Wednesday 31 December 2014

Top 5 Posts of 2014



It is always interesting to see the most popular posts on my blog, I love having a sneaky peak at the stats of each post, to see what people have most enjoyed reading.

1. Pollo Pesto Pasta  - My by far most read post of this year is my recipe to my pollo pesto pasta which I posted back in January after I had made it a few times and completely fallen in love with it. I still use this recipe every time I make it and its always as good as the last time.

2.  Zara Mini City Bag - is my favourite fashion purchase of this year and since buying it back in April I have used it none stop.  Fashion posts seemed to have quite high viewing this year, although I have not featured that many recently as I seem to have been more beauty focused. Something to differently try and do more of come 2015.

3. Escentual.com - An order which turned out to be a very important one as I finally placed an order on Escentual.com.  I bought the Real Techniques Sam's Pick's which turns out to include some of the best brushes I have ever owned. The multi-task brush is a definite staple within my beauty stash. I also stocked up on my Bioderma which is an everyday must within my skincare routine.

4. Rimmel Sun Shimmer  -  A post simply explaining how much I love the formulation, price, longevity and my go to everyday instant tan.

5. Birthday Presents  - Turning 20 and receiving such lovely presents was such a lovely day for me. For the first time on the blog I decided to share what I had got with my viewers and it turned out to be the right move. I love reading these on other people's blogs so why not do it on your own?

 I would like to say a huge thanks to everyone who had read my blog throughout 2014 and would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year, bring on 2015!

Lucy
xoxo
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Monday 29 December 2014

Kate Spade


A few months ago way before my sister headed to New York I casually showed my mum a sneaky picture of this bag and purse stating how beautiful I thought they both were. I had asked my sister for a new purse for Christmas and I was so excited when come Christmas morning I opened it and it was the exact purse I had wanted. My mum let me open all my presents and then told me there was an extra present behind the chair and within 5 seconds of ripping open the wrapping paper the bag was there in all its glory!

The style of the bag is the Cedar Street Maise, and the purse is the Cedar Street Stacy. They do not seem to sell the vivid pink in Selfridges or katespade.co.uk. Seeing as they were bought in New York I think they were quite a bit cheaper than over here as within the UK the bag costs £245 and the purse is £80. The quality of them both is high, and I have simply fallen in love with the brand and have had them displayed as arm candy ever since Christmas day.

Lucy
xoxo
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Sunday 21 December 2014

Manchester Christmas Markets


 




Every year for the past few years, Manchester has put on their annual Christmas Markets which are set up from around mid November. They have become such an monumental celebration within the city, and they are a truly festive site. They are dotted around the streets of the city in lovely wooden cabins all decorated in festive decor, they go on for miles and miles. The markets feature all different types of stalls from crafts to decorations and most of all the greatest selection of food you will ever see. There are food stalls from Dutch mini pancakes to the famous German wursts. As well as lots of sweets, chocolate covered fruit and a wide selection of cheese stalls. A main feature are the beer halls located in the main section next to the town hall where the giant Santa is placed. The beer houses feature all different types of local beer from within Germany and there are seating areas and bars within the wooden cabins. If you prefer you can get a mulled wine and they come in festive mugs featuring the markets logo with the year, which you can pay to take away as a little memoir.

Today is actually the last day they are set up before the markets close and all of the workers head back home for Christmas. I suggest if you live in the city or in the surrounding area to get yourself down there today! A little tip is that we went as a family on the last day last year and they sell everything off for half price to get rid of the stock. It is a really lovely day out and I guarantee you will walk away in the most cheeriest, festive spirit.

Lucy
xoxo
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Monday 15 December 2014

Skincare Routine featuring Clinique


I have been trying to keep up with a morning and evening skin care routine as much as possible recently in order to try and keep my skin clear. Clinique are one of the most well known beauty brands when it comes to skin care due to the vast amount and highly rated products which they sell. A few weeks ago I picked up three new products which I have never tried before, but have heard that they work wonders. Two products come from their anti-blemish solutions line the Cleansing Foam (£17) and the Acne Clearing Gel (£14). From reading a few blogs I have heard that Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm (£22) is an excellent and cheaper alternative to the Emma Hardie version. I have slotted the products into my morning and night routine and I love how clean and fresh they make your skin feel and they don't have a fragrance.  I am hoping that these will work there wonders and keep my acne at bay over the festive period.

Lucy
xoxo
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Wednesday 3 December 2014

One Year of Blogging

I posted my very first post in October 2013 and it was such a daunting experience uploading on my blog. It is strange because you do not have a clue of what is about to happen or the kind or reaction (if any) you are going to receive. I am not afraid to admit that I thought that it was going to be a lot simpler than it is to attract a growing audience, it terms of the blogging world mine has a small readers. I think that you have to be prepared that your not going to be the next best known blogger around, because whenever everyone sets out they deep down would like to achieve this and good on them. It can take up a lot of time and effort to try and make your blog the best that you want it to be. For me it started it out as a hobby and it still is I loved reading other people's blogs and thought I would give it a shot myself to see what it was all about. I have truly loved delving into the blogging world and community, and meeting so many smaller bloggers who blogs I find truly inspiration and deserve a lot more recognition.

I started out with this huge aim of posting a post every day, and at the start I managed this. However, it got to a point where it was totally impossible for me to juggle my time with blogging and doing everything else like university and working at the weekends. It frustrated me that I was unable to reach this aim that I had set out for, but then I realised that most of the 'big' bloggers do blogging as their full time jobs so therefore they had so much more time to dedicate themselves to achieving daily posts. It hit me that it was okay to just post two or three times a week, and fit it around everything else going on in my day to day life. I am now happy with the routine that I am in, but I do think that it can be a barrier to a growing audience. I also stumbled across the idea of starting my own YouTube channel as I thoroughly enjoy seeing my favourite bloggers having their channels as well. I feel it makes you be able to relate more to their posts on their blogs, and it is a much wider audience for you to reach out too. But for now I would not be able to fit this in, but it is definitely something I would consider in the future. However, YouTube is way more scary than having your own blog and you have to be prepared for all the criticism which unfortunately comes along with posting videos.

All I can say if I have thoroughly enjoyed it and it was the best but scariest thing that I have done in a long time. The slight issue which still seems to bother me is posting on my Twitter page which is lucyalanaxo. I use this as my personal and blog twitter as I thought it would be nice to integrate them both. I do feel though as if some of my followers might get sick of me posting my posts on that username as it is the one that I have had since I first signed up so I have all of my old friends on there. However, I think that it is easy to unfollow so if they get bored they can do with a click of a button. Twitter is such a big platform for your blog, and it is where I go to get the links to my favourite bloggers including Essie Button, Amelia Liana and ViviannaDoesMakeup. As well as being on Twitter to promote your blog and posts, bloglovin' is definitely a site which helps others to discover your blog, and for you to find new blogs which you love to reading.

I have loved doing a variety of posts, from beauty, fashion and lifestyle. Looking at my top 5 posts:

1. Pollo Pesto Pasta
2, Zara - Mini City Bag 
3. Escentual.com 
4. Rimmel Sun Shimmer 
5. Birthday Presents

It is easy to see that people enjoy reading all different aspects of my blog, and I definitely think bringing a variety of different posts brings in audiences from different places who have a wide scope of interests.

If you are considering starting a blog all the advice I can give is to just go for it! Honestly there is absolutely nothing you can loose. I am always striving to achieve a wider audience and I am not going to lie it is hard, really hard but if you passionate about it you will keep going!

Lucy
xoxo
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