Halloween Makeup Faves

If you're looking for last-minute Halloween makeup inspiration, these incredible ladies have got you covered...

This stunning creation from makeup queen @kimberleymargarita_

Beautiful Hair Ideas That Your Bridesmaids Will Love

I've been trawling the internet over the past few weeks, gathering inspiration for my bridesmaids (see my post on bridesmaid dresses here), and I've found some absolutely stunning hairstyles which are making me rethink my choice for my own wedding-day hair! Everyone knows how easily I get bored with my hair, and how I like to go for quirky colours or styles now and again, but so far all my inspiration for the wedding has been surprisingly traditional. 

Unless they decide to go for the chop in the next 10 months, all three of my gorgeous girls will have long hair, so plenty to play with. They all look beautiful no matter how they style their hair, so luckily I know that whatever I decide to go for will look fabulous. I personally love cascading waves, half up-half down simplicity, and subtle braids added for detail. Luckily, the wonder that is Pinterest had some photos that matched those thoughts exactly...

13 Things Nobody Tells You About Having Anxiety

That little voice in your head, that heavy weight on your chest, and that cold feeling that spreads through your entire body? Just a small hint of what having anxiety is really like. Everyone experiences anxiety differently, but these are a few of my experiences...

1. It's not easy to talk about. Despite the social media campaigns and the general rise in awareness,  anxiety is still seen as 'not a real problem', even though stats show around 4.7 in every 100 adults suffer from some form of anxiety disorder in the UK.
2. Sometimes huddling under a pile of pillows and blankets with your favourite TV show on for background noise is the only thing you want to do, because it makes you feel secure. 
3. Nail biting, skin picking, and hair pulling/twirling are all very common in people who have anxiety. We know we do it, we just can't help it. Please don't point it out.
4. The smallest thing will set it off. Anything from a small mistake at work to the cashier looking at you funny in the supermarket can send you into a heart-racing panic. 
5. Pets just get it. They always seem to want a cuddle just when you need it the most. 
6. It can be paralysing. Sitting staring into space and not moving for a period of time is not uncommon. 
7. Temperature control is an issue. Hot flashes, chills, cold hands and feet but racing heart? Sounds very familiar.
8. The simple act of waking up is hard work sometimes. Waking up to a racing heart, halfway through a sentence and immediately thinking you're an hour late for work is a common occurrence.  
9. We don't mean to be clingy. Or distant. And we don't mean to fret so much about being clingy or distant. We just worry we aren't good friends, and it sometimes comes out a bit funny.  
10. We also don't mean to doubt or ignore you when you compliment us or tell us things are OK. Our brains are wired to question and fear everyday things - I really mean it when I say it's not you, it's me. Needing constant reassurance is common for anxiety sufferers.
11. Making small talk at parties can be akin to climbing Everest. It doesn't mean we're antisocial, or hate people, it just means that the voice in our heads makes small talk incredible stressful. 
12. Guilt is a familiar emotion. Guilt for cancelling a date, rearranging lunch with friends, calling in sick to work, and then guilt for feeling like you're burdening people by talking about it. 
13. It's exhausting. Intense anxiety saps your energy, and it feels like you're fighting a constant battle against yourself. It affects everything from energy levels to appetite. 

How to Manage Your Busy Life

"I'm just so busy these days!"

We've all heard it, and we've all said it. The pace of life for most of us has increased drastically, and keeping up with work, family, friends, hobbies, fitness, culture, and me-time feels like juggling chainsaws. Everyone reaches a point in life where they need to stop, take a breath, and take a step back to look at what's going on in their life. 

Bridesmaids Dress Dilemmas

Ten months to go, and the hashtag-weddingplanning is going without any hitches. (Oh God, did I just jinx myself?!) The venue, caterer, dress, band, and some decorations have all been booked, leaving me with very little to worry about. Right, brides? Right? It only gets easier from here on? I'll keep believing that...

If someone had asked me six months ago whether I thought it would be harder to choose the bridemaids dresses or my own, I know what I would have said. 'Mine, because I'm SO picky and there are so many to choose from!'

Sharing a Secret: #Blogtober Day 4

This is a tricky one since any deep, dark personal secrets (which I don't think I have any of??) aren't likely to be things I'll post about on my blog for the world wide web to read, but anything smaller (like, I hate ketchup) is super boring. 

So here's a not-very-well-kept secret that I don't really talk about because reasons. 

I had ME/CFS as a teenager, and it affected me up into my early 20s and I still suffer some of the after-effects now. It affected my energy levels, my concentration, caused depression/IBS/muscle aches/hot and cold flashes and the two I still struggle with most: migraines and anxiety. I don't like to talk about it much, and am probably still in a bit of denial, because I feel like it wasn't as hard for me as it was for others, so I shouldn't complain. And I have a high level of guilt over it as well, because it caused my parents to worry a lot.

Ridiculous, no? I spend so much of my time telling other people their feelings are valid, but don't listen to my own advice. Do as I say, not as I do...

So that's it. Short post, and I'm likely to write more about this as time goes by, but right now at least it's up on the blog and you know! 

I'm Sorry, How Much?! #Blogtober Day 3

I suppose I should preface this by saying I will NEVER win the lottery, because I don't play. I'm the girl who has some moral issues with the lottery (but that's another story), so I don't buy tickets, but still enjoy answering the age-old question of what I would do if I suddenly came into squillions. 

Here's a list:

• Move house. I love the village I live in, and the nearby villages, so I'd move to a bigger place with a bigger garden but nothing too extravagant. A library would be nice though...
• Travel, and see the world. See all the places on my bucket list: Cambodia, Peru, South Africa, Alaska, Japan, Nepal, Iceland...the list is endless. I'd love to stay in cool, off-the-grid places and experience as much as possible.
• Take my family on holiday. My parents love going to different places in Europe, and enjoy staying in pretty nice hotels, so some sort of luxury trip round Europe would be an ideal way for us to spend some quality time together and relax. 
• Visit some of the nicest restaurants around. I love good food and drink, as I mentioned in my Day 1 post, so eating at some of the best restaurants in the UK would be amazing. 
• Set up a foundation, and donate a lot to various charities. I support quite a few charities already, ranging from mental health to conservation to war victim support, so to do more for these amazing causes would be something I would give a LOT of money to. 
• Buy a farm/barn conversion and set up my own animal rescue. 

I say I'd still keep my job, but if I had the opportunity to run my own animal sanctuary and do more for charity I would absolutely do that. 

Like the t-shirt says, I just want to drink coffee, take naps, and save the world, and if winning the lottery will help then I'll start buying those tickets!

Way Back When: #Blogtober Day 2

OK so I normally don't have many photos as me as a kidlet to hand, since they aren't scanned or uploaded onto my home PCs, but since I've been planning my 30th party with one of my oldest friends, I happen to have this little gem to hand:

Me on the left, white t-shirt and cute smile. Awww, I was adorable. What happened?! Jen is next to me, in the blue, and we're having a party on Saturday to celebrate us both leaving our 20s and entering our 30s in the next month. ARGH. Where has the last decade gone?!

October Book Recommendations

I don't think a day went by last month when I didn't pick up a book or two, or didn't have Audible playing in the background. Audible has to be one of my favourite things ever, and I don't think I could live without it. (Exaggeration? Maybe, maybe not.) If you don't already know what it is, basically it's an app you download to your phone/tablet that enables you to listen to audiobooks whenever and wherever. Life-changing, for those of us who have long commutes, spend hours cooking in the kitchen, or want a distraction other than music while out running.

I went on a MAJOR Blake Crouch spree this month, after seeing Dark Matter featured on the Instagram accounts of a few book bloggers, and bought it on a whim. I love the way his books flow, every chapter is incredibly gripping and I honestly feel like a huge Wayward Pines hole has opened up in my life now that I've finished that trilogy.

If you're looking for something good to get you through the dark, chilly Octoer evenings here are my recommendations:

• Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
• Pines by Blake Crouch
• Wayward by Blake Crouch
• The Last Town by Blake Crouch
• The Martian by Andy Weir
• The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty

I also re-read a couple of chick-lit (I loathe that phrase) books for some light relief:

• Shopaholic to the Stars by Sophie Kinsella and Shopaholic to the Rescue by Sophie Kinsella. The two latest instalments in the life of Becky Bloomwood, one of my favourite characters. Fun, easy reading.
• Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend by Jenny Colgan. Not great, but not terrible. Riches-to-rags story, worth a flick through but I wouldn't rush out and buy it. 

Currently reading:

• Run by Blake Crouch
• Three Wishes by Liane Moriarty
• The House at Riverton by Kate Morton

Whatever will I do when I run out Blake Crouch? Be asking you all for recommendations I imagine!

Me, Myself and I: #Blogtober Day 1

Officially kicking off #blogtober16 by being late with my first two posts, as I was far too busy gallivanting around in rainy North Wales with no wifi to log on and update. Sorry bloggers.

Day 1: Who Are You?

If you're a regular to my blog you know me pretty well already, so I could be really lazy and link a few older posts, but that would be too easy for me, too boring for you, and not really in the #blogtober16 spirit.

So, who am I? Jeez, getting up close and personal already, are we? That's a complex question. Here are the basics:

I'm Louise, I live in North Yorkshire in the UK (the BEST county, no arguing), and I'll be 30 in 6 weeks. Mum to Cocker Spaniel Logan, who keeps me laughing most days, and witchy black cat Mickey, who just wants to be cuddled from dawn til dusk. I have a BA in Business with Marketing, and have had a few different jobs over the years, including fashion retail, recruitment and tour guide at a science museum, before finding my calling in the veterinary world. I currently work as a practice manager for four rural practices in the Yorkshire Dales, and every day is different. I've been with James for just over six years, and we're planning a wedding for next September (my to-do list keeps getting longer), which both of us are unimaginably excited for. We love to spend our time and money on trips away and good food and drink. 

I'm a passionate yogi and spend a lot of time and energy on my physical and mental health. Healthy body, healthy mind and all that. I'm also a keen runner, having only really started running this summer, and have a 10k coming up in a month, a sprint triathlon in April, and a half-marathon in spring. Aiming for the London marathon in 2018, and I'd love to do one of those wild ultra-marathons, but who knows? I'm a tad injury-prone, having recovered from two broken wrists in two years (cycling accident then snowboarding accident 18 months later), but it hasn't really stopped me from wanting to push my limits.

I have strong social, political and economic opinions, am a passionate feminist and socialist, and giant bookworm. Coffee-drinker, animal-lover, and bloody good cook.

I love summer more than anything, but as the nights draw in and Halloween approaches, I start to get excited for my favourite time of the whole year: CHRISTMAS! Nothing can beat mulled wine, wrapping presents next to a twinkling tree, going out for drinks wrapped in scarves and mittens, and spending time with family and friends. And, obviously, the constant supply of food and wine.

That's enough out of me. Happy Monday!