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Charlotte Doherty / Naturally funny, because my life is a joke.
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Charldee

I've not been blogging long, but it is by far my favourite hobby and quickly becoming a passion of mine! So, I was super surprised when I got a notification from Twitter saying I had been tagged in a post - and then to see I had been nominated by the beautiful Emily, over at www.livinghealthyandbeautiful.com! Go and check out her blog, it's honestly so cute and her posts are so easy to read, as well as her photos being beautiful!

To continue the trend, I will list seven facts about myself, and then list seven blogs that I nominate for the Versatile Blog award and who you should check out!


1. I have a YouTube channel!
I have a YouTube channel! I've been doing YouTube for about two years now, and only as a hobby.  I mainly make videos about skincare, make-up and anything beauty related. You can check out my channel here - also feel free to subscribe!



2. Christmas
I love Christmas! It gets to September 1st and I am in full Christmas mode (of course Halloween is also there, but you just can't beat Christmas!). I love decorating the flat, the tree, I love wrapping presents, I love buying presents...I love everything it!


3. Ratties
I have two beautiful little girl rats! They're both 1 year old and are cheeky!




4.Make-Up
I love make-up. I wear make-up most days and like to switch up my style daily. My favourites are liquid liner and lipstick.




5. YouTube videos
My favourite pass time is to watch YouTube videos.  I tend to have them on as background noise, but it bring me a lot of comfort. My favourite YouTubers are Zoella, SacconeJoly's, Velvetgh0st, Sophie Louise and Pointless Blog.


6. 1975
Nothing else needs to be said!


7. My Flat
My flat/ my office is my happy place. I could spend an entire day in here alone, and have the most productive day! It is neat and tidy (most of the time) and there is always a scented candle on the go. My flat is full of cosy items; rugs, lamps, fairy lights and blankets and is truly the most comforting place to be. 

My Nominations:
Finally, to finish up, these are my seven nominations for the Versatile Blogger Award:
  1. Mermaidmoonchild
  2. Living Healthy & Beautiful
  3. Kayleigh Zara
  4. Franalibi
  5. Abbie Nicole
  6. Quite Franklii
  7. Life with Livie

I have just recently started to follow these and thoroughly recommend you check them out and show them some love!




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The fact that Autumn is fully here fills me with so much happiness. It's by far my favourite season, and what's not to love? Cosy evenings, pumpkins, gingerbread lattes, crisp orange leaves on the ground, and of course, the darker lip makes an all mighty return! 

I relish this time of year for so many reasons, but my favourite has to be that I can whack out all my brown, purple and berry lipsticks and just go full autumnal crazy for the next few months. It's a shame you can't wear these colours all year round, as they're my favourite! I compiled a few of my go to autumn lip colours that have quickly become my favourites. 




NYX Liquid Suede lipstick - Vintage - I purchased this last autumn when I first saw that our local Boots had gained a NYX counter. Overly excited, I began swatching all of their liquid lipsticks on the counter, from nudes, to purple, grey to brown. I purchased two in the end, one of them being this one - Vintage. This is such a unique blend of red berries and brown, giving it that perfect autumnal vibe. It's a liquid suede, so essentially it's not overly drying! It layer perfectly and you get great coverage from just applying one coat. You can also team it up with a lipstick or gloss if you want a little bit more of a shine! 




Makeup Gallery All About the Pout -  Plum Pout - This is a Poundland buy! I did a YouTube video testing all of my Poundland makeup purchases, so if you're interested in that I'll leave it here. The Makeup Gallery lipsticks are insane quality. It's a shame that the packaging lets on that its cheap, but for £1 you can't really expect anything else. This is just as its called - a plumb shade that is quite light, but build-able. It also has a shimmer to it, so it isn't matte like that others. I was expecting it to be quite bad considering it was £1, but I was pleasantly surprised. I even wore it to dinner one night, and a friend said "what lipstick are you wearing?? That hasn't budged a bit!", and of course when I said it was Poundland, they were shocked! Definitely try a cheaper brand before splashing the cash!




Makeup Revolution Liquid Lip Lacquer- Velvet Vamp - By far, this is one of my favourites! It may have something to do with it making me feel as if I am in full Halloween mode when I wear this, but also the fact that I can get away with wearing it because I have dark hair and a style which would suit these shades more. The consistency is quite drying, and dries on your lips super quickly. It does require about two layers, as the first is quite patchy! However, as soon as this is on your lips - it aint coming off! It's really durable and doesn't crack or budge all evening. Because it is quite drying on the lips, I tend to do an intense hydration on my lips a few hours before, otherwise when you take it off, you can be left with cracked lips! But to be honest, what liquid lipstick doesn't do that?




MAC - Double Shot Amplified - A very unique shade in my opinion! I've found a lot of people don't like it, however it is obviously one of my favourites. Everyone's plays safe and buys velvet teddy (which of course, I also own!), however I prefer to risk it go for something out of the ordinary! This is a very luxurious lipstick, being very rich and textured, coating beautifully with just one coat. You can apply two coats to get a darker shade! It dries, but remains a silky texture, making it super easy to reapply throughout the day! It does have somewhat of a higher price tag, but for quality, you can't go wrong! I've had this lipstick for over two years now and still love grabbing for it when it rolls around to Autumn!


New Look Super Matte Liquid Lipstick- Stone - I had a bit of a rocky start with this lipstick! I purchased it online and paid for next day delivery. I remember it being two days before Christmas and really wanting to wear it on the day. It arrived and I was so excited to try it, but when I opened it, the wand had bent completely out of shape and was unusable! Luckily, it was rectified online super quick and I was able to get a replacement the next day and in time for Christmas! It has a velvety texture and dries smooth. It doesn't feel cakey or heavy, but has an amazing formula and texture. It dries quite quick, and only one application is required to last the day! The only negative was the size of the wand - it is so big that it can make it difficult to apply gently, however I just wing it each time and neaten up with concealer!

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I was flicking through my TimeHop the other morning, as part of my morning routine. Alarm goes off at 06:20AM, I roll around in bed while Ben gets up and turns the light on. I then play on my phone for ten minutes while he showers. Part of playing on my phone, includes my TimeHop stories! 

Now that we're approaching Halloween, all of my instagram photos from the last two years have resurfaced and reminded me of the fun I used to have doing my nails to match each occasion (as well as the occasional pumpkin photo and gingerbread latte post!).  


My favourite nail post still remains as this one! Skeleton nails! I had acrylic nails on at the time, and wanted to really get into the Halloween spirit. This design, although  looks difficult, is honestly super easy!

All products used are above. I started by painting four nails black and one nail white. The white nail will be the skull face. Using the white nail art polish, I drew out the lines as neatly as I could! Finishing off I used the black nail polish and a cocktail stick to draw out the skull face...super easy!

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I woke up yesterday and felt distraught. I felt like I couldn't move, like the world could end at any moment. I couldn't muster the strength to move my arms, let alone get up and get ready for the day. I don't want to get dressed, I don't want to brush my hair, make-up is the last thing on my mind - I don't even want to make a coffee, something that I have so much passion for. I felt like crying. All I wanted to do was stay in bed, sleep and just not be anywhere or with anyone.


This has been the same all week.

I find myself looking back at my life just a year ago, and how much I have progressed as a person. Yet, I still find that I'm stuck in my old ways, continuously doubting myself and my worth. I guess that's the worst thing with mental health; you're never really 'cured' or 'fixed'. Medicine can only fix so  much, and in some cases makes it worse. You can take time for yourself, but that can make you feel depersonalised and not at all like yourself. Just last year, I was going through one of the darkest times of my life. I hate to use the words 'anxious' and 'depressed'. They get thrown around in everyday conversation that it seems like its not an issue anymore. But I felt so anxious I couldn't leave the house, couldn't sleep, over thought every single situation and was so scared that something bad was going to happen to family members. I was also depressed. I would spend hours laying on the sofa, doing nothing. I would eat so much I wouldn't be able to move. I hated the weight I was gaining at such a rate that stretch marks on my stomach were red and raw. I didn't want to be alone, but I couldn't stand the thought of being around people. I hated myself and didn't want to be here.

In a flashback to those darker times I appreciate how far I have come as a person. The triumphs that to some people are so small, but to me, it means the world. I was able to find a job that I could thrive at. I began driving lessons and have actually stuck to them, instead of bailing like I have every other time. I have enjoyed making YouTube videos, and am now throwing passion into this blog. I am so proud of myself.


Yet I find myself struggling recently. I can see myself deteriorating back to a time I found so dark, and at the same time I can't find a way of escaping. I do have the benefit of rational thought now, which is something I lacked last year. I can now analyse the situation and rationalise it to the point it is no longer causing anxiety.



I might write more about my journey with anxiety and depression, if I feel like its making a difference to someone else's life. I wish there were people who expressed their emotions when I was younger to make me realise that I wasn't alone.

The point of this post was to share my personal achievements with anxiety and depression, in the hope that it can help at least one reader. So, here goes...



1. Express your feelings.
Let your emotional run wild. If you want to cry, then cry. If you want to scream, then scream. If you need to spend the day in bed, then do so. Express your feelings however you see fit. For me, I use my YouTube and blog to share my favourite parts of life and to make me remember how lucky I am. However, you need to rationalise these feelings and talk yourself through them. Why are you feeling this way? What has led you to feel like this? Is it a regular occurrence? Can it be changed? If any situation can be modified to make you feel better, its worth at least trying.


2.Take time for yourself.
My favourite thing to do is to run a boiling hot bath, get my favourite face mask on, find my favourite music and blast them loudly whilst I relax in the tub. I use my favourite hair products, favourite bath bomb and spend as much time as I need there. I am also a bit of a 'fan' of Netflix and chill, and by that I mean getting my duvet and laying on the sofa all day watching repeats of Gilmore Girls. Anything you need to do to spend time with yourself.


3. Eliminate negativity.
What is causing your sadness? Is it your job? Leave it. Find something new. Is it your partner? Your feelings come first, and you need to get rid of any negativity that you associate with your anxiety. Surprisingly enough, my diet can cause huge strain on my anxiety. Whenever I have too much sugar and fatty foods, I find my mood plummets. Try a balanced diet (as boring as it sounds), everything is fine in moderation!


4. Exercise.
Yep, I said it! I've been at the other end and said 'exercise doesn't work! It's not for me!", but after spending the majority of the year at the gym (by that I mean roughly 1 day a week!!) I actually found that my mood was naturally lifted. At the beginning of the year I was spending 3-4 days a week in the gym and loving it! I fell back a bit and even now I can't gather the strength to go, but I know that passion will come back - and when it does, I'll be so ready for it.


5.Enjoy life.
It sounds simple, but just enjoy your life. Don't spend so much time worrying about what others thing of you and how you're different.  Spend time with your family, loved ones, friends. Go to parties, go get a coffee, take day trips to places. Anything to bring enjoyment to your life. My favourite things are to spend time with my brother, either going to town or just browsing. We don't get to spend much time together, so I cherish any time we do have.





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An all time staple in my bag right now is the Zoella Ginger Cream Body Lotion! Now this wasn't available to purchase alone (I think!). I received it last Christmas in a set that came with the Zoella Bake My Day Body Spritz (which I am now also using - I smell like Christmas and I love it!).  Unfortunately, I don't think it's available to purchase anymore as she has released a new Christmas range for 2017.

Either way, I thought i'd still talk through the positives of this product and why its still a must have for me!

What does Christmas smell like to you? What scent comes to mind when you think of Christmas? Some people think of fur trees, others think of toasted marshmallows, and some think of pumpkin spice. For me, its ginger! The second the temperature drops a degree, I'm the first one in Costa and Cafe Nero asking "do you have any gingerbread syrup?" or "can I make that a gingerbread latte please?".

I like it because its sweet with a hint of spice. Now don't get me wrong, I am all about pumpkin spice latte's and Christmas Cookie Yankee Candles, but when I ultimately think of Autumn, you can't not think of gingerbread!


The Zoella Ginger Cream Body Lotion is kept in my bag for my hands! Although, as it's named, you use it all over your body. It's become a bit of a routine to moisturise my arms and neck with this, spritz with the body mist and then get dressed - no harm in smelling like a gingerbread man is there?

So what's in the ginger cream body lotion? Show your skin some love with my indulgent gingerbread and warm vanilla body cream. Lightly whipped to perfection and enriched with extracts of nourishing Shea Butter and Vitamin C.  The main scent is gingerbread, with a vanilla edge to take away the bitterness that can sometimes be associated with gingerbread. The cream is very rich and soaks into the skin perfectly, not leaving you too sticky for too long. In fact, I can normally apply and get dressed within two minutes without any issues. It has such a warm, 'christmassy' scent that it immediately puts me in the festive mood!

The negative? It's no longer available! It was a limited edition range that was released, just like the rest of Zoella's ranges. As stated before, this year it has been replaced with the Snowella range (which is also beautiful by the way!). However, you can probably find a few sets still knocking about online!
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Who doesn't love a good cake? Especially with The Great British Bake Off in full swing on our tele's, everyone's in the mood to bake! I used to love baking, but as work became more and more of my life, I found I didn't have as much time. I was recently given the opportunity to enter in our local 'Bake Off', along with a colleague, to raise money for Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity. I thought this was a great opportunity to A) fall back in love with baking! B) Get my Tanya Bakes book out and crack out some cakes! C) Raise money for a worthy charity!

I dug out my Tanya Bakes book that I got last Christmas, and found the perfect cake - Tanya Burr's Sunday Cake! Now, don't be fooled. The cake above is from her book; whereas mine looked a lot worse! Still tasted good though!

Tanya Burr's Sunday Cake

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 18–20 minutes
You will need 2 × 21cm round loose-bottomed cake tins
Ingredients
-     170g unsalted butter, softened
-     170g caster sugar
-     3 eggs
-     140g self-raising flour, sifted
-     30g cocoa powder
-     1½ teaspoons baking powder

For the butter Icing:
-     90g butter, softened
-     170g icing sugar
-     cocoa powder, to taste

For Decorating:
-     200g milk chocolate
-  Buttons, Maltesers or Smarties


Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/GM4. Line the cake tins with greaseproof paper.




In a bowl cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.





Add the eggs, sifted flour, cocoa powder and baking powder and mix until well combined.



Divide the batter between the two tins and spread with a spatula – don’t worry if it doesn’t reach the edges of the tin or seems very shallow, it will spread and rise in the oven. Bake for 18–20 minutes. 



Cool a little in the tin then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. For the butter icing, mix all the ingredients together until smooth.Once the cake is completely cool, spread the icing over one cake and sandwich with the other. For the topping, melt the chocolate in a bowl set over simmering water and pour it gently over the cake. Decorate with your favourite sweets.



We didn't win the competition, but we did raise money for an amazing charity, which I will leave here.
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This is somewhat of a late post! These items actually arrived nearly a month ago, but in true form of myself, I have only just got around to writing about them! I will get better, I promise!

So, as soon as the rain began to pour and the temperature dropped 0.2'C in the UK, I was in full Autumn/Winter mode! I can't help myself - considering I was born in April, and i prefer to be warm instead of cold, I am such a wintery person! I love everything about autumn and winter; cosy, dark nights, fluffy socks, hot chocolate, Christmas music (let's pretend I'm not currently listening to Michael Buble's Christmas Album!), and of course, baths!


I was fortunate enough to grab a discount code from Mermaidmoodchild's blog, where I got 10% off of my order at Bomb Cosmetics! Now, I've used Bomb Cosmetics a copious amount of times, so I knew I loved the products - and to have a discount code to use which essentially saved my shipping costs, made it even better!


The first was the 'Cotton Candy' bath blaster! It has a lovely, sweet and simple scent, with a mix of strawberry and marshmallow. It also benefits from having jasmine, coconut oil, cocoa butter and shea butter, making your skin super soft and smooth. 


Now, the Cherry Bathe-Well was the very first bath blaster that I ever bought of Bomb Cosmetics - in fact, it was the first bath bomb I bought EVER! It's even featured in my first Christmas vlog! This bath bomb has a mix of cherry combined with a rich, sweet cookie scent, with vanilla and hints of coconut and white chocolate. 


I am so excited about this one! Who doesn't love strawberry and banana milkshake?! This bath blaster speaks for itself, with sweet tones of juicy strawberry intertwined with vanilla and pure jasmine, balanced with jasmine and clay sage essential oils. It has the perfect balance of sweet scents, with the feeling of relaxation and tranquillity to help create the perfect bath.


I'll be honest, I went for this because I am an avid fan of rhubarb and custard sweets! This bath blaster is super sweet, with neroli blossom, and the strongest rhubarb I've ever smelt. It also benefits from cinnamon and rosemary to create the most comforting bath, perfect for these cosier nights! It combines red berried and rhubarb, with peaches blended with cream. 


The flockstar bath blaster is a new blaster to the Bomb Cosmetics site, and my favourite when it comes to presentation! It has a subtle, slightly floral scent with rose and geranium. Its blasts into a beautiful pink, just like a flamingo! This is the perfect bath blaster to end any stressful day! 


I've tagged all of these bath blasters, so they're easy to find! I really love all the products Bomb Cosmetics offer; bath blasters, hand soaps, body butters, bath melts, face care and gifts. They're a super affordable brand, as well as being 100% handmade, and are against animal testing! Wherever they can, they use all natural ingredients, as well as packing all products with essential oils, and having all vegan products!

You can check out all their other products here
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Mablethorpe has always been, and always will be my favourite place to be. My happy place. 
One of my fondest memories from when I was young, was visiting the Mablethorpe Seal Life Sanctuary & Wildlife Centre. I was lucky enough to go back this year, and introduce Ben to this beautiful, magical place. 


I'll be honest, I don't fully remember the animal centre - the Seal Sanctuary was all I can muster up the memories for, and even those are vague. It almost felt like, although I had been there before, I was seeing everything with fresh eyes. After all, it had been at least 18 years since my last visit. 


The Mablethorpe Seal Sanctuary has rescued hundreds of injured and orphaned seals since it opened in 1974.
The seals are looked after until they can be released back into the wild. For those unable to return, The Seal Sanctuary offers a permanent home, doing all it can to give these wonderful creatures a contented existence.


They have a wide variety of rescued animals including Primates, Reptiles, Birds of Prey, Meerkats, Aviary Birds and their loveable Seals.


The original seal hospital, which was opened in 1989, has now become too small to accommodate the large number of seals which the Sanctuary rescues every year.
As well as conservation, education also plays an important part of the Seal Sanctuary's role in the community and visitors will find the natural history projects both fascinating and inspirational. Two walk through features take a journey back in time.


Alongside their tourist attraction Mablethorpe Wildlife Rescue funds the rescue and care of hundreds of seals and sea birds. You can read about Mablethorpe Wildlife Rescue, their Seal Pools and the Seal and Wildlife Hospital on the Mablethorpe Wildlife Rescue website.


This beautiful place serves a special place in my heart, and deserves any donations it can get! The link to their donations page is here. I have a direct debit set up from PayPal to take a donation every month. I know it's not much, but anything will help fund this amazing place for wildlife and injured seals. 
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I was casually browsing the wonder that is eBay, when I came across a whole new world. There's a section of eBay specifically aimed at *dupe* make-up products! I've ventured here a few times before, and purchased lipsticks, eye shadows and kits.

This time, I found a dupe of the Huda Beauty Textured Shadow Palette - Rose Gold Edition. This palette retails at £56.00 and can be found here. I paid just £8.99 and can be found here. I've also added comparison photos below of the 'real' and 'dupe' palettes. Realistically, I don't see a difference! The shades are identical, name are the same, the order is identical. Is the product quality the same? I can't see how they aren't! I personally haven't tried the real product, but after extensively using the dupe palette, I can safely say this is more than worth it's money. The pigment is perfect (the swatches below are with just one swipe), the colours are great and they last all day long, even without a primer.  They don't leave residue either! I love it so much!
Original HUDA BEAUTY Palette

Dupe HUDA BEAUTY Palette.


Below, is a swatch of each shade.

I also did a full review on my YouTube channel:

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I received an email recently from a company called Firmoo, asking to review a pair of glasses, give my honest opinion and make a YouTube video of my experience with them. I was so up for this, as I had only just paid out for a new pair with Spec savers - so I thought it would be a great opportunity to put them against the average High Street opticians.

I chose these frames here.
There is also a special offer for my readers/viewers, which enables you to BUY ONE GET ONE FREE on all frames. That's two pairs for the price of one, averaging at £30 for both pairs!


The website was incredibly easy to navigate around, having specified sections for every need, gender and occasion. They have such a variety of frames, to suite all faces. My favourite feature by far, was the option to 'Try On' all frames. This made it even easier to choose the right frames for me. I like a particular frame, but I found that they didn't suit my face, which was very disheartening. When I tried similar frames on using the try on feature, I was able to find these frames, which suit my face shape perfectly!  


These frames stood out to my instantly. The colour, the flecks of blue and gold, the bridge connecting the frames, and the temples being sleek and thin. I was so happy to see that these fit my face well as I fell in love with them almost instantly. The price of these frames are just £14.74, then to add my prescription and Blue-light blocking lenses, including anti-scratch, Anti-Reflective/Anti-radiation and UV coatings was just an additional £16.63!


I was so surprised when I saw that the price of the frames were only £14! And then to add prescription lenses and anti-glare only cost an additional £15! That's a total of just £29 for a new set of frames! Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but they average opticians offer a 'cheaper' frame for £45, which does include your lenses, but not anti-glare, which is basically a necessity for today's computers, phones and TV use. So that sets you back another £30 - that's a total of £75 just for some cheap frames, plastic and easily breakable. These Firmoo frames are over 1/2 the price and the build quality is a whole tier above High Street! 

I have also done a full review over on my YouTube channel, where I tried them for a week!
18:32:00 No comments
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