Chelsie Goodwin

Happy New Year!! I hope you had a good 2017 and are looking forward to the coming year.

I honestly can't believe that my last blog post was New Year's Day of 2017... That's shameful. I am sorry guys. But this year will be different!

Now that my apology is out of the way, let's get into it. 2017 seemed to fly by in an instant. I look back over what I did, and I feel like I achieved nothing. Fair enough I'd been working a full time job throughout the year, but it's no excuse for having accomplished nothing within a whole year. So this one is going to change.

No 'new year, new me' stuff, it really annoys me when people decide that for their New Years Resolution, they need to change who they are. It annoys me so much because I used to be like that. I would think to myself 'I need to lose this much weight...' or 'I have to do this or...' and to be honest, I don't think that ultimatums are the way to live your life. I'm simply going to have goals, that if I achieve them, I'll be happy, but if not, I can try again.

So, my 2018 goals are...

Appreciate Myself

I appreciate my family, where I live, the luxuries I have in my life and how lucky I am to be in my position. But I don't appreciate myself as a person. I never wake up in the morning and think 'Ooh, I love this about me today'. This goal is about waking up in the morning and thinking 'Yeah, let's wear some makeup' or 'This dress looks great'. Fair enough other people can tell you that you look amazing and fantastic, but you never truly believe it until you can say it yourself.

Worry Less
I am a keen worrier, I think I always have been. I've often been told that I have a pessimistic approach on life, to which I have responded with 'It's a realistic view'. To be honest, I'm not so sure. Every time the opportunity to worry arises, I'm there. I want to live life in the moment, not worry about the situation at hand.

Blog
Even if no-one is there to read it. I want to blog because I enjoy it. I like writing about things and reading about other people's experiences. I'm disappointed that I let it fizzle out last year, so I fully intend on keeping it up this year.

Like I said before, these are goals, things that I want to achieve, not change about myself.

Do you have any goals for the coming year? If so, let me know in the comments below! I'd love to hear about your opinion on New Year's Resolutions.

Chel x

Hello again lovelies! It's been a little while since I've posted, but it sure feels good to be back!

In the nicest way possible, I am so glad that 2016 is finally over. It didn't bring me much joy in the year, so I'm glad to finally be rid of it. I've kind of thought that I want this post to answer any questions you may have had. So here goes...

Where have I been?

I can't believe that my last post was in September! In all honesty, I needed to take a step back and figure out what I was doing with this blog. I didn't have many ideas for content, and it felt like a chore to upload photos of my ECLP every week. This blog is a hobby and as long as i'm writing it, I want to enjoy it. I feel like I have a fresher outlook on what my blog should be, what I will write about and hopefully this new found gusto will bring readers :)

What's this 'gusto' I'm talking about?

When I started this blog, I primarily wanted it to be a mixture of beauty, fashion, planning and advice.

I don't think that I had enough material to write about or enough know how to keep on top of my ideas. I need to update the way my blog looks, but the categories I will be writing about are beauty, lifestyle, planning and advice.

Do I have an upload schedule?

In all honesty, right now, no I don't. I'm starting this year with a clear head and a clear sense of what I want this to become. I will most likely begin with one blog post a week, then as I re-gain my confidence and topics I will be posting more and more.

Any New Years' Resolutions?
You know, every year I set myself 'resolutions' and I didn't even know what it meant. I've decided that 'goals' sounds more achievable. So my goals for 2017 are:

1. Spend more time on my blog.
2. Interact more with other bloggers, make friends in the blogging community.
3. Take each day as it comes. Don't expect too much of a situation but be grateful for anything that comes my way.
4. Take care of myself better. Whether that be eating better, exercising more, or putting more effort into my appearance.

With losing my Nanna and my beloved Syd (my pet cat who we had since he was a kitten), 2016 hit me hard. I felt lost during the year, being unemployed for the majority of the year and being quite financially unstable. It was only my family and close friends that I feel kept me within a gravitational pull.
The year ended better than I expected. I got a Christmas temp job which quickly accelerated into a permanent position. I'm so glad that I can finally say just how much I love my job.

2016 wasn't the finest year, but I have a feeling that 2017 is going to be better. I'm hoping for a year of health and happiness, for everyone, but especially my family.

Do you have any resolutions or goals that you want to achieve? Did you have any experiences in 2016 that you're dying to share? Let me know :)

For now,

Chels xx

Hey, you there! Wanna see my August favourites? Thought you did! :)

These are my generic faves over the past month, I know there's not a lot and it's varied, but stick in there :)

Sniper One by Sergeant Dan Mills

Believe it or not, I'm normally the type of girl who likes cheesy predictable romances, guy and girl fall in love and end up together at the end yadda yadda yadda. This book is the polar opposite, first of all, it's true and absolutely harrowing. It's written about our British Troops caught in a Seige in 2004 during the heat of the Iraq war. It's incredibly detailed and not for the weak stomached. I've got a new found respect for what our army men and women put themselves through to protect us or another nation. It's truly remarkable and as mentioned, if you can handle it I would really recommend it to you. It's easy enough to find on Amazon, either in kindle form or paperback.

Makeup Revolution Eyeshadow Palette 2016 Collection

This palette is legit my baby. I do have two smaller eyeshadow palettes (each has 12 shadows), one with the more neutral colours, and one with the more vibrant for when I travel because heck no am I bringing this with me anywhere I go.. It's actually massive. I got all three eyeshadow palettes in Makeup Revolution kits that were available around Christmas time last year so I'm not sure you'll be able to find this supersize one anywhere but Ebay.

This palette has 144 eyeshadows in it, and they are b-e-a-utiful (If you don't get this reference... Disappointment will be had). I have to admit, I've not been brave enough to try each of the vibrant colours. Though each of the shadows I've used has been nicely pigmented and great to blend. If you can find this anywhere, get your hands on it!

'In Bloom' Eau De Parfum
I quite like to use this perfume as my everyday scent, it's floral and a nice sweet scent. I find that it's not too strong, but lasts a while on the skin. I have the 30ml bottle which is only £8 and has actually lasted me the whole of Summer and part of Spring! I would definitely recommend this, but as it's now getting into Autumn/Winter you may want something a little warmer :)

'Define' Eau De Parfum

I've officially decided that this perfume is my evening fragrance (when I'm not wearing my Chloé Signature Eau De Toilette). I feel that it's a very mature and sophisticated perfume for any age. I only wear it in the evenings for parties or meals and I find that it's not too overpowering, especially when eating. I would genuinely recommend this for any time of the year.

Simple Kind To Skin Moisturising Facial Wash

I'm gonna start this bit out with a little story (true and totally relevant, trust me). So I have had very sensitive skin in the past, so I have to be careful with what I use to make sure that I don't go all red and tomato-ey.
So, back in high school, getting quite a lot of acne (as you do) I realised that I needed some kind of product to counteract this and help it. Now, I wasn't into the whole beauty and skincare regime so I picked something up that said 'spot...' and 'suitable for sensitive skin' and I was off.
It was not suitable for my skin... After a use or two, my face went red and blotchy, I basically looked like a tomato... I had to go outside to a pharmacy to get some help... I don't ever plan on leaving my house in that state ever again.

So since then I've been really careful with what I've used, mainly Simple and Garnier. I was quite hesitant to use this face wash as I'd tried the pump foaming wash earlier in the year and my skin felt as dry as the Sahara Desert.

But honestly, I think this is the best face wash I've ever used, even though It's soap free, it foams up nicely and leaves my skin feeling soft. I tend to use it every morning and just cleanse at night, but it is absolutely incredible! You can get it from Superdrug for under £2! Bargain!

Neutrogena Visibly Clear Stress Control Daily Scrub

Okay, bearing in mind the little story I told you about the sensitive skin mishap, I was definitely wary about trying this product. Somehow the words 'daily scrub' and 'sensitive' just don't seem to fit together.

Even though this is a daily scrub, I actually only use it 2-3 times per week as it's quite coarse. It leaves my skin feeling polished and dirt -free, but I can find it fairly abrasive at times. It's available at Superdrug if you want to give it a try.

In my opinion, this is a good face scrub, maybe it suits people who don't have sensitive skin, but I find it difficult to get a reasonably priced face scrub/exfoliator for sensitive skin. If you know of any I would love it if you could leave details in the comments below.

Apart from that I don't actually have a lot to say about this product :)

DUYFKEN 1606 by Trevor Goodwin

Okay, so I've saved the best till last. This is a painting that my pops (grandfather) painted for me. He currently lives in Australia, where he's lived his whole life haha, so yes, I am half-Australian!

This painting was sent to us from him and has been stretched over a canvas and hung above my bed. I think it is absolutely incredible, the detail is amazing, though he does have a knack for painting seascapes and underwater scenes. This painting is priceless and the only one of its' kind.

I feel proud to be part of such a creative family, never take creativeness for granted.

So there they are, all of my favourites from last month... Finally! Eight days late but I hope it was worth it! If you have any suggestions leave them in the comments below.

Thanks for reading,

Chels xx