crutch for sure and I'm sure it's only making my diet worse by encouraging my bad cravings but for now I've not so much lost my battle as decided never to attack

05/06 - Empire State Of Mind

Those of you who know me will know how indecisive I am, you'll also know that I'm a planner. I like to have a plan, not for my day to day life but for the future. I need to be working towards something, I couldn't just be "living". It's usually holidays I plan for as they're so fluid, you can constantly change your mind and research and it occupies my headspace when I'm stressed out and need to escape.. Holidays! So yesterday I posted about maybe taking a little euro break next month but having spent most if the evening in expedia I realised we were looking at 6 or 700 for a long weekend somewhere I'm thinking of going to last minute.. I don't want to spend that kind of money in an afterthought. So the cogs are turning and whenever I'm on expedia I always end up in NewYork. I've been twice before but the last time was 2010 and I am just desperate to go back so I'm thinking maybe save a little longer and we could go in January for our anniversary. It's freeze your bits off cold but also the cheapest time to go and I know what to expect since that's when we went last. It's still just an idea, Lee's a worrier when it comes to money where as I'm more of a "enjoy it while you have it kinda gal" - people get sick all the time and I know that's a strange way to look at things but I hate to wait for anything because you just don't know how long you have left. I would never have put off having kids, I have never been wary about throwing myself into a relationship and if I want to go on an awesome holiday with my husband and I can find the money the I think why the hell not? Life's too short to save for a rainy day!

That being said I think if Lee and I were both like that we'd be bankrupt.. You need balance ;)

04/06 - Leavin'.. On A Jet Plane

Okay so I'm actually not and its driving me nuts right now. Between the fact that everyone and their dog is going on holiday right now and work really getting on top of me I am pretty much desperate to get away. We're thinking of maybe a long weekend in Amsterdam or Paris next month (babysitter permitting) but who knows.. It's just really bugging me at the moment

Are any of you in the same boat and not going anywhere this year? Misery loves company

03/06 - Aitch NOT Haitch

This is probably my ultimate pet peeve. Growing up my mum was so hot on grammar and pronunciation and this is the absolute worst yet most common mistake. On top of my tyrannical mother, my Grandma was an English teacher so I couldn't get away with anything. I'm glad of it now if course because when necessary I know how to speak properly but it's made me less tolerant of others speech. I try not to pick people up on it but it's tough so I thought this little rant into the blogosphere might help quash the urge and hopefully even teach a few people that what is widely accepted as correct actually isn't at all.

What's your biggest pet peeve?

02/06 - The Original SATC?

I haven't seen The Golden Girls for about 15 years so I never saw the symmetry in the two shoes until TLC came to the UK and GG reruns entered my life. Blanche was always my favourite, the highly sexed older gal.. Sound like anyone? Samantha! Rose is a naive, unassuming thing who reminds me so much of Charlotte.. Sophia, been through the mill bitter of the bunch, Miranda and finally Dorothy is the Carrie, the glue that holds the gang together. I can't help but wonder if Darren Starr had just finished watching a Golden Girls marathon when he decided to adapt the book.. Just a theory

01/06 - Blog Lovin for iPad

Anyone else get this email? I did a little excited wiggle myself as Bloglovin is by far my favourite way to read my favourite blogs but on my ipad I've been forced to use the stretched iPhone app which just looked terrible so I'm very happy they've finally revamped the app for a larger screen. I realise as I write this that I've never really reviewed my little ipad mini (a Christmas gift) so I may do a little post on that soon. Lee has the larger (and much heavier) ipad 2 so I can even compare them but I will give you a spoiler now.. I prefer my little one! Anyway.. Off to browse this awesome new app.

If you want to follow my blog via blog lovin check out this link - http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/4082918/miss-budget-beauty