Top 10: Films to watch on valentines day

Having a lazy day in on valentines day? I decidecd to create a list of amazing romance films that are perfect for your Febuary the 14th, whether its oh so alone with your bottle of Echo Falls or whether you're cuddled up on the sofa with your other half and a bottle of prosecco there has to be AT LEAST one film in this list you will want to watch!

Classic stories

1) Pride and Prejudice (2005)

In my opinion every girl should have seen this film at least once by the time they are 18 years old. Such a beautiful story with up's and down's dotted throughout, I wouldn't call it a rollercoaster; bungee jump more-like!. no matter what kind of person you are there is a character you can relate to, whether that's one of the sisters or Mrs Bingley or maybe even Mr Collins. Such a heartwarming film and one of my all time favourites!

2) Romeo and Juliet (1996)
This is a classic romance if ever I saw one. Despite the fact that it is one of Shakespeare most well known and loved romantic tragedies, I love it because LEONARDO DICAPRIO IS IN IT DUH. Other than the classic plot, stunning actors and amazing cinematography the soundtrack is also beautiful; from Des'ree to The Cardigans, even a bit of The Butthole Surfers if you fancy it! (I'm being serious, it's a legit band. Check 'em out.)



Musicals
3) Moulin Rouge (2001)
Alcohol, The Can Can, giant elephants and prostitutes! What more could you want in a musical. Filled with amazing songs such as Like a Virgin and Roxanne there is at least one song to suit your fancy. But the soundtrack shouldn't be the only reason you watch this film! Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor make a great pair and it is soooo worth watching their performance in this amazing musical.



4) My Fair Lady (1964)
You can't get more classically romantic than Audrey Hepburn, a stunning lady with an even more enchanting performance on screen. An unlikely romance developed between a professor and a commoner, how scandalous! Everything about this musical is beautiful, the costumes, the musical numbers and the use of the English language.
5) Grease (1978)
Everyone has seen it and everyone wants an excuse to watch it again, so valentines day can be it! Olivia Newton John and John Travolta are stepping it up a notch when it comes to romantic gestures. I mean who doesn't want to sing about love into a blow up paddling pool.




6)Mamma Mia! (2008)
Love ABBA? Then shove this on and curl up on the sofa with a bowl of popcorn, or your valentine (or maybe even both if you're one of the lucky ones!) and chill out. There are sooooo many different love stories going on in this film and my god it's amazing.

80's films
7) 16 Candles (1984)
A John Hughes film, of course, starring Molly Ringwald DUH. If you're not an 80's fan then you should be; this film is on of my all time favourite films ever! The school's indie loner girl crushes on one of the popular guys who is already kinda seeing someone. Disaster waiting to happen right? Give it a watch and drool over Jake Ryan the jock, I dare you.



8) Some Kind Of Wonderful (1987)
I can guarantee that at least one in three of the people reading this has fell for their best friend at one point or another. Every time I watch this film I can relate to Watts so much, she is such an odd character but you really do feel for her. Will Keith (her best friend) end up with the most popular girl in school or the person that has been in front of him and there for him since they were little, that is the question.


Comedy
9) Bridget Jones' Diary (2001)
To be quite frank, I think the opening sequence of this film really sums it up perfectly. Seriously worth the watch, even if it is just for Hugh Grant!



10) The Princess Bride (1987)
As you wish. Hands down my favourite film ever (tied with Sweeney Todd of course) every time I watch it I cry and laugh, not even that sure why if I'm honest. If you don't fall in love with Westley by the end of the film you're either an idiot or heartless. Such an amazing 80's film and perfect to have a good laugh and a good cry to, so romantic and sweet, perfect to watch on Valentines day! It's so lame its great, just trust me on this one.

Have I missed anything off? Leave it in the comments!

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Thank you for reading,

Mandy x

Becoming a blogger: #2 Being successful on Social media, the ins and outs

No word of a lie, if you want to make it in the blogging world in any way shape of form then social media is literally THE most effective tool you can use. Being able to share any post, idea, question and poll instantly to thousands upon thousands of people and content consumers is massively handy, especially when you're only just starting out.

Over 90% of young adults use social media and 35% of older people use it! I mean even though your Auntie Sue only goes on to comment on your profile picture with the usual "How are you hunny, you coming over for the family meal on saturday?xxc"they still count as social media users, and if they open your post then hey! there goes another page view.

This post will cover how to use social media efficiently allowing you to get your blog out there and get the pageviews increasing with every post!

1) Use it.
There are countless bloggers who set up social media accounts and use them for about 3 days before they get bored and just stick to using Facebook. There is no point in creating social media accounts on tonnes of different platforms if you're only going to be active on one. The key to getting interaction is creating content and staying active!


2) Finding the right platforms for you
There are literally hundreds of different social media platforms out there. It can be quite baffling but you just need to finds the one that YOU like, and YOU want to use. There are different social media platforms for pretty much every type of hobby there is! If you like photography why not get tumblr, Instagram and things like that? Fan of music? Soundcloud, 8tracks and things like that might be more to your taste. But I would also recommend using the mainstream and generic social media platforms like twitter and Facebook because they are perfect for sharing pretty much anything!


3) Scheduling
Scheduling social media posts can really be a life saver. If you know you're going to be bust at a particular time then being able to post without actually posting can be a godsend! I tend to write a load of tweets/ posts in bulk and schedule them for when I want them to go up. Best thing is you can do it for pretty much all social media platforms now, you can download apps for your phone or chrome extensions, or you could just use a website! 


4) Interaction
If you expect people to interact with you on social media then you had best be up for interacting with them too. There is nothing worse than someone taking time out of their day to interact with you because they like your content and then not once ever getting a reply out of the countless times they have tried to get in touch. If you wan't people to look at your blog then why not look at theirs, leave a relevant and sincere  comment on a post that you like and then at the bottom add a link to your blog! A reply to a blogpost tweet with a nice comment and a link to your blog never goes a miss either so why not give it a go.


5) Use sharing accounts
There are loads of different sharing accounts on every different social media platform, these are basically accounts that if you tag them in a tweet or a post they will share it n their account so that all of  their followers will see it. Seriously handy if your following isn't huge and you're just starting out.


6) Use tags efficiently
Pretty much every single social media platform out there in the mass of words that is the world wide web, uses tags to make sure that searching for things out actually want is easy and efficient. We all know how annoying it is to search a tag on Instagram or Twitter and the post is completely irrelevant in every way shape and form? If you're going to use tags make sure that they are relevant to whatever you're tagging, it makes the people that see your post actually want to read it and interact!


7) There's no harm in self promotion
You will never get anywhere if you're not willing to promote yourself, I mean come on, let's be serious, no one else is going to do it for you. Especially when you're starting out. One thing I will say is that not every post on your social media accounts should be a promotion, people really dislike it if you're spamming them with tweets telling you to read this or do this and you never post anything else. Mix it up a little!


8) Get involved with the community
The blogging community on social media is ever growing and oh so kind, and I'm not just saying that. Our little community isn't so little (it's pretty darn huge actually). There are thousands of us dotted over different platforms so no matter what you choose to use there will always be people to get involved with and chat to! There are tonnes of twitter chats daily/ weekly for different types of bloggers to get involved in! Have a root around and I'm sure you will find one to suit you! The more you get involved with the community the more your blog will grow, I can tell you that right now. Honestly.


9) It is okay to take a break
Everyone likes taking a break from social media every once in a while, especially if you spend loads of time on it, and as a blogger, believe me, you do. It can get tedious and boring sitting behind a screen constantly and it is nice to get out and about and not be constantly on your phone, tablet and laptop. Even though social media is amazing and a great tool you shouldn't forget to actually go out there and live life! Go for walks and grab a coffee (without instagramming it) I dare you. If you do want to take a break but you're frightened of people losing interest because of inactivity then just schedule a few posts for however long you want the break for!


10) Don't listen to negative nancy's 
There are always going to be people who have something to say about every little thing you do, including what you do on social media. But let's be serious if they are literally just talking about what you do online and being super negative then it say's more about them than you. It is also most probably because of jealousy, you do you Boo. The opinions of others really don't matter if you're having fun and doing what you want!

Do you have any social media tips for bloggers? leave it in the comments!

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Thank you for reading,

Mandy x

10 things: 10 things you didn't know about me

I know I have had this blog for a fairly long time now but over the past few months my following has increased considerably and my views on each blog post keep crawling up so I thought, you know what- why not let people know a bit more about me, I mean you guys know a bit, but there is a heck of a lot more you don't know!

1. I am one of the messiest people you will ever know.
No matter how organised I try to be, everything always turns out being a tip, a lot of people say this is just a creative mind, and I can see where hey are coming from, the only time my things are ever neat and tidy is when I'm bored or when I have huge clear outs. (I'm working on this one)

2. I can not hack the sight of my own blood.
If someone else has hurt themselves I am one of the first people to say "oh do you need some help with that?" and I run and grab a plaster or get antiseptic wipes to clean where they have hurt. I have many a tale about being out with people and one way or another they have managed to hurt themselves (a lot of the time whilst being utterly hammered). However as soon as it comes to my own blood I freak out, not sure why, I just do.

3. I have never left the UK.
As of yet I have never gone any further than the Isle Of  Man, and that's not a particularity exotic place to travel to if I'm honest. In my 18 and a half years on this earth I have never left the country, however this will be changing soon enough when I travel to Benalmadena in Spain. Words can not describe how happy I am and I can not wait to jet off, I splurged yesterday on two brand new bikinis simply with the excuse of "oh I'm going away so I NEED new swimwear, duh."

4. No matter how hard I try I can not write a Journal for the life of me.
If you couldn't tell by number 1, I am not the most organised of people. I try to be, my god do I try! But it just never seems to work out. Every time I have tried to write a journal the first 2/3 days has gone fab and then all of a sudden it goes down hill, I forget to write or I just cant be bothered writing every single evening. (Hence why I started a blog, it's easier to write in bulk and then schedule).

5.  I have a shopping problem.
Okay, if you follow me on twitter then you already know this one but I can not resist buying things online. I mean you never would've guessed with me being a blogger and all- oh noooo. But yeah, sometimes I buy the most stupid things too, like, I see something online and think "OH MY GOD I NEED THAT IN MY LIFE RIGHT NOW" and within a matter of clicks it is being prepared for dispatch. However I think the next point makes this a bit less naughty.

6. I am one of the best bargain hunters you will ever come across in your life.
With great power comes great responsibility, I am one of the first people my close friends grab to go shopping with, if you ever need to find something for a specific reason but you don't want to pay full price, I'm your gal. On my most recent bargain hunting escapade I managed to buy about £35/£40 worth of make up for only £15, and that includes postage and packaging. I mean come on- you cant deny the talent.

7. On the most part, I despise hot drinks.
I realllly have to be in the mood for a hot drink, if I'm not in the mood for a specific drink it tastes absolutely vile, dare I say it- even hot chocolate tastes gross if I'm not 100% feeling it in that particular moment in time. However when I am in the mood I love a good hot chocky/ mocha/ cappuccino or latte. Green teas are also fab when I'm feeling a bit run down and gross/ my tummy hurts.

8. I suck at spelling.
Being an A-level English student for 3 years now you would've thought I'd improve? No. I really do try but every time I do any kind of writing I suck. If it wasn't for spell check I would be so screwed with everything. I swear. I literally have to look over every blog post 3/4 times before all the red squiggly lines are sorted out, it's shameful really.

9. I am one of the most impatient people to exist in the history of the galaxy.
I'm definately the kind of person who puts the oven on higher so I can get away with eating stuff sooner, I hate slow internet, can't stand waiting in line and waiting for my nail polish to dry before I do things practically kills me. ( I'm even writing this with semi wet nails, whoopsie)

10. Procrastination is my middle name.
Evidently this is a big fat lie, its not my middle name- it's Charlotte, but it's something I struggle with constantly. Most of the time I struggle with motivation and I put things off until I literally can't get away with it anymore, however I am overcoming it, slowly but surely. I get bouts of motivation and wanting to do everything I need to do and want to do so thats when I write posts, do work etc, hence why I write and schedule in bulk and in advance most of the time so I dont have to worry. But its really not a fun thing to struggle with and I can't wait to kick it in the ass!

Why not tell me a bit about you? leave it in the comments!

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Thank you for reading,

Mandy x

January Favourites 2016*

Today is the last day in January, I know- I can’t believe it either. I mean it literally still feels like it’s only a day or two past new years! But anyway, as it’s the end of the month I shall be posting a monthly favourites that will include everything from beauty products to Instagram accounts and blogs that I’m loving at the moment! Let's get started…

Designed by Nature Gingko leaves Silver ring*

Not so long ago myself and the lovely people at Designed By Nature got talking about their stunning designs, they create lovely pieces of jewellery based on beautiful flowers and nature itself. I am a big lover of flowers and anything related to greenery (especially if I can keep it in my room and feature it in an insta post) and when I got the chance to be sent an unusual yet elegant item from their shop I just couldn’t say no.

Jewellery is a fairly big part of my everyday life, there is not a day that goes by when I go jewellery free. I just don’t do it. I wanted to pick an item that would compliment other jewellery and go well with a range of clothes. My staple jewellery colour hands down has to be silver, I’m not a huge fan of gold I feel like it doesn’t go well with my skin tone, whereas because I’m super pale silver compliments my skin tone.

I asked to be sent the Gingko leaves adjustable silver ring, this is a beautiful ring that will fit anyone’s finger due to the front of it not being connected. This ring is made out of sterling silver and has two leaves facing each other in the shape of a fan, they are lovely and the attention to detail is exquisite even down to the tiny folds in the leaves themselves. Since this ring has arrived I have not taken it off, its perfect for everyday use but it is also elegant and classy making it fab for formal events too!

The quality is amazing and I absolutely love it! Thanks Designed by nature!
Why not check out their site here! Also for anyone that signs up to the newsletter there is £10 off!

What's your fave item in their shop? leave it in the comments!

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Thank you for reading,

Mandy x

Becoming a blogger: #1 How to set up a successful blog

This is my first post in my #BecomingABlogger series that I'm going to start on my blog! In this series of posts I will be giving tips, tricks and guides on how to make you blog the best it can possibly be! Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't say I'm a professional blogger but I would say I know my fair share after being part of the community for 2 years now.

This first post is going to be all about the process of setting up your blog get getting started, so why not take a look if you're interested in becoming a blogger or you're already a blogger!


Know your subject
If you're becoming a blogger you need to know what you want to talk about. The best thing is that it doesn't even have to be the same type of post every time, I class myself as a Fashion, Beauty and Lifestyle blogger but there are plenty of other options out there! You just need to state what kind of posts will be prominent in your blog so your audience knows what to expect.

TOP TIP: Choose a subject that you're passionate about because it shows through in your writing and also makes your writing super duper easy and fun!


Choose your platform
If you intend to set up a blog you need to know about the different platforms out there that you could pop your blog on! There are loads out there like Blogger/ Blogspot, Wordpress and Tumblr. I personally use Blogger/ Blogspot because it's easy to use, its customisable and I find it works for me, you might want to do a bit of research before you pick your platform.


Choose your name wisely
Your blog name is how people know you online, it is your blogs online identity and it's important to love your blog name and not want to change it for the foreseeable future, especially if you're just starting out. If you change your blog name loads its very inconsistent and can be annoying for people to keep up with, you can keep it simple with your name or mix it up and have something subject specific, just make sure you keep it for a while or people will be confused and won't be able to keep up!


Posts
A great idea I have seen floating around since I started blogging is to compile a few posts before you actually start putting your blog out there. I wish I'd have had this idea when I started, this meant that when people click on your blog there is more than just one post and it allows people to get to grips with your blog and who you are as a person! I mean let's be serious, are you more likely to follow a blog if it has one post or a few more? I know who I would follow. 

TOP TIP: Don't forget to tag your blog post with things that are relevant to it, that way it's more likely to show up in browsers and it makes your blog easy to search if you have a search bar!


Be you
The last tip on this post is definitely that you have to be yourself. The best way to build a connection with an audience is to not put up a front or put on an act, just be you! It's realllly freaking easy to tell when people aren't being themselves when they're writing so it's really not worth it.


Hope I helped a little bit, this is only the first post of many so keep up to date and to see the other posts in this series pop Becoming A Blogger in my search bar!

What's your blog URL? leave it in the comments!

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Thank you for reading,

Mandy x