The 1989 tag

It's safe to say I'm a massive Taylor Swift fan. She's relatable, her music is mindblowing, and she's the perfect inspiration to many. When I saw this tag I knew it was one I had to take part in myself as 1989 has quickly become one of my all-time favourite records. I also must apologise for the format of this post as I'm writing it on my iPad - Blogger, please enhance your app. 

1. WELCOME TO NEW YORK 

If you could live in any city, which would it be and why? 

At the minute I'm very happy living in Nottingham, although I'd like to eventually move to the city centre, instead of living in the outskirts. It's always been a dream of mine to live in London, but as I've grown older I've realised that it'll never be possible. It's very expensive, and moving there would probably ruin the magic of the city for me. Visiting makes me happy, but I can imagine moving there would be a nightmare. 

2. BLANK SPACE 

What is something that everyone thinks is true about you but is actually false? 

Probably that I'm either boring or stuck up. I'm a shy person, and unless someone speaks to me the chances of me talking to them first is very slim (unless it's a part of my job, of course). I think this gives off the wrong impression of me, but it takes me a while to fully trust and open up to someone. 3. STYLE What is one item in your closet that makes you feel unstoppable? I love fit and flare dresses as they complement my figure. I'm definitely a dress girl 

4. OUT OF THE WOODS 

What is one thing that you’re afraid of? 

I'm scared of a number of things. Spiders is quite a big one. My dad's old house was full of gigantic ones, and I'd always cry and shake if I saw one. I'm also scared of getting ill, unfamiliar places, the dark, death, people... Oh every bloody thing! I'm a wimp. 

5. ALL YOU HAD TO DO WAS STAY 

Who is someone you wish was still in your life? 

A couple of years ago I realised that people don't stick around forever. Your best friends who you once thought were everything to you will possibly end up leaving. But as time goes on you realise that those who have stayed have remained for a reason. Right now I'm lucky to be surrounded by so many incredible people. I have two close friends, and I'd rather have those two, who I know I can rely on for absolutely anything, than lots of random people who are never there for me. We don't see each other as often as we'd all like, but it know they're always only a phone call or text away. 

6. SHAKE IT OFF 

What is something you have had to shake off? 

Self depreciation. I'm my own worst critic, and although over time it's got me to where I am now, I've had to realise that I am good enough. When I first started working as a real journalist I found it hard to believe in myself. It took me a good few months before I realised I was there for a reason, and that I was actually decent. Now I'm much more confident in my abilities and I think it shows. It also helps that I'm in an office full of bright sparks! 

7. I WISH YOU WOULD 

What is something you’d like to happen right now? 

I'm currently on a mission to lose weight. I'm the biggest I've ever been so I've gone back to using the Weightwatchers plan. I understand it isn't a lifestyle change, but for me it does work as it makes understanding calories and nutritional information much easier. Hopefully I'll drop a couple of dress sizes and start to feel confident again. 

8. BAD BLOOD 

Have you ever had someone stab you in the back? 

In terms of the song Bad Blood, I always associate it with my ex. He stabbed me in the back in ways I didn't think were possible. I think he meant it in a harmless way, and I don't think he was being malicious at all. Maybe he didn't understand the extent of his actions, but it's something I'll never forgive or forget. 

9. WILDEST DREAMS 

What would you like to be remembered for? 

Being nice. I think it's a trait that's often looked down on. You only have to look at Taylor Swift for this. She's genuinely a nice person, and in this day and age people can't understand that. They think she's manipulative. People don't seem to trust people who are nice which I think is ridiculous. There's nothing wrong with putting other people before yourself and being a caring, loyal human being. 

10. HOW YOU GET THE GIRL 

What is your favourite pick-up line? 

I love so many of them. I don't use any, and I hope no one uses them on me, but I find them hilarious. 

11. THIS LOVE 

What is something you got back that you never thought you would? 

Happiness. For the first time in a long time I'm very content with where I am, and who I am. I used to think happiness was a destination and when you reached it, it'd remain forever. I now know that isn't true, but I've realised when you're going through a rough patch that it's a part of life, and I've come to appreciate that too. 

12. I KNOW PLACES 

Where is one place you always feel safe? 

When I'm with my friends, when I'm with my family, and when I'm working. I don't have a safe place, it's people who make me feel safe. 

13. CLEAN 

What is an important lesson you have learned in life, and how did you learn it? 

I think I answered that in question 11. Life isn't easy, and you have to take the good with the bad. I've definitely grown up a lot in the past few months. This year has been a strange one but I've learnt an awful lot and I'm incredibly grateful for all the crap I went through with my ex. He taught me that no guy is worth crying over. Trust me, there's plenty more of them out there. It'd be silly if we stuck with one who wasn't good enough for us our entire life. 

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BEST OF 2013 | Hair, body, face, fragrance

The past year has been the year that I really got into beauty, I believe. It's something I've always loved and been interested in but 2013 was the year I gained a lot of knowledge on the subject, branched out into more brands and found some products that I know I'm going to be loving for life. The following products are my favourite hair, body, face and fragrance ones of this year. And in the next couple of days, I'll be letting you into my favourite make up items.

Face

The La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo - £13.00 (review) is a serum that I still constantly use. It sent the blogosphere into a frenzy this year and for good reason too - keeping spots at bay is its forte. The blogging world went acid crazy and my favourite acid was without a doubt the Nip + Fab Glycolic Fix Exfoliating Facial Pads - £12.99 (review). Not only are they easy to use but they remove dead skin cells and leave the skin looking glowing and feeling incredibly soft. A must have in my skin care routine. The Epiduo (prescription only) also changed my life. I'm now spot free the majority of the time which is fabulous. And finally, my favourite product of this year is the Super Facialist Vitamin C+ Skin Renew Cleansing Oil - £10.99 (review). It's a bargain, removes make up instantly, smells like oranges and brightens the complexion. I can't rave about this enough and I'm already on my third bottle.

Hair

This year I've been crazy over hair and the TIGI Reparative Nocturnal Therapy* - £26.95 (review) makes looking after your locks easy. Simply spread over the hair at night, wash off in the morning and you're left with beautifully soft, strong hair. I've also been addicted to oils (mainly Moroccanoil but sadly I've ran out) and the L'Oreal Elvive Extraordinary Oil - £9.99 is a recent favourite. Much cheaper than the premium brands, this oil does exactly the same thing.

Body

I first tried the Jergens Original Beauty Lotion* - £3.49 (review) ages ago and it's still a staple in my collection today. It's extremely nourishing without being heavy and the scent (cherry almonds) is to die for. Fake Bake's 60 Minute Tan* - £24.95 (review) changed fake tanning forever. In just one hour you can be left with a natural looking, streak free tan that looks like you've been jetsetting all over the world. I'm addicted to this stuff and it's perfect for those last minute nights out.

Fragrance

This year I rediscovered an old favourite. My all-time favourite perfume, Britney Spears Believe Eau de Parfum - £10.15 (review). This smells extremely beautiful - very grown up yet still young and with that classic celebrity fragrance behind it. Sadly, it doesn't receive much attention, but if you ever spy it, have a whiff. You'll end up addicted. This was also the year I fell deeply in love with the Taylor Swift Wonderstruck Eau de Parfum - £19.00 (review). The only way I can describe this scent is "me." And the bottle is to die for too.

What have been your favourite products this year?
*PR Sample

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Boots offers of the week

Christmas is well and truly round the corner and after a few weeks of wonderful Boots Star Gifts, I was even more excited about this week's offering. If you know me well then you'll know that SEVENTEEN is my favourite drugstore brand, Britney Spears is my favourite person in the world and Taylor Swift makes my favourite fragrances. So for these reasons alone, I'm extremely excited about this week.

The SEVENTEEN Complete Collection is just £17 (was £35) this week. It comes with 12 eyeshadows, 5 lip glosses, a blusher, a bronzer, a limited edition Metallic Eye Cream, a limited edition Gel Eyeliner, a limited edition Black Mascara, black and coffee eye pencils, the Photo Flawless Primer, 5 make up brushes, a pencil sharpener and an eyelash curler. Phew. I had this collection for Christmas last year and I absolutely loved it. It's definitely one that I'll be picking up again this year as it's a beautiful collection.

The Taylor Swift Enchanted Wonderstruck Eau De Parfum 50ml with top notes of wild berries and passionfruit can be yours for just £14 (was £28). I have the original Taylor Swift fragrance and I've been lusting after this one since its release date. I've already had my mother on the phone telling her that I need this. The Britney Spears Fantasy Eau de Parfum 50ml with a mix of lush red lychee, golden quince and exotic kiwi can be yours for just £12.50 (was £25.53). As a huge Britney fan, I of course have to mention her whenever I can. Fantasy is the best selling celebrity fragrance ever and with it's beautiful, girly smell, I can definitely see why. For £12.50, you're getting yourself an absolute bargain. 

All are on special offer from today until the 24th of October, whilst stocks last. You can find them in Boots stores or online.

Will you be fetching any of these incredible offers? Have you tried Britney's and Taylor's fragrances before?

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FAVOURITE: Perfumes

One thing that I've been loving a lot recently is perfume and fragrance. It's not something that I've always been that interested in. I have a few perfumes and I wear them everyday but I find myself constantly on the lookout for new smells that I can fall in love with. This past month, I've fell in love with a new fragrance and rediscovered an old favourite of mine thanks to Christmas and my birthday...

First of all is Taylor Swift's Wonderstruck perfume. I've loved this perfume for a long time now, since its release, but I'd never actually owned it. For my birthday however, my sister bought it for me as quite frankly, it's all I go on about. This perfume is so beautiful. It is described as being a "charming and sparkling surprise of vibrant fruits, kissed by a bouquet of soft petals and a touch of sweet indulgence." The notes of the fragrance include freesia, apple blossom, raspberry, vanilla, honeysuckle, white hibiscus, golden amber, sandalwood and peach. The price of the perfume starts at just £20 for a 30ml bottle and you find buy it/find out more information about it here. Boots also currently have the Christmas giftset on offer for just £10 and this includes the 30ml bottle, a smaller 5ml bottle and a body lotion which is an absolute bargain. They don't have any instock online but I found one in my local Boots store the other day so it's worth keeping an eye out for them. Secondly, Britney Spears' Believe perfume. I've owned this perfume before, a long time ago, possibly when it first was released and it's always been my favourite Britney Spears scent. It's like nothing I've ever smelt before and I've truly missed owning a bottle that contains the scent inside (as a Britney fan I keep the bottles even when they're finished). Luckily for me, my dad bought it me for Christmas and I literally can't stop spraying/smelling it. This scent is described as being a "sparkling blend of exotic fruits, soft florals and seductive amber." The notes include guava pulp, golden tangerine, honeysuckle, linden blossom, patchouli, sensual amber and pink pralines. It's a really warm, grown up smell but it still has that classic Britney Spears smell behind it. Unfortunately, this fragrance seems to get left behind in a world that adores Fantasy and Curious, possibly because it was released in 2007 which of course, was a time when she was receiving a lot of negative publicity. But if you do ever spot this fragrance, smell it. You won't be disappointed. The price of this fragrance starts as just £19.55 for a 30ml bottle and you find out more information/buy it here.

Also on a side note, I received a limited edition Britney perfume for Christmas off of my mum (I now only need one more limited edition Britney perfume for my collection to be complete) so I will be updating my Britney Spears perfume collection soon. So if you're interested in her perfumes, keep an eye out for that!

Another thing to note about these perfumes is that they're both EDP which means that they're more concentrated than EDT perfumes so you don't need a lot of the fragrance itself. This means that they're great value for money and they last a long time on the skin so you don't need to keep topping them up throughout the day. 

What are your favourite perfumes?

xxx