Veleza; The Go-To Beauty App!

Do you often seek advice on what beauty products to buy, have beauty products you just love to rant and rave about or just love all things beauty? Then Veleza is the perfect app for you!

A few months ago I was contacted by the community manager of Veleza telling me about a new app that is completely based on all things beauty and were looking for more bloggers to feature on it. Of course, me being a sucker for hints and tips I just had to sign up! Instantly I was obsessed. Once you sign up you answer a few questions on your skin type which is added to your profile which looks like this.

My blog is linked to my profile which only the owners can do currently if you have one you want to share. Here you have your own posts where you share your tips or a product you're loving for everyone else to see then people can "like" and "comment" very Facebook-esque. Then your Reviews, which when you add a new post {+ button} instead of clicking create a post click add product to shelf where you take a picture and then the system registers it for you to write your opinion on it. Perfect if you're someone like me who loves everyone knowing what you think!

A new feature was introduced the past few days which is earning gems for being active on Veleza so the more you post the more gems you get and the higher you rank! Just a cute added extra to motivate you to post.

What's really cute about the notifications section is you can see when people write a new post and review aswell as who liked yours and followed you. It's so much easier to catch up on as the Discover section doesn't have everyone's posts on there.

Here is where you can see other members posts! I've been inspired by so many of these and bought a ton of products others have tried and tested. The best thing about this is it's real people testing real products, no fake advertising, just pure love!

This section is where you can find products yourself based on what you want and are looking for. Most products on here are drugstore and affordable, even telling you the prices which is super handy!

Finally, my favourite bit of the app, the Discuss section! Here you can seek advice from your fellow app users for whatever you're after. It's like a beauty forum just ask a question then others comment suggesting the best products in their opinion. This is what makes Veleza a community app as a whole.

I hope you liked my little tour of the app and hopefully persuaded you to download this FREE app. Remember, blogger or not this is for everyone and I highly recommend it as everyone is so friendly and supportive on there and it's definitely something that is underrated and needs more exposure. Trust me it can be a lifesaver for your last minute beauty worries!

Here is the website link you can download the app straight from https://veleza.com/

Welcome to the community darlings!

Katie x

The £5 Bag

If you read my post The £1 Shoes, you already know what an eye for a bargain I have so I just have to tell you about this bag I recently purchased for £5. It's from the website http://everything5pounds.com which I would see advertised all over Facebook but obviously the fact every item on the website is £5 {hence the title} i was a bit skeptical. 

It wasn't until my sister purchased some clothing that I was pleasantly surprised. The material was good quality, the items were true to size and looked the same as the pictures so it encouraged me to buy a dress which is my favourite to date, so flattering and lovely. 

Then I saw this bag, I wanted a cross over body bag that could fit everything in but wasn't as big as my "suitcase" of a handbag and this seemed perfect. It was advertised in red but when I clicked on it the white took my eye. It's faux leather with a buckle fastening and a zip inside to keep everything in aswell as a zip on the back to fit even more in. I thought, eh why not it's only a fiver but it did seem too good to be true so there must be a catch right?

Wrong. This was exactly what I wanted and more, the structure is simple but so pretty and elegant, perfect for Spring and I don't know about you but it looks far more expensive than what I paid for it and I've already got so many compliments on it. 

The most important thing is everything I had in my massive handbag I can fit into this one but it's not making my arm go numb.

Once again, another successful bargain buy for a very satisfied Katie.

Keeeeep Shopping!

Katie x

Online Friends.

Hello m'loves.

So, this post today is something very close to my heart aswell as i'm sure thousands of you out there; Online Friends.

Who remembers when they were younger before "proper" social media was invented we were taught not to talk to strangers, not to speak to anyone you don't know online etc. (although i must admit the awful days of "chat rooms" there were a few, lets say "interesting" individuals you came across.) but like everything technology has evolved! Facebook was invented to reconnect with your friends and family but the Holy Grail that is Twitter was basically created to interact with people you didn't know.

Think about it, Celebrities and aspiring musicians/artists/actors etc use Twitter as their primary source of gaining new fans to grow their following and success. To be honest, it's quite impossible to even remember life before it. How did we find out the latest gossip so fast? What did we use to vent? How did we know about events etc? It's very scary how pretty much everyone on this planet relies on the internet nowadays. And of course, by following your favourite people you're going to interact with other new strangers who share your interest from all over the world. For something potentially so dangerous, it's actually pretty amazing. 

Over the years I have been lucky enough to find friends across the globe from when i was a fan of The Wanted {y'know the other boyband that wasn't One Direction .. Glad You Came?} well with their growing success came growing fans and I was in this little bubble with so many my age who wouldn't judge me unlike my "real life" friends and we would gossip, laugh, cry together until the early hours of the morning, gushing about our love. 

Honestly, when I first got Twitter I never expected to be able to grow such a deep connection with someone over a computer and I have had many friends that have come and gone but each time was truly special and if you had the opportunity to meet, it would be the most emotional time you could experience. Thanks to everyone I've met online, I've had the chance to travel some of England, Ireland and Wales. I've gained experience and memories so to those who frown upon it, those who constantly undermined me and judged me for liking "a poxy band" it was the best decision of my life.

And here I am today. I may not be crazy over a boyband anymore or in any kind of fandom but at almost 21, I'm still meeting and befriending people everyday. With different lifestyles, different backgrounds it's so fascinating to me and right now I have Dublin to look forward to where I will see Soph who I met in 2011, I'm going on adventures with Charlotte {who lives near me BUT WE MET ON TWITTER} and my two current closest friends Jay and Sam who I met online, and we are all uncomfortably close to the point we share everything. 

And even more exciting news; I GOT TO MEET JAY YESTERDAY.

 

Never underestimate the power of the internet.

My word of advice is; Speak to Strangers! (But obviously be aware of creepy people lurking around.)

Love you all lots!

P.s. My photoshop is back up and running so I'm playing around with header ideas for each post, what do you think?

Katie x

Day 15 of #Blogmas | Christmas Party Vibes With Boutique Of Molly

So it's Christmas Party season and no matter how many dresses you have in your wardrobe you always need one to suit the holiday so you don't understand my excitement when Boutique Of Molly contacted me to do a lil collaboration with them!

There were so many beautiful dresses and pieces it was so hard to decide but in the end I just went for the 'Georgia' Padded Sweetheart Dress. I must admit I was little worried incase it arrived and was way too short but I adore this piece SO much, it's so effortless to wear and the perfect length especially for this time of year. I figured it was a staple item to have in my wardrobe and perfect to dress up or dress down for a Christmas party or any occassion infact, completely versatile! It slips on with no zips or buttons and is made out of a stretchy material which hides all your lumps and bumps so you can snack on all the Christmas goodies all you want and still look sexy!

 

I teamed it with my Kelly Brook Fur Shoe Boots from New Look and added my Aspire Crescent Moon Pendant from Pluto's Ego to add some bling to a simple get up.

 

I'm a sucker for little online stores I find on Twitter but honestly I highly recommend this online boutique, it's only small but the quality is impeccable, sexy and affordable. I'll definitely be buying more things from there and I just know they're going to be a growing success.

Check out Boutique of Molly for yourself!
Website: http://www.boutiqueofmolly.com/
Twitter: @BoutiqueOfMolly
Facebook: Boutique Of Molly
Insta: BoutiqueOfMolly

Katie x

Day 3 of #Blogmas | Christmas Chocolate Explosion.

Hello, Hello, Hello.

Have you ever scrolled through Facebook and past the depressing statuses, spam pages that you don't remember following and the odd friendship tag you find absolute Food Porn??

Well this is what happened here and usually I think how on earth am I supposed to make that (??) but this is super easy and straight forward without the need of cooking or baking and I'm going to show you exactly how to make it.

Here's what you need:

1 x Terry's Chocolate Orange

2 x Malteasers Treat Bag 

1 x Milk Chocolate

1 x White Chocolate

Red and Green icing

Step 1: 

Unwrap your Terry's Chocolate Orange and rest it in a glass. This will keep it steady so it won't be rolling around all over the place.

Step 2:

Break off half of your milk chocolate into single squares and melt it either in the microwave or on the stove. This will be used as the glue to stick on your Malteasers to the Chocolate Orange.

Step 3:

Take one Malteaser at a time and dip it into the melted chocolate and carefully stick to the Chocolate Orange. Repeat this step until you cover the top half.

Step 4: 

If your Malteasers are being a nuisance and not staying in place, stick it in the fridge for 30 seconds. Once you have finished the top half pop it back in the fridge for a couple of minutes to allow the chocolate to harden slightly.

Step 5:

Take the chocolate back out and turn it upside down, rest it in the glass again and repeat Step 3 until your Orange is completely covered and it's looking something like this. (this is where I failed originally and had to run up the shop for more Malteasers!)

Step 6:

Pop it back in the fridge for it to set and start on your topping. This is where you can decide how much white chocolate you want on top. I personally melted half a bar but I think the whole bar might have been more effective in appearance but either way, melt your white chocolate exactly the same as you did the milk.

Step 7:

Once completely melted, take your chocolate orange malteaser ball out of the fridge and pour the white chocolate all over the top. Then leave it in the fridge for 5-10 minutes.

Step 8:

This is where you can get creative which is an area that I very much lack in, so this was my failed attempt at a holly. But you can do whatever you like but the red and green icing are a must, festive colours rule yaaay!

And that's it!! Easy as pie and choc-tastic! An amazing alternative if Christmas Pudding isn't your thing!

Happy making!

Katie x

Which Pill Would You Take?

It's midnight and I'm laid in bed doing my usual routine of scrolling through Social Media until I can't keep my eyes open whilst trying to put the world to rights in my head and it just so happens that I come across this.

Most of the time I just ignore these kind of things that come up on Facebook and this is the first and last time I will admit Facebook inspired a blogpost but this one actually made me stop and think for a minute. Imagine if you were given that decision; having the opportunity to go back and change your past or $10 million cash?

The quick and easy choice would obviously be take the money and run. Who cares about the past!? it's all about the future! YOLO! Then I actually thought properly about it.

The reason we are where we are today is because of the decisions we made in the past both good and bad, imagine having that opportunity to fix those regrets, mistakes, decisions to see if they really did impact your life. They say that the littlest things can make a person's day so what about the bigger things making someone's life?

Yes, a lot of issues and worries in my (and several other people's) life concern money but there are so many situations I wish I reacted differently to, things that I worry about in this very moment and to be honest, being able to fix that, to me, is worth alot more than $10 million.

It does make me wonder is money really does make us happy or if it's our mindsets and the way we live our lives that makes it all worth while.

Money runs out, but our lives last a hell of a lot longer, think wisely.

Which pill would you take?

{yes this is an insight to the daily debates that occur in Katie Pook's brain when she should be asleep!!}

Katie x