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

Album Review; Mikey Bromley - This One's For You

Now if you know me, follow me on Twitter or anything like that you should know I support artists that are just coming out of their creative shells rather than the likes of Justin Bieber and One Direction {who are still both amazing and I sing their songs 24/7} but also this is why it's tricky for me to be like "I'm a fan" because I don't feel like a fan of them, I was a fan of The Wanted, a fan of Little Mix but this to me is different and less cringy so I stick to the word "support". 

Anyway also if you have followed me for some time you will know I stuck by a little band called Only The Young, prior, during and after their X Factor experience {they came 7th in 2014} but they have since called it a day and this is where this guy comes into equation; Mikey Bromley.

The 21 year old from Carlisle is heavily influenced by the likes of Mcfly {Tom Fletcher especially} Jason Mraz, James Bay, Joe Brooks {where he has even covered his song Superman to be a part of album} and so many other guitar-based artists which really reflects through his album; This One's For You. 

There are 9 tracks; Miss J, Safe & Sound, Next Stop The Universe, Snake In A Mercedes, Run Away, Coca Cola, Laugh Smile Kiss, Girl On Girl and Superman.

Whilst they all stick with the same genre and guitar, each one has their own uniqueness to tell them apart, not to mention the smart yet simplistic lyrics which is key if you want your audience to be singing Miss J through an 8 hour shift! {thanks Bromley!}

As soon as you press play you go on his emotional journey from an encounter with a teacher to falling in love with a lesbian {i know ..?} but strangely the set list does tie in quite nicely together to make an easy-listening, chill album that you can either stick your earphones in and blast out or have it on in the background whilst doing housework. {this is from experience I have been known to dance around with the Hoover} 

The one thing I love the most about this, is he's finally 100% himself and comfortable in what he is doing and it really shows, I actually saw him on Wednesday and he's never looked so relaxed and happy. I'm so proud of him.

So if any of what I have said appeals to you then This One's For You! {I'm sorry I couldn't resist}

It is available to download NOW on Spotify and iTunes or if you pop into your local HMV you will be sure to find it if albums are more your thing. Help this lad out to get the recognition he deserves. 

Love you all,

Katie x

21st Birthweek | My Trip To Dublin

Hello my loves,

So as you may or may not have known, I turned 21 on Wednesday (3rd Feb) and to celebrate I went to Dublin for 4 days as part of my birthweek, and let me tell you now, it is the most beautiful, relaxed city I have ever been to. I took quite a few pictures so I thought it would be nice to share with you what I got up to whilst I was there and maybe even give you a few ideas if you ever decide to go.

Day 1:

Our journey began very early on Monday morning so we could travel to Bristol Airport and everything ran smoothly and we got there with plenty time to spare. Little did we know we spoke too soon. Basically because our good friend Hurricane Henry was in the midst of blowing all over Dublin our flight was delayed. What a nightmare, I just wanted to get there. BUT he must have known it was my birthday as we were only delayed by half a hour. FINALLY WE'RE IN DUBLIN. Yeah .. that was short-lived excitement when we got lost and ended up roaming the streets of Dublin trying to find our back alley hotel! It doesn't help being in a different country with no data so we had to find Wifi to figure out exactly where we were every 10 minutes. But eventually after 12 hours of travelling we were in our hotel finally able to relax. Just down the road we had a giant Spar shop, which to be honest I don't really rate in the UK but it seems Dublin corner shops are slightly different. They serve hot food, have seats to eat in, they have a deli counter and a coffee shop as well as convenience items, this was our go-to place all week! Amazing.

Day 2:

Our first full day in Dublin, we planned to go to on a City Tour of Dublin but first of course, food! In our trusty Spar shop we purchased a breakfast roll, something the Irish highly recommend. It's basically boiled egg, hashbrown, sausage, black/white pudding, bacon and whatever else you might want to add and it's just 3 Euro! Bargain and it filled us up most of the day! We then went onto O'Connell Street to find the City Tour bus. There are 3 Hop On-Hop Off buses to choose from; Red, Green and Yellow. Some can be pricey but the Yellow bus CityScape is currently on offer for 10 Euro each for a 2 hour and 35 minute tour and I highly recommend it!! The journey is enjoyable and the commentator is warm and friendly and very Irish, and luckily the sun decided to make an appearance along the way! Also with a CityScape ticket you can get discount off other attractions including the Guinness Storehouse and you also get offers such as 2 for 1 Meals and a free glass of Guinness in a pub.

Guinness StoreHouse

Dublin's smallest pub. Capacity: 25 

Oscar Wilde statue

Ha'penney Bridge

Kilmainham Jail

The Spire or "Stiffy By The Liffey"

Aviva Stadium

Also, we came across the amusing trend of heels on electrical wires!

The city is surrounded by beautiful Georgian buildings and parks it is definitely worth a tour to see everything!

We ended the day with some Retail Therapy and a few drinks to bring in my birthday!

Day 3:

It's our last day in Dublin, (boohoo!!) but it's my birthday, 21 to be exact yaaaay! Yesterday we were informed that every first Wednesday of each month access to Dublin Castle and Kilmainham Jail is completely free saving at least 20 Euro so it is well worth knowing about so obviously today we took advantage of it and went to Dublin Castle which was right down the road from us. I recommend having a Guided Tour as apposed to a Self-Guided because you also get access to the remains of the Gun Powder Tower, the Records Tower and the chapel which is pretty amazing to see. Then you see the inside of the castle with the multiple rooms, absolutely majestic.

We then came back to my hotel and there was a bottle of Presecco delivered to my room, how cute of them! But we decided to save it until after we went to dinner with my two Irish friends Soph and Megan who I haven't seen in almost 5 years. It was so lovely to have a catch-up and eat Eddie Rockets (Irish version of Ed's Easy Diner) and boy it was goooood! Then we went for a wander to Grafton Street and Stephen's Green Shopping Centre which looks incredible.

I can't do a post without mentioning Twitter so I'd like to thank everyone for their birthday messages and my favourite part is the balloons that come up on my profile, so adorable!

And that's about it. I know this is a bit lengthy so thank you for sticking through this post, and thank you for taking the time to read all my posts. So happy. Here's to the rest of my 2016!! 

Love you lots

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