Hello lovely blogger friends. It's been WEEKS since I posted anything here. To be honest i've been so busy with work that i've not had a chance to myself and when I did, I had no idea what to blog about. So instead of just blogging about any old crap, I just took a break. 

:)

Today I got to witness one of the most awe inspiring, natural views in years. 

Millions of people in the UK and northern Europe got the amazing opportunity this morning to witness the best solar eclipse in years. 

Where I live (Warrington, Cheshire) it was more of an 80% eclipse, but it was still awe inspiring. I remember the eclipse happening in 1999, but honestly don't recall seeing anything as incredible as this. 

You shouldn't look at the sun directly during an eclipse as it can cause permanent damage to your eyes, but it was so cloudy today that I took a chance and glanced up - and I saw it! So I decided to grab my phone (I don't have a appropriate filter for my camera, so didn't wanna risk the damage) and took a photo just to show you how awesome it looked. 

Yes, that is the sun with the moon eclipsing it. Doesn't it look like a crescent moon?! So strange. Incase you're wondering, I took it through the lens of my sunglasses, which is why it looks red. I quite like how armageddon-y it looks though with the red! haha. 

Did anyone else get the chance to view this amazing eclipse? Would love to know if you did :)

Every Monday morning, Facebook is filled with people moaning and crying over having to start a brand new working week. I can't help but feel a little elated when I see these posts - especially when i've had a busy weekend photographing couples, families or weddings. 

I can happily say, I love Mondays! 

Mondays signify the end of a busy weekend and the start of a fantastic week of editing and promoting.
Mondays are the day that I realise my business is progressing and all the hard work i've put in is paying off.

Mondays are when I can actually feel proud of myself.  

Owning your own business and being self-employed can be so hard at times, especially over the more quieter months when you're basically spend all your free time promoting and trying to get bookings. Once those bookings come in and i'm super busy, it's such an amazing feeling. I love being busy with my business.

Most shoots take place over the weekend, which means the following week is me editing the photographs. (I try not to edit them straight away, I always find giving myself a day not looking at the photos on a screen really helps the editing stage go smoother. Don't ask why, it seems crazy logic but it works, haha.) 

This weekend I did an engagement photo shoot at Delamere Forest, Cheshire. The couple's wedding is in September and i'm currently running an engagement shoot offer, where if you pay for an hour engagement session you get that money off your wedding booking! I find these shoots really help the couple understand my way of working and basically get used to being in front of the camera. That way, when the big day comes, they know exactly how I work. I find this really helps people who aren't a massive fan of being photographed :) 

The shoot was AMAZING. I love this couple so much and now I can't WAIT until their big day in September. Here is one of my absolute favourites I took on Saturday. :)

When I saw that Hannah over at Oh January had done a British Tag blog post I just really wanted to do it, too :) So here it is!  

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1. How many cups of tea do you have a day and how many sugars?

'Splendid' seems like a good solid British word..?

Spice Girls - Wannabe :')

Hate it. BLEUGH.

Hello my fellow Blogees!

Seeing as we are coming up to the end of February,

I thought i'd share the items i've seen throughout the month that have made it to my wishlist. 

01. Urban Decay Naked Basics 2.

I have all 3 of the Naked palettes and Naked2 is by far my absolute favourite. I'm such a sucker for a nude/neutral eye during the day and at night I like to smoke it up a bit. So when I saw this palette I was made up. They are all pretty much matte, which makes it better. (I don't mind a shimmer but I love mattes.)

02. Real Techniques Bold Metals brushes.

Oo lala. These brushes are divine. I saw them the other week in Boots for the first time after watching the launch video. They look so amazing but with the price tag I doubt i'll be able to afford them for a while (but one can wish!)

03. The Badass Blog Planner by Sarah Morgan.

Seeing as i've only been blogging since the end of 2014, I really want to step up my game. I want to be able to set myself some blogging goals and work out a way to make my content more enjoyable for readers - so I hope this book would be able  to help (This is top of my birthday gift list haha)

04. Seventeen Skin Wow Primer (3 way highlighter). 

I've been looking for a primer for a few months now and never came across anything I really liked. I decided to take a look at what Seventeen had on offer as I have & love their Brows That! Brow Kit. The great thing about this is that it's also a highlighter - I can mix it with my foundation or just use it on my face to highlight certain areas. 

05. Rimmel Natural Bronzer ('Sun Bronze').

At the moment i've just been doubling up my contour kit as a bronzer but I would really like one to use solely as a bronzer. I'm not keen at all on shimmers or glittery bronzers and all the ones i've bought in the past have shimmered far too much. I'm after something that looks more matte and i've read reviews saying this is great - plus it's cheap!

06. Rimmel Lasting Finish lipstick (214 'Firecracker').

I'm a little obsessed with Rimmel lasting finish! The colour is amazing, though I tend to keep buying the deep plumb/red colours and would love to get a nice pink. I'm not a fan of nude lips or bright/light pink so I really struggle finding a good pink. From what i've seen online, colour 214 is a perfect balance between light and deep pink, so next time i'm in Boots I might give this a try!! 

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If anyone knows of any better alternatives or a perfect pink colour lipstick they could recommend i'd be so grateful :) 

This is actually a little step towards venturing onto YouTube and making videos. At the moment i'm quite obsessed with YouTubers and for years have been watching makeup tutorials. There are a few that I really want to see but can never find videos on so considering just making my own :) But I really don't know. I have my reservations! If anyone can offer some helpful tips on getting over the fear of making videos (I really cannot stand my own voice, which is a problem!!)

♥  Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer (under eyes and down bridge of nose).

♥  Sleek Face Contour Kit Palette (used on on cheeks, nose, forehead and jawline.)

♥  Rimmel Stay Matte Powder.

♥  Urban Decay Naked Palette 2 (colour 'Foxy' on brow bone)

EYES:

♥  Urban Decay original eyelid primer.

♥  Little Mix Eye Shadow Palette (colour 'Feather' on lid)

♥  Urban Decay Naked Palette 2 (colour 'Tease' in crease and outer lid)

♥  Urban Decay Naked Palette 2 (colour 'Booty Call' in inner eye)

♥  Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara. 

♥  Lush 'Mint Julips' Lip Scrub applied on lips.

♥  Vaseline 'Rosy Lips'.

♥  Real Techniques Brow Brush. (used really lightly with the powder)
♥  Barbara Daly powder brush. 

Happy Sunday blogger friends! Just a short blog today.

This blog is basically a little update on a product last week I posted a blog showing a couple of new purchases including the Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara. 

At first I wasn't sure I really liked it. It does have a little bit of a clumpy issue still but just a little wipe sorts it out - no big deal.

It's been a week of using it everyday and I have to say I love this mascara now! I have an issue with my lashes that they just don't curl, they just stick out straight. This mascara seems to have help give them a lovely curl and they really do look much bigger. 

This is just a quick pic I took on my phone to show you my lashes!! I also love the small bristles on the brush that grab the bottom lashes so well, no spider-like, super long bottom lashes anymore. 

Sorry it's not a full blog but I just really needed to share my joy :) 

Hello blogger friends! This week i've been away with my lovely family to Center Parcs in Whinfell Forest!

For those who don't know, Center Parcs is a short-break holiday company, which has about 5 different forest based villages across the UK. You basically rent a lodge for a week or weekend and book various activities while you're there. 

For us, it was a week to unwind and relax. Between us we did a few really good activities (including paint balling, field archery, nature walks, badminton and a very relaxing spa day.)

Pretty amazing, huh? (For a little more info click here and take a look.)

Here's a little photographer's addition of the 'what's in my bag' blog post! I will probably at some point do an everyday handbag version, but wanted to start of with the bag I use more than any other!

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THE BAG:

Jo Totes 'Betsy' Camera Bag in Mustard

WHAT'S IN THE BAG?:

01 • Canon 5D MK1 w/ Canon 24-105mm lens.

02 • Canon 50mm 1.8 lens.

03 • Jessops 360AFD flash gun.

04 • Spare batteries - for camera & flashgun.

05 • Camera battery charger.

06 • Lens cleaner pen & cloth.

07 • Memory cards.

08 • iPhone & portable phone charger.

09 • Business cards! 

10 • Diary & pens. 

11 • Purse - keep some loose change incase I need it :)

12 • Makeup bag w/ powder, eyebrow kit & hair grips.

13 • Bottled water, breakfast biscuits and paracetamol.

14 • Tissues (nice to offer teary-eyed guests at weddings).

As I am a self-employed wedding & portrait photographer, I spend a lot of my time editing and working on my laptop. 

This room is my pride and joy, I've made it really cosy - not just for me to work in but when I have clients round to discuss their packages, they need to feel comfortable too. So I thought i'd take some photographs of my office to show you all the space I work in on a daily basis :)

Also - seeing as my dressing room blog got such a great response, thought this would go along with that one quite nicely.

I also added lots of positive quotes to keep me motivated! 

01. Urban Decay "All Nighter" - Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray

02. Real Techniques Core Collection

03. Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primers (x3)

04. Maybelline Colour Sensational Lipsticks

05. Tangle Teezer brush

06. ELF Studio Lip Exfoliator 

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01. URBAN DECAY "ALL NIGHTER" MAKEUP SETTING SPRAY.

I struggle so badly when makeup sweats off my face, especially during a wedding or photo shoot (I get very warm, very quickly) I've been looking all over for a good setting spray, and I love the look of this one.

02. REAL TECHNIQUES CORE COLLECTION BRUSHES.

*Swoon* Real Techniques brushes are my absolute favourite. I already have the Expert Face Brush and would love to add to my face brush collection with these little beauties. 

03. URBAN DECAY EYESHADOW PRIMERS - ORIGINAL, SIN & EDEN.

When I got my Naked Palette 2 it came with a small selection of tester eyeshadow primers. They are the BEST primers I have ever used and I need to stock up now my little testers have run out.

04. MAYBELLINE COLOUR SENSATIONAL LIPSTICKS - PINKS/REDS.

I already own the Hollywood Red and it's such a lovely, rich colour. It also feels amazing on my lips, so a few more of these in the other pink/red shades will be fabulous.

05. TANGLE TEEZER BRUSH.

How do I not already own one of these? My hair can get ridiculously tangled and knotted, especially when i've had too much dry shampoo in it. I've seen reviews about this little brush and it's now up there  on my wishlist.

06. E.L.F. STUDIO LIP EXFOLIATOR.

Exfoliating your lips is something i've never thought of being part of my skin care routine. The most I've ever done is whack on a load of vaseline or lip balm. I actually saw about exfoliating on a makeup segment during This Morning and since then i've always wanted one. This one from ELF looks brilliant, but never seems to be in stock! 

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Has anybody got any of these they can recommend? Or is there any alternatives that are better? 

This is just going to be quite a short post today. Basically I've spent today helping my mum clear our Christmas and clean the house. I don't know about you, but once it hits January I'm ready to start decluttering the house and start fresh! So that's what I've done today, it feels great. I also cleaned up my office and did a little rearranging, so hopefully that'll help me get more work done!

If you wanna see how my house looked at Christmas time, I posted a blog about it over on my photography blog :)

I think i'll have to post a few photos soon of my lovely office space - As I work from home being self-employed, my office is where I spend most of my working hours. For now, i'll leave you with the first photo I took after de-cluttering the living room - complete with Yankee candles :)