October has been a bit of a strange month for me. Not only has it whizzed past like crazy, but I was down with the usual cold and flu symptoms at the beginning of the month. I’m normally one to bounce back quite quickly, but an annoying and lingering dry cough is still with me.
I originally thought I wouldn’t have much to talk about this month, but when you actually take stock there are always things you’ve achieved and enjoyed. That’s what the Dream. Do. Enjoy. Share. workshop over at Kikki.K taught me. I am a huge fan of this brand and I love not only their stationery, but also their philosophy, so attending this workshop was a great deal of fun and I got to take home some goodies too!
I’m a massive dreamer so to know that it’s absolutely necessary to dream big is like music to my ears. Of course it all needs to be backed up with a plan and SMART goals that will help you get there. For those of you that don’t know, SMART goals are goals that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely. So, for example, one of my goals is to get to 1000 Instagram followers by the end of 2017. The optimist in me has to believe this is possible even if growing an Instagram following right now is like fighting tooth and nail. We also touched on what makes us happy, the importance of gratitude and what our perfect morning would be like, as well as the importance of journalling and sharing our successes, however big or small they may be.
Linked with my dream, I’ve been working on my Etsy shop, Frankly Photos, throughout the month. I hope to open up my styled stock photography business very soon and will share more details on my blog in due course. In summary, Frankly Photos will sell my trademark styled photos which can be used by bloggers and business owners for their website, newsletters, social media and more. I have my first batch of stock ready and now it’s just a case of sorting out the finer details so do stay tuned for this.
So, on to more beauty related things and this month has been all about muted blushers for me. This Burberry Light Glow Natural Blush in Cameo is perfect as it’s a plummy pink, adding just the right amount of warmth without being too candy-like. It’s a great one for autumn and winter so this is one I have within easy reach.
I’m also loving this Nars Lip Liner in Waimea. It’s a nude, pinky peach and the perfect my lips but better shade. In fact, I’ve been using this so much that all the lettering has rubbed off!
Another makeup favourite is this Cover FX Mattifying Setting Spray. I’ve never been one to go for setting sprays in the past, worried that they’ll interfere with all that hard work. This has me converted though and even though it’s a mattifying spray, it sets my makeup whilst still maintaining the glow of my foundation and highlighter. I really love the finish it gives and mostly use this for special occasions or nights out as on a day-to-day basis I don’t find this necessary to use.
On the hair front, I recently changed up my hair volumiser only to find that it just didn’t have the same effect as the Aveda Hair Volumizing Tonic. I spoke about this in my Aveda Hair Haul here and it really is all I need to add natural volume in the hair that lasts without making it feel rough or dry.
The New Look Dusk Body Lotion was actually bought because I was looking for a purple beauty prop and at £2 I thought it was a bargain for what I anticipated was just going to sit in my props stash. But since the bottle is opaque, I figured I might as well give it a try and unexpectedly, I really like this. I don’t use it on the body, but on my hands it works remarkably well and the scent has a subtle amber and musk type vibe to it. I wouldn’t go all out and say it’s the best thing ever, but for the price and that I can add it to my purple prop stash (yes, I have to think of these things now), it’s pretty cool.
Lastly, my pride of place this month is another new photo board. I actually got this Provence Wood Effect Photo Board for my birthday but what with being ill and focusing on the business, I just haven’t been up to date with my blog photo library. Compared to previous months where I was very much ahead with my blog photos, I’m now considerably behind. Hopefully that should improve.
It helped that I won customer of the month for October over at Photoboards HQ though. And now I get to spend £50 on even more photo boards! Ideal for both the blog and the business I say!
So that’s another month done and dusted. I’m looking forward to November already. What about you? What have you been up to and loving in October? x
