Taking a break, hopefully not forever...

Okay so this might not come as a shock as my last post was over 2 months ago now. I haven't been blogging because basically I haven't felt like it. That sounds awful but thats how I feel. I need to be honest with myself and everyone but for now my blog needs to take a back seat.

I don't want to be one of those bloggers that just posts whenever I can be bothered, which right now doesn't feel like ever. I haven't felt like writing a post in so long so it seems silly to keep forcing myself when thats really not what its about. I'm not supposed to feel like that, I'm supposed to love blogging like I used to.

Recently I started a new Personal Trainer course and that has obviously had to take priority because its my career. I also had a personal issue at home concerning my health (which I won't go into) but I need to just relax and have a break. I need to focus on my health, my family and my career. 

I hope you can all understand. I might be back soon, I might be back never I haven't decided yet. I hope I can come back to this but right now I don't feel physically or emotionally able to do so. 

I am sorry, thank you for your comments, kindness and support. 

I really hope I can find the love that I lost for this little blog.

I'm still posting about my personal life on Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat @FranVaughan27. You can follow me on those.

My Erin Condren Life Planner

5 Beautiful Places I'd Love To Visit

10 Must Have Wardrobe Essentials

Affordable Skincare

A Little Stationary Wishlist

A Complete Guide To Twitter Chats

45 Life Lessons - Written By A 90 Year Old

Weekly Inspiration #2 - Dreamy Bedrooms

How To Create A Morning Routine

Why I Started Blogging, And Why Should You?

#PinkSodaSport with JD Sports ♥

Weekly Inspiration #1 - Quotes

SheInside Wish List

How to Get Blog Organised

How To Be A Bucket Filler

My Must Have Spring Nail Colours

Monthly Blogger Love - March ♥

Okay so this post didn't go very well considering that my last one was in August. Seeing as I am really back to blogging now, I figured now would be a good time to get this monthly post back up and running. I have seen so many new blogs and they need a mention, some I really have no idea why they don't have the millions of followers that they deserve. Anyways, I figured I would show my love for them this month and show off the blogs that I have really been enjoying in the month of February.

My Top Tips For New Bloggers

I have been blogging now for almost 4 years (in August) - I cannot believe it has been that long, it makes me feel quite old. I am 26 next month and I can't ever see myself giving this little beauty up any time soon. Over the years I guess I have gained some knowledge, and I have decided today I want to share that with you all.

Black & Grey With SheInside

I know Spring is supposed to be here and with it being the first day last week, we are supposed to be seeing some sunshine right? Well in England we have had a few days here and there, but nothing to write home about. Nevertheless I am still much a very black and grey kind of girl and this is usually my go to kind of outfit. 

No7 Brush Cleanser Review

Hello lovelies! Today I'm going to be talking to you all about one thing most of us girls know all about. Make-up brushes. I know not everyone uses them and for a long time I didn't either. It wasn't until I began blogging that I heard about Real Techniques and decided to buy some. These came highly recommended and I have not regretted it one bit.

Lush Henna Block Review

Just in case you haven't already guessed, I am a self confessed Lush addict. I have loved Lush since I was introduced by a friend in high school. Roughly when I was around 12-13. She loved it and now I'm completely obsessed and have been since I can remember. There used to be a few shops, the Chester one was the closest to me, so my mum used to take me now and again. Now we have two shops in Manchester and one at the Trafford Centre! 

Today I'm going to chat about one of my favourite products and why I love it, also a little bit of detail about how I use it.

Share the Love #4 ♥

Welcome back to the latest edition of my Share the Love post, if you've not seen it before this is a monthly series where I share things I've been loving this month. Things that have made me happy and hopefully I can share some love with you beautiful lot, if anyone needs a pick me up! 

Life Update

Happy Sunday Beauties!

It's been a while since I've done one of these kinds of posts, I used to really enjoy writing them. As I usually post on a Wednesday, Friday and Sunday I figured I would try and do one now and again. My Word of the Week posts (WOTW) are really important to me, I like to share my faith as its who I am. Even if not everyone necessarily agrees. So I've decided to sit down get a brew and have a good old chat with you. Looking back over the last month or so, to let you know what I've been up to and what I've been thinking about.

Essentials For My Gym Bag

As I've been at the gym so much lately, when I'm there I always take a bag and apart from the obvious water, sweat towel and gym lock there are so many other items I always have handy. Here are just some of the bits that I like to have in my gym bag, and why I feel like I need to have these.

When it comes to hunger, I am terrible for feeling super peckish and I am so tempted to reach for something easy like chocolate or crisps. So I like to have a healthy treat in my gym bag for when I'm out and about or when I first come out of the gym. Instead of eating bad stuff I usually have something full of protein like a shake or protein chia bar.

Lush Golden Handshake Review

I have been wanting to write about this product for such a long time, it has been sat by my bed  just waiting to be used. I finally got a chance to do it and my hands are definitely thanking me for it. So here are my thoughts on it!

I first popped into Lush just to get my usual Henna block to dye my hair. As usual I ended up wandering around the shop and spending half my wage. I find it impossible to just go in Lush for one thing without having a good look around. So when I spotted this little beauty near the hand creams, I snapped it up. Its the Lush Golden Handshake, which I picked up for only £2.95. I thought that was  a great price for such a good product. The Lush hand creams are great so since my hands have been really suffering this winter, I figured I may as well give it a try.

February Favourites

 As March is now upon us already (how scary is that), I figured now would be a good time to do my February favourites for last month. I've been using so many things this month that it may be a long one. So grab a cuppa and sit back and get ready for a good read.

Spring Wishlist

Spring is upon us and with so many cute items on the high street I couldn't not do a wishlist of all of those little beauties. So here are some of the picks that I have spotted whilst looking online and in stores too. With winter and autumn being my favourite seasons I'm not overly keen on it getting warmer. I love the colder months but I am also still looking forward to spring/summer. I love watching the seasons change, the gorgeous colours of spring and also it's my birthday in spring!

So here are all the lovely items I've been drooling over!

25 Things That Make Me Happy!

Whilst looking through some of my favourite blogs, I came across this post and I decided I would do my version. I love writing lists and this one just suited my mood at the moment. I got this from the lovely Steph over at Hello, Steph. Go over and check her blog out, give her a follow you won't regret it!

I know that its so easy to be miserable in todays world, all you have to do is look at the news or a paper and see the horrible things going on today. This post is all about appreciating the little things that make you happy in your day to day life. Sometimes the most simple nice things can happen, and it can make such a difference to your day. When you are nice to someone also it can do wonders for them, you can be so much happier all day long. Do a good deed and see for yourself.

I've decided to start with 25, then do another 25 in another post. So here we go!

How To Edit Your Blog Photos

Today I wanted to share a bit of a useful post. As we had a chat on Twitter not long ago about how we edit and change blog pictures, I thought I would share with you a few tips on how I edit mine and what I use. I will also be doing one of these for Instagram in the future to so watch this space if you want to see that.

I am currently using PicMonkey. I am yet to find another website which is as user friendly, and works better for me than this one. Here are the options I use and why.

When you open PicMonkey, this is the screen you will be greeted with. You can Edit, Touch Up, Design or even make a Collage. I usually head straight for the Edit Tab. I rarely use the others, other than Collage for my YouTube Thumbnails.

How To Have A Pamper Evening At Home

Sometimes there is nothing better when your feeling a bit tired or maybe even down in the dumps, than a good old pamper evening. Whether you live alone or with someone else, sometimes its good to just take some time out for yourself and give yourself a good old treat. So I thought I would write a post on my top tips and suggestions for a pamper night. If you've never done one for yourself before and are wondering what to use then look no further.

Every girl deserves a good pamper. I haven't been my best for the last week and a half, I've had tonsillitis and cold and flu. Now a lovely viral rash to finish it off nicely. So tonight I will be getting all of my favourite products together and taking care of me for a change.

How To Be #WomanKind

Do you ever feel like sometimes as a woman you can be kinder to others than yourself. Sometimes we can put ourselves down and say things about ourselves, which we would never dream of saying to others. You are not at all alone in this.

Image Sourced from Weight Watchers UK Twitter #WomanKind

Weight Watchers UK have started a campaign called #WomanKind - the research they have found is quite eye opening. 

Why I Love Adult Colouring Books

Today I'm going to show off my lovely colouring books that I have bought recently. These have become seriously popular lately, and I have a few myself. So I thought I would show you which ones I picked up.

Batiste Stylist Range Review

Another review/my thoughts post, today on another hair care product. I have been trying to take much better care of my hair in the last 6 months or so. I was terrible for damaging my hair. I would blow dry, wash, and straighten my hair every day. I never used to get it cut very often and I constantly dyed it different colours. As you can imagine this was not good, so I decided to change it up and keep my hair happy and healthy.

5 Small Healthy Changes You Can Make Today

Seeing as I've been taking my fitness/health a lot more seriously lately. I decided to share with you all  my little tips and things I've been changing in my daily routine, to help me towards my goals. These are super easy to fit into a busy routine, I work full time have a 6 year old and a house to keep in order too. So when I say I know how busy you are, I really do. So here are 5 simple things you can put into your daily routine, and feel great about it.

Share the Love #3 ♥

I started this post last year, when I wasn't really at my blogging best. I have decided to start it up again. Maybe not every week but perhaps monthly? I thought it would be the perfect day to post this on Valentines day, sharing the love! If you haven't seen this post before then this is where I share things that have made me happy, in a kind of list form. Trying to spread some kind of joy or 'Sharing the love' as it were.

My Must Have Winter Make-Up Products

Like any other girl (hopefully) I like to change my make-up now and again, and try new foundations etc. So as its been a while since I updated the blog with my current make-up, I thought I would do that today and let you all know what I've been using.

OGX Keratin Therapy Haircare Review

 I've been wanting to tell everyone about these products for so long. Today is finally the day I share my love for OGX haircare products. I'm currently using the Brazilian Keratin Therapy Range by OGX. There are so many different products and types of Shampoo & Conditioner, as well as oils and leave in sprays. Here I'm going to talk about the three I'm currently using, which include the Shampoo, Conditioner and the Flat Iron Spray.

Night out with the Girls

Sometimes you just need to let your hair down in a nice outfit to feel your best right? I went out last night with the girls/guys in Manchester Northern Quarter for some cocktails. We had a fab time, dancing the night away and trying all sorts of different drinks. I thought I'd share with you what I wore, and as I'm a budget friendly blogger, I'm going to show you that you don't need to spend a fortune to look and feel good!

Fitness Wish List

With fitness firmly on the brain this year, I have set out online and picked out a few bits from my favourite fitness retailers. Some of them are pricier than others, but as we are all on a bit of a budget most are easy to get your hands on. Here is my latest gym wish list - the fitness items I'm drooling over!

We Fitness Goals with Workwear Express

So today I'm talking about my fitness goals for this year, I have set myself the goal of getting fit and staying fit for 2016. I have been backwards and forwards in the gym for about 2 years, always beating myself up when I have a binge or don't workout. I decided to set myself the goal of changing fitness into my lifestyle rather than just a fad or one time thing. 

I want to become a stronger and healthier version of me. I'm finally happy with my body, but I just want to push myself further than ever before. 

To help me I have bought myself plenty of fitness gear to keep myself going and motivated. I will be sharing a post on what I wear to the gym in the near future.

I was kindly contacted by Workwear Express and asked to get involved with their #wefitnessgoals campaign. This was right up my street and I jumped at the chance.

Welcome to 2016!

So thats it guys 2015 is over and we are into a fresh new year.