Trends from the 2000s not to bring back into fashion

Happy Sunday folks i hope you are all well.

I have so many blogs/ vlogs i am going to write and record this month and i have been wanting to write this one for a while as i am going to be doing a video on this on my youtube channel; natural blonde and i wanted to talk about throwback fashion items we used to wear back in the day (well in my day) when i was a teenager.

I have been searching all over for good images to show you exactly what these items look like yet been very unsuccessful in doing so for this reason i am going to give a description of the items i am talking about instead.

Fashion in the 2000s;

Cast your mind back to 17 years ago (thats if you where old enough to remember or even born) it was the millennium everyone said the world was going to end that obviously didn’t happen and fashion went out of control but we all loved it at the time and thought we looked great. 

I might only be 30 years old but i remember all my fashion outfits growing up especially some of these i am going to list below;

PEDAL PUSHERS/ CAPRI PANTS: If you didn’t have a pair of these then you weren’t cool as a teenager they where a tight fitting trouser or jean that came to the knee and where very fitted i had them in denim, white, dogtooth print and even a floral pattern with matching top (looking back at them now they where hideous and i just hope no designers bring them back or brand them up with there logos on them to make them look trendy again because they wont).

GYPSY MAXI SKIRTS: All i can say is thank god i never took to skirts as i had one of these in brown yes brown and it was awful so long it dragged on the floor with uneven patterns throughout and very heavy to wear i used to wear it with a vest top on top of a t-shirt with a huge disc belt and some backless loafers from faith in yellow with a flower on them (what was i thinking this is an item that can never return or be improved it was a huge fashion faux pa).

DISC SHAPED BELTS: I had more than one of these i had brown, white and black with a huge gold disc on the front to fasten it together it just went over and around jeans or skirts as it was way to big to fit through belt holes, i used to get mine from indoor markets as they where £5 each what a bargain (I know for a fact this will come back i am waiting for an online retailer to bring them back or a celebrity to be rocking it).

SHRUG CARDIGAN: Yes i said it a shrug and the name itself isn’t trendy let alone a practical piece of clothing i had so many of these i used to wear them over my vest with a t-shirt on and knot the front with my cargo pants and kappa trainers and i thought i was in a girl band or the 8th member of s club 7 (how wrong was i they where ugly looking and pointless yet everyone had one).

PATCHWORK DENIM JEANS: I had 2 pairs of these 1 pair flared with glitter in the denim from new look 915 and a pair from tammy girl with buttons instead of a zip i can honestly say these where my favourite jeans ever until i got grass stains down 1 pair and the other pair i borrowed a friend and never got back (thanks friend) i have seen that topshop and asos have something similar to the ones i had but not overly patch worked which is a shame (but something i would never buy or wear again nostalgia has kicked in on these for me and should be left in the fashion past).

PONCHOS: I hated it then and ill hate it again if i comes back these where everywhere in every pattern, colour with tassels without tassels they made everyone look bigger than they really where so unflattering and impractical for putting your bag on your shoulder, however i did have one from a shop called pilot which my mum would take me too twice a month at mcarther glen Mansfield as that was the shop to go to when i was at senior school i soon got bored of my poncho and it got given to a family friends daughter who loved it.

CARGO TROUSERS: I loved these especially as tammy girl had loads on back in the day i had a beige pair with hanging bits of the legs a khaki pair with huge pockets and a black pair to match my cool babes t-shirt as it looked cool together all the pop groups wore them and made them look cool and i loved steps 5,6,7,8 i blame Fay for me wanting these (I hope kanye west doesn’t release these for his next collection as its the kind of thing Kim will rock with a corset top and clear heels and pull it off).

TROUSERS WITH A SKIRT OVER THE TOP: I didn’t love these trend when i was 13 and i am glad as it was so random yet lots of people wore it if you haven’t seen this before google it theres not many great photos of it but you can get the idea of the style (I hope this never gets released just because of how random it looks leave it back in the 2000s).

I am sorry there are no images to show you just how bad these items where but if you do remember any of them leave me a comment below or on my Instagram page; naturalblonde86

Also let me know if you can think of any other fashion stores you shopped at back in the 90s or early 2000s as i can only remember these;

• BAY TRADING
• TAMMY GIRL
• ETAM
• PILOT
• MORGAN
• KOOKAI
• MK ONE
• JANE NORMAN

Thanks for reading and comment below 

Amy x

Just because it’s in fashion doesn’t mean it suits you

Happy hump day everyone i do hope you are all well.

I am still battling with this bad back of mine and have been bed bound since Friday which is making me go insane and get frustrated with life.

As i have had lots of spare time on my hands this week i have been doing a lot of online wishful thinking shopping as the bank balance is saying NO and so is the other half and my mum, i just feel like i am loving so many items at the minute and thats always the case when funds are low or have to be spent elsewhere.

I am loving the trends for SPRING/ SUMMER this year as there is something to suit everyone i always find that (JUST BECAUSE ITS IN FASHION DOESN’T MEAN IT SUITS YOU) and this is where people go wrong i look around and think that Topshop mannequins have thrown up on some people or they wear things that are unflattering just because its in fashion.

These are the main trends to look out for in all high street stores;

STATEMENT TSHIRTS; I have seen these in Topshop, Primark, Zara and pretty much every other high street store this is a big trend to wear with mom jeans and converse for casual or with a leather look skirt and statement boots or sandals for summer, I do love this particular tee by @TOPSHOP but its becoming super popular everyone on Instagram already own this and if your anything like me you might want to get creative and make your own.

TIP; Buy a plain tee for a few quid get some transfer iron on paper, create and design a cool saying in a statement bold colour and print it on your tee and you have your own personalised statement tee.

GINGHAM; This is becoming popular on asos, Topshop, river island etc i previously purchased a ruffled top in this print from primark for less than £10 and thats probably the only gingham item i will buy just because its a full on print and very bold and wont suit everyone, nobody wants to look like a picnic table cloth or have a flash back from wearing this in summer at primary school (I WORE IT IN RED AT SCHOOL).

TIP; Depending on your figure and height depends on what kind of gingham clothing will suit suit, play it safe with a top or a skirt if you are taller, if your petit like me then this playsuit above or trousers may suit you with a statement tee and some backless loafers.

BACKLESS LOAFERS; I am loving this trend i have 4 pairs of backless loafers already and ill no doubt invest in some more just because they are super comfy on they dress up an outfit especially jeans and a tee, they come in so many designs, prints, colours and are a great dupe to the Gucci ones which are £700 i have some from eBay, primark, sainsburys tu clothing and ego.

TIP;Shop around for the style and design your after primark have basic colours in for £6, river island have gold tassel ones in for £45, eBay have a great selection from £12 plus the faux fur gucci Princeton dupes at £16.

DENIM; I love denim and at one point i owned over 25 pairs of jeans but that was a few years ago, denim is huge for this season whether it be this jacket from @TOPSHOP or statement jeans with embroidery on or buttoned down denim skirts which seem to be popping up online.

TIP; I love statement denim but wont pay the prices for it when i can customised my own for over half the price, i would buy some jeans and get a few patches from ebay and sew them on or get some pearls and sew them on like i did which you can see on my INSTAGRAM; NATURALBLONDE86

POM POMS; This was in late last year but it didn’t take off until now and its all over whether it be on bags, hats, sandals, playsuits you name it i’ve seen it with pom poms on, it just brightens up a bag or gives off cool look on sandals lots of high street stores have them like river island and primark plus asos online have lots varying in prices from £12.

TIP; diy make your own pom poms i recently bought a pom pom kit and it comes with 4 sizes with the simplest instructions (even i understood them) and i bought some colourful wool and started making my own and i have transformed a bag some trainers and a straw beach hat so far.

PEARLS; This is the trend i look at and see any items with pearls on are so much more expensive than any other trend at the minute especially in zara and river island, these sandals above are from @ZARA and as beautiful as they are they are the cheapest of trends to introduce into your wardrobe for the season.

TIP; I purchased a bag of 50 ivory pearls from ebay and sewn them on my basic mom jeans from primark and now i have my own customised pearl jeans for the price of £14 unlike the zara ones at £40. 

Here are the images of the items i’ve customised so far with these trends going forward and i will be filming a customisation video on my youtube channel go and subscribe to be one of the first to watch it. (youtube channel name; natural blonde)

Mom jeans from Primark £13

50 ivory pearls 6mm ebay £1

Gold tassel backless loafers Primark £6

Flamingo straw clutch bag Matalan £8

Sunglasses Primark £2

Wool Boyes £1.80 per colour

Pom pom maker Boyes £4

Pink trainers Asos £20 last years 

Wool Boyes £1.80 per colour

Pom pom maker Boyes £4
I am a creative person i get the from my mum who has worked in fashion for over 40 years and i always love designing creating and coming up with ideas of things i want to make.

Thanks for reading and let me know what trends your loving for this season.

Amy x

With these shoes i thee wed

Happy Sunday and Happy Mothers day to any mums that are reading this i know mine will.

( I am currently bed bound due to pulling my back on Friday and i have been highly frustrated and hating life as all the things i had planned to do went out the window theirs only so many films i want to watch and tea i want to drink before i go out of my mind, so i thought i would write a blog on wedding shoes as I AM GETTING MARRIED THIS YEAR yet have gone off the shoes i had originally bought last summer).

Wedding shoes are what i look at more than dresses when attending weddings in the past as the shoes in my mind should be worn again and shouldn’t be a big expense just for one day like the dress as to me £500 on a pair of jimmy choos or christian louboutins is a waist for one day to then live in the box at the back of the wardrobe collecting dust.

Everyone is different when it comes to how much they spend on there weddings and what they want for there big day please remember these are my views and opinion.

I have seen SO MANY BEAUTIFUL PAIRS ONLINE at super affordable prices and i thought i would share my favourite picks with you all I am also considering turning this into a video on my Youtube channel please let me know if you would be interested in watching this plus seeing me pick my perfect pair for my big day.

MY TOP 10 AFFORDABLE WEDDING SHOES;

As you can see i have shown them in pricing low to high as it makes it easier to view and see what you can get on a budget plus they are all less than £140 which i think is great and they are really nice for that special day plus they can be re-worn to parties, events, ladies day, weddings etc.

Wedding shoes sold in bridal shops are unflattering shapes, round toes, midi heels, fake crystals, ivory satin material (JUST A BIG FAT NO FOR ME).

I am loving a couple of these i have featured above and will probably buy a pair for my own wedding as they are subtle enough to wear again plus they aren’t breaking the bank.

Let me know how much you have spent on your wedding shoes or what you think is acceptable to spend on a pair for the big day.

Thanks for reading x

Living with Anxiety my tips and advice

Happy Thursday everyone i do hope you are all well.

I have been wanting to write this for the past 2 weeks but couldn’t get my head in the right frame of mind to get across what i wanted to say.

2 weeks ago tomorrow i woke up with awful anxiety i didn’t want to get out of bed, get dressed, look at my phone, watch the tv i just wanted to leave the curtains shut all day and hide under my duvet like the old days when i suffered like this except today was different i knew i felt sad but couldn’t explain why i felt lost inside my own brain and body like its didn’t belong to me and then all of a sudden it hit me (like a ton of bricks) i had my 1st panic attack in years and i forgot how horrible they are i felt weak, drained, dizzy, heart was racing, i was crying i felt like i didn’t know where i was my palms where sweating i felt sick with cramps if was awful to feel this way again after so long i felt i had let myself down as i thought i had overcome this years ago but obviously not.

My mum was due to go out but she didn’t want to leave me on my own so stayed with me until i fell to sleep and became rested back in my room which was my comfort zone where i felt safe, for all that weekend my moods where up and down and i didn’t leave the house once for fear of having another panic attack yet this time in public.

6 years ago when i became to suffer with depression, anxiety, panic attacks and ocd i had regular counselling for CBT which is cognitive behavoural therapy my therapist was hands down Amazing and she made me become myself again which i never thought would be possible after living with this for 8 months.

Living with anxiety never goes away you just learn to live with it, it can come at any time in your life when you least expect it and it hangs over you like a cloud so for people around me they knew when it was present as i am so happy, outgoing, confident and very determined yet when i get anxious or panicked i become a shell of myself and hate being around people i get shy, stay quiet become emotional at everything and give off an ora to people which is very cold hearted this is why i say i am either (Sunshine or Showers) there is never an in between for me.

I am no longer on medication for anxiety or depression as i didn’t want to rely on something for the rest of my life to make me better i wanted to do it on my own having the set back a couple of weeks ago i could have called mr dr and told him and he would have gave me beta blockers or diazepam which i was on 6 years ago but instead i read my help books and the Charles Linden method book and it prompted me again to think things differently and more positively.

There is a stigma talking about these issues and i hate it because we shouldn’t feel ashamed of this as it affects more of us than we think we all suffer serious things in our life’s which we learn to cope with and become stronger for it, if you are you know someone who is living with this then know you are not alone and people do want to help as they say if you don’t ask you wont get.

Look at it this way do you want to restrict yourself from living the life you want to live than the life your anxiety is letting you live i know i didn’t want to be controlled by that and thats why i still read these help books to remind myself not to let it control me as i need to be in control and have the power.

My Tips on what i do to keep it at bay;

• Put on a film (distract yourself to not think about it)
• Go for a walk (fresh air is the best for anxiety and feeling panicked)
• Listen to music (create a playlist of your favourite songs and sing along)
• Be creative (i am a crafter and love drawing or making things i find this helps me alot)
• Go for an afternoon nap (resting throughout the day is sometimes whats needed)
• Have a relaxing bath (this make your body relax and you sleep better at night)
• Talk (tell people around you how your feeling so they can help)
• Read (self help cbt, anxiety, Charles linden books they help)
• Fight (pick fight over flight as they makes us stronger for facing our fears and anxiousness)
• Breath (take deep breaths as it feels like your having a heart attack but its the body defending whats happening)
• Positive (be as positive as you can look for the good in every day)

I do hope this has helped reading my experience with anxiety and how i try to keep it at bay or face it when it happens.

I do have a youtube channel now; natural blonde 

I was thinking of turning my experience of this in to a video on my channel let me know if you would be interested in seeing this or let me know how you deal with anxiety and panic attacks be good to hear from you.

Thanks for reading x

Designer Vs Dupes are they worth the money?

Hello everyone happy Wednesday

• Designer; clothing, shoes, bags etc are they really worth the money, good quality or are you paying for the name?
• Dupes; are they a waste of money or an affordable way to follow trends without going broke? 

Not everyone has the cash lying around or are fortunate enough to be able to splurge on those designer goods that we all love and wish we could have but just simply cant justify or afford it.

I am thats person that loves designer bags more so than the clothes as the clothes aren’t always made any better than a top you can get in a high street shop, i know this as my mum has worked in fashion for over 40 years and i know how things are made and how much they cost to make and in my opinion designer items people buy because they think its higher quality but thats not the case.

• I.e; Diesel jeans are made in the same factory that high street jeans are but sold at a higher price because its a designer brand unlike topshop or river island which are a third of the price.

Here are a few items i own or have seen great dupes of and if you cant afford those finer things or the designer bag your lusting over but need to save more than a year for then this might be of interest to you;

1st item Designer; i came across are the Gucci fur loafers which are bang on trend for ss17

Gucci Princetown Leather Loafers;

Real hibiscus Leather

Variety of colours

Real lamb fur lining

Available from; Gucci.com

rrp £715 + 

score: 4/5

1st item Dupe; i do own these and they are an affordable and a great alternative to the real ones above for less than £700.

Women’s Horse Bit Slip on Loafers;

Faux Leather

Faux fur

Variety of colours

Available from; Ebay

rrp £12.95 

score; 5/5

2nd item Designer; Chloe faye bag very popular in 2016 as seen on lots of celebrities became the IT bag of the summer.

Chloe Faye Medium bag;

Smooth Leather 

Real suede flap

variety of sizes & Colours

Available from; Harrords

rrp £1,280.00

score; 4/5

2nd item Dupe; The dupe version i’ve found is identical apart from where it says Chloe on the flap, this is a great alternative.

Velocia Chain detail flap body bag;

Faux leather

Faux suede flap

Chain detailing

Variety of colours

Available from; Yes style

rrp £30.31

score; 5/5

3rd item Designer; Eugenia Kim beach hat as seen on most bloggers and celebrities on holidays a great statement hat to accompany that bikini in the Bahamas.

Eugenia Kim Do Not Disturb sequin hat;

Embellished Do Not Disturb in Sequins

Available from; Harvey  Nichols

rrp £340.00

score; 4/5

3rd item Dupe; Statement beach straw hat great for those summer holidays at a lot more of an affordable price and who would know any different.

Lady summer sun beach floppy derby embroidered hat;

variety of colours 

embroidered detailing

Available from; Ebay

rrp £6.85

score; 5/5

4th item Designer; Gucci Dionysus bag this is the IT bag at the minute i don’t think i haven’t seen a celebrity who doesn’t own this bag, Gucci are producing lots of nice items lately and i know this wont be a bag that will be in fashion in a years time.

Gucci Dionysus bag;

Variety of sizes

Variety of colours

Tiger head fastener 

Silver chain strap

available from; Gucci.com

rrp £1,630.00

score; 5/5

4th item Dupe; If you love this bag as much as i do then you will want to get your hands on this seasonal statement piece.

Axixi snakeskin cross pink bag;

Variety of colours

Variety of sizes

Tiger head horse shape fastener

Silver chain strap

Available from; Yes style

rrp £25.56

score; 5/5

5th item Designer; Charlotte Tilbury this is a luxury makeup brand that releases beautiful packaged items loved by lots of celebrities and makeup artists.

Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze & Glow;

Light to medium

Highlighter uses light flex to give a radiance complexion

Bronzer mimics a sun kissed complexion

Available from; House of Fraser

rrp £49.00

score; 4/5

5th item Dupe; W7 bronze & Glow duo is a great dupe to the CT one above and a lot cheaper and looks identical minus the gold packaging.

W7 Hollywood bronze & glow;

Great or contouring

Highlight has a good pigmentation

Light to medium

Available from; W7 or Ebay

rrp £2.99

score; 4/5

6th item Designer; Urban Decay Naked 3 nude eyeshadow palette this sold out when it was released 4 years ago and i got my hands on 1 for Christmas, its beautifully packaged and has a selection of shimmers and pearl shadows to chose from.

Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette;

12 Nude / pink shadows

Comes with a mirror and brush

Available from; Debenhams

rrp £39.50

score; 4/5

6th item Dupe; A very similar nude eyeshadow palette by a popular affordable makeup brand which gives off the same shimmer and pigments you would get from the UD one.

Makeup Revolution iconic 3 palette;

12 Nude / pink shadows

Comes with a brush to apply but no mirror

Available from; Tam beauty.com

rrp £4.00

score; 5/5

7th item Designer; Bobbi Brown bronze shimmer brick highly used by makeup artists and professionals great for those cheekbones and sun kissed faces.

Bobbi Brown Shimmer brick bronze; 

2 bricks to chose from

Bb black packaging

5 Highlight / bronzing shades to use individually or together

Available from; House of Fraser

rrp £34.00

score; 5/5

7th item Dupe; Affordable shimmer brick more or less identical to the BB one above, great for definition on the cheekbones and a warm bronzing glow.

Makeup Revolution Vivid shimmer brick;

2 bricks to chose from

Cheaper packaging

Great highlight and bronze tones

Available from; Superdrug.com

rrp £3.00

score; 5/5

I wanted to write this blog as i know everyone thinks buying high end means it better but this isn’t the case as there are similar versions of everything we use at a lot more reasonable and affordable prices.

My advice is shop around.

Thanks for reading x

My Top 5 January Beauty Products

Happy Tuesday everyone i do hope you are all well.

As you will know i love makeup, beauty products and anything that can make me look alive and prettier.

I have bought some new makeup products this month as well as a trusty holy grail product i use all the time and swear by.

Beauty Products i am loving this month are; 

1. NIVEA POST SHAVE BALM; I was recommended to use this as a face primer before applying makeup and i am not going to lie its brilliant, in such a short space of time i have noticed a difference in my skin and how well my foundation stays on my face, its no longer oily or shinny and its a great alternative if you don’t want to spend lots of money on other primers which may not be as good.

This product is sold in most supermarkets and drugstores but i got mine from B&M bargains for £2.99.

2. PRIMARK AQUA LASH WATERPROOF BLACK MASCARA; I don’t like to buy mascara that isn’t waterproof there is nothing worse than seeing black streams coming down peoples faces when they are upset, i used to buy the Benefit They’re not real mascara but i couldn’t justify spending £17 on it every few months and it wasn’t waterproof so i started using Maybeline mascaras which are good and a lot more affordable, i recently watched a youtuber who said Primark mascara was underrated so i thought i would give it a go and so far so good, its not clumpy like some mascaras can be i do have to give my lashes a couple of coats while using this but for an everyday mascara you cant go wrong.

This Aqua lash waterproof mascara is only available in Primark stores and it retails at only £2.

3. RIMMEL MATCH PERFECTION FOUNDATION; I recently watched well known youTuber Zoella do a drugstore video and this was one of the items she had purchase and i wanted to give it ago and i am far from disappointed this foundation apply’s lovely on my skin it last most of the day easily until i take my makeup off in the evening, its comes in 12 different shades to suit a lot of skin tones and has a spf 20 in which most foundations nowadays usually have in my opinion this is a great drugstore foundation.

The Rimmel Match perfection foundations are sold at most drugstores and i got min from Boots on offer 2 Rimmel products for £10 I got the shade Classic beige due to my skin being pale at the minute this retails for £7.99.

4. COLLECTION LASTING PERFECTION CONCEALER; This is my holy grail when it comes to concealers i’ve been using this product since summer last year and i have yet to try a better concealer on the market, this is great for under the eyes and hiding those imperfections and blemishes we all tend to get, i love this product and i think majority of people i know also love it and swear by it if you have yet to try it i would highly recommend it.

The Collection concealers are available from most drugstores and even supermarkets they retail at £4.19.

5. MAKEUP REVOLUTION ROSE GOLD LIPSTICK IN CHAUFFEUR; This lipstick is something i came across by accident when looking on a website called Tam beauty which sells all makeup revolution products and freedom makeup they also had this in a matte lipstick but i chose this one instead and i’m glad i did i have nearly ran out of this and need to replace it but they are currently out of stock due to it being so popular its a nude pinky shade which every woman loves and has in her makeup collection it wears really well too and the colour is enough to wear on its own without mixing another lipstick with it i would recommend giving this ago especially for the price.

Rose Gold Chauffeur lipstick is available from Tam Beauty and Superdrug online i am yet to spot it in store this retails for £3.

That comes to the end of my January Beauty favourites let me know if you have tried these are if you can recommend other makeup for me to try and review, also if you haven’t already go and check out my YouTube channel which is going well and i am hoping to turn this blog into a video on my channel.

My YouTube channel name is; natural blonde 

Thanks for reading x

Dealing with Anxiety & Depression at work

Happy Wednesday everyone i hope you are all well.

This is something i can give my first hand experience on as i suffered with this at my last job as an Estate Agent, I read an article in the Daily Mail yesterday and I was very surprised in how many people this affects in the workplace It may pay your bills but your day job could be wrecking havoc on your mental health.

WHY DO WE ALL IN LIFE SETTLE AT SOME POINT? 

You spend most of your life at work working 40 hours a week for a low payed job to scrape by every month which leaves you struggling and has an impact on your mental health, a lot of people go off sick from work due to stress, not enjoying the job, they don’t like their boss, they are being bullied in the workplace, under too much pressure and so on.

I know what its like to HATE a job i did it for 10 months and it came to a point i couldn’t take it any longer and i QUIT! I was being paid badly less than minimum wage working for a Cooperate company doing 40 hours a week, I didn’t get on with my manager or area manager (Lets put it this I wasn’t an arse licker so because of this i was treated poorly by Managers, as i didn’t agree with how the company was run are how it treated their employees).

I used to dread getting up for work I always wanted to think of an excuse not to be there, i spend most nights driving home from work crying as i hated it that much i would tell my manager how i felt and would be ignored I got sick of being treated this way and it had a huge impact on my anxiety and health it wasn’t worth getting ill for so i left as my health was more important to me than that job was.

TELL TALE SIGNS FOR ANXIETY & DEPRESSION IN THE WORKPLACE ARE;

• DIFFICULTY SLEEPING; Waking up in the night, being restless before bed time, unable to relax in bed, having to much on your mind.
• SHORT TEMPERED; Stress has a big impact on our temper especially if we are unhappy with a situation we find it easier to lose our tempers.
• UNABLE TO CONCENTRATE; Being unable to focus on one thing for a period of time, easily distracted, lack of interest in whats going on, steering out the window more,
• UNABLE TO CARE ANYMORE; If you aren’t interested in the products or the customers or the company.
• WAKING UP WITH A FEELING OF DREAD; Alarm goes off in the morning and anxiety kicks in with reality knowing you have to go to work, not wanting to get out of bed looking for ways to get out of work and stay home.
• BEING EMOTIONAL; Getting upset easily over things that wouldn’t normally bother you, feeling sad instead of happy.
• DISTANCING YOURSELF FROM OTHERS; Not getting involved in conversations going on or planned nights out, you just want to be on your own.
• PASSION HAS GONE; You no longer like the job or enjoy going everyday, you have fell out of love with what you do or the company, you feel your being taken for granted.

If you feel like you have any of these and its due to work i would advise you to speak to a Dr and your family as this isn’t something that just goes away if you ignore it, Depression and Anxiety can have a huge impact on your life and mental health the main thing here is to look after yourselves.

Don’t let a job get you down make a change in your life and do something that will make you happy its never to late to put yourself first.

I am not suggesting that everyone should quit their jobs but if its making you miserable then don’t allow for a job to have an impact on your health.

You get one shot at life so don’t settle for less than you deserve.

Thanks for reading x

My Top 10 Tips & Advice on Buying/ Selling your house

Happy Wednesday everyone i hope you are all well,

I have decided to do a post all about my experience as an ex estate agent and wanted to give you some tips and advice on what to do.

• FIRST TIME BUYER; If your a (first time buyer) and have no clue in regards to whats involved when buying a house then i would suggest you research areas you want to live as all areas vary in house prices, Before going to look at houses make sure you have a mortgage in principle (mip) from your lender as this will only last for a maximum of 90 days depending on the mortgage lender you are using, this shows you are in a position to buy a home and can commit to proceed through the sales ladder as if you don’t have one of these you are unable to commit to make an offer on a house you have fell in love with.

• WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A HIGH STREET AGENT AND AN ONLINE AGENT? There are lots if not too many high street agents around nowadays and a lot of competition between the agents, there are good and bad points to selling with a high street agent but MY ADVICE is to go with an INDEPENDENT AGENT who aren’t a chain or ran by cooperate company as you end up paying over the top fees for very little work as they brand there name on the board outside of your home and expect you to do all the work yourself after they have charged you a 2.5% fee. An ONLINE AGENT is the new way to sell your home except they take an upfront fee of £750 and do little work for this as you do your own viewings, sale chasing and arrangements for solicitors you think your saving money but in my opinion your wasting money as it doesn’t end up working out with you and the online agents and you have to then use a high street agents.

• RESEARCH OTHER HOUSE’S FOR SALE IN THE AREA;  Always do your research before putting your house on the market to what price you can expect to achieve, look at similar house’s to your own in the area i.e (3 bedroom, 1 bath, detached, single garage, long garden etc) as this is clearer to compare yours and determine if your has more to offer or not, don’t expect to get £10k more because your kitchen cost £15k It makes NO DIFFERENCE in the valuation of the house.

• IS THERE A RIGHT TIME TO SELL YOUR HOME? Sales agents LIE when asked this question as they always say NO! but i disagree from my experience i know the summer months when its the school holidays is the slowest time for people wanting to sell or buy as they are mostly on holiday with their families or waiting until September once the children are back at school, THE BEST TIME TO SELL IS AFTER CHRISTMAS AND SPRING.

• GET AT LEAST 3 AGENTS TO VALUE YOUR HOME AND SELL YOU THERE SALES PITCH BEFORE DECIDING WHO TO USE; Agents will tell you what you want to hear they will say we have lots of people looking for a house just like yours or this will sell in no time (THIS IS ALL A SALES PITCH LIE) yes they have people on the system with a criteria matching your home but they have a smaller budget or want a different area, corner plot, closer to a school, not on a main road and so on. MY ADVICE get 3 VALUATIONS along with the fee’s for using them and let them wait until you have made a decision as agents are relentless and will ring you every hour until you pick them.

• KEEP THE AGENTS ON THEIR TOES; Make sure you are getting your monies worth from the agency you decide to use as once you have signed the contract and your house is on the market they wont do anything else for you, you will be chasing them for feedback or viewings, get the agents to do the viewings on your home as this is something you are paying them for unless you want to do your own viewings but i wouldn’t advise this, Tell them you want weekly updates on how many brochures they have sent out to people and once a viewing has taken place get them to give you feedback whether it be good or bad.

• SHOP AROUND FOR MORTGAGE RATES; All estate agents have their own mortgage advisors but they don’t always work out with the best rates for you, ask your bank first and then sit down with the agents broker as the 1st meeting is free there is no harm in shopping around (ALWAYS CHECK THE TERMS, HIDDEN FEE’S AND ANY UPFRONT PAYMENTS).

• PROFESSIONAL PHOTOS WHEN SELLING YOUR HOUSE; Packages are a huge deal with high street agents as they make more money for up selling professional photos and a video tour on Rightmove and Zoopla the company i used to work for wouldn’t sell anyones house if the homeowner didn’t decide they wanted this package which cost you an upfront fee of £250 plus 2.5% on completion of the sale, As good as professional photos look when selling your home the towel draped over the bath and pots and pans in the sink didn’t and this is a big NO NO! CLEAN UP AND TIDY THE HOUSE.

• ASK FRIEND, FAMILY AND NEIGHBOURS; If someone on your street has there home up for sale also knock on there door and ask them would they recommend their agents? The same if you know someone buying a house would they recommend who they are using to buy through (EVERYTHING NOWADAYS COME WITH RECOMMENDATION).

• THE SALES PROCESS; To sell a house there is no time limit on how fast it will sell it all depends on the house, location, the buyer , the time of year and yourselves for how motivated you are to sell, Once you have sold your home depending on who’s bought it will depend on how fast the sales progression will take here are the 3 most common examples; 

1. FIRST TIME BUYER – They have nothing to sell and have a mortgage in place to commit to the sale this will take 8-10 weeks for the sale to complete.
2. MORTGAGED – This is a buyer who is porting there existing mortgage over to the new home and this can take a little longer as they are in a chain with there buyer and this could lead to delays in the chain this will normally take 10-12 weeks (depending on the chain).
3. CASH BUYER – This is the quickest out of all sales to complete as there is less work with solicitors involved as theirs no mortgage on the property this can take no longer than 6 weeks.

This concludes my tips and advice on buying and selling your home, I hope it has helped some of you out and i am thinking of doing this blog as a video on my YouTube channel let me know if this is something you would like to see.

Thanks for reading x

Starting my own youTube channel

Happy Sunday everyone i hope you are all well.

Let me start by telling you all the NEWS I now have my own youTube channel called Natural blonde (the same name as my blog) I decided late last year that i was going to do something completely different and out of my comfort zone and start my own channel for people to watch as i love watching so many youTubers myself and thought i would give it a go, i might decide in a few months its not for me and stop making videos but for now its something i wanted to do and i am excited to start my very own youTube journey.

The reasons for me wanting to do this is for me and my confidence as when i meet people for the first time i am very confident but when it comes to filming a video for the world to watch its slightly more daunting if i over think it (which i am trying not to do) I wanted to do something for me for once as when i started my blog last year i never knew how much i would enjoy writing posts every week or how much you guys would like reading them and relate to them.

I have decided to do some videos on my channel which collate with some previous blog posts i have written for example;

• Living and working in Dubai
• Anxiety and mental health chats
• Being gluten free
• Shopping and beauty hauls

I am at the stage in my life when i don’t want to dread getting up for work in the morning or tell people i hate my boring job as i have done that for the past 14 years this is the year i do something for me and try and turn a hobby and passion into possible opportunities it might not work out for me but i am not going to let any negative people or comments stop me from doing something i want to do, negativity just fuels the fire for me as it makes me more determined to do something and succeed.

This is my first vlog which is live on youTube from Sunday 15th Jan and its a short trailer with clips and images of me and what kind of things you can expect from my channel, i decided on a trailer as when you see a new film come out you always get snippets and clips of what to expect which makes you either want to watch it or not and thats the same for my 1st video.

I have watched all the people on Youtube i am subscribed to 1st ever videos to get an idea and understanding of how far they have come on and all of them started off with nerves, not the right equipment or lighting but this comes with time and experience the same as it will for me as i have a camera, tripod, good editing software and i am relying on natural light as i am yet to invest in a good ring light.

I am not going to ramble on anymore i just hope you all take the time to have a look on my youTube channel and support me as much as you have my blog post.

I will still be writing my blogs every week on here and i am looking into working with a company to make my blog stand out more so watch this space…

Thanks for reading x 

Reflecting on the high’s and low’s of 2016

Happy Friday everybody

So the past year was one of my least favourite out of the 30 years i have been alive, so much happened that i never expected and it changed me so much as person going forward in my life.

Here’s a look back on some of the things that happened in 2016 in my life;

I quit my job and have never looked back or regretted the decision i made;

At the beginning of the year i was working as an estate agent for a well known high street agency and i hated getting up every morning working a job i hated with awful pay (which was less than minimum wage) and i had enough of the blue sky thinking cooperate crap they drill into their employees and i decided to quit my job and i have never looked back on it since, it was the best decision i have ever made, it felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders with a massive sigh of relief.

My illness was getting worse and i needed answers to what was wrong with me;

For numerous of years i have been poorly on and off with my stomach and digestive system as i struggle to eat foods and my intestines don’t digest it like a normal persons does, this was making me very unwell to the point i was drained with no energy, sick every time i ate food, tired, headaches and constant bloating, i saw so many drs and consultants last year to get answers and a clear diagnosis that everything came back normal i am still in limbo with no firm name for my illness.

We went on the best family holiday ever to my 2nd home Florida;

So every year since i was 4 we have gone to Florida for a family vacay i love America so much its my favourite place on earth the people the lifestyle the weather everything about it is better than dreary England, Me and dan had a great time and we created some amazing memories while we where there and have decided to get married there this year when we go.

We had to move out of our lovely home;

When we returned from Florida our landlord called to tell us he was selling the house we lived in and we had to look for a new place to live as he wanted to get it sold asap, this was a shock to us as we made it a lovely happy home and spent a lot of money on decorating it and making it look cosy.

Step back in time 5 years and i’ve moved back to my parents house;

I hadn’t lived with my mum and dad for 5 years so to go back to living with them but taking Dan with me and moving us both into my small single bedroom with all of our stuff would be impossible but we have made it work for us and to be honest its cosy and live able.

I became the next Mary Berry;

Due to my diet and lack of food choices i had in my life i decided to start baking all the foods i was missing out on all gluten free of course, so i started to bake cupcakes and then made some cookies, shortbread biscuits and my favourite of all things to bake is my gluten free Victoria sponge cake ands its delicious.

Losing friends that i thought where real that turned out to be fake;

So last year i learnt a hard lesson that not everybody’s like me when it comes to being a good friend and being loyal i have had to learn this the hard way, to some people it may be minor but to me loyalty is a huge thing in a person or a friend and unfortunately for me i had no choice but to cut ties with these people in my life as they took more from me than they gave.

Coping with my anxiety and mental illness again;

Suffering with a mental illness and anxiety is never easy but you learn to cope with it everyday and focus on positive things going on in your life instead of the negatives except towards the end of last year someone i care about very much was experiencing mental illness for the first time and to witness someone go through this everyday took a toll on my own mental health and i started suffering with insomnia and panic attacks due to having little or no sleep and worrying for the other person, this is something i will always live with but its back under control.

Celebrating my 30th Birthday;

On the 28th December i turned 30 even though we didn’t do anything amazing i still had a lovely day celebrating with Dan and my family with lots of lovely presents, cards and money and we will celebrate it properly when we go away in May.

So going forward with 2017 and remaining positive and happy as i believe that’s the key to living healthier and longer in life and to not look bck on the past as it’s exactly that in the past.

Thanks for reading and if you want to read my new years resolutions or other blogs remember to like, comment or follow me as i like hearing your reviews and let me know if you have a blog and ill check it out x