Monday Pause - Itty, bitty AW13 Haul

I always promised myself I wouldn't do a haul post... I thought, as much as I enjoy reading other people's hauls, it wasn't for me.

After a couple of weekends stuck at home, when Mr Candy said his friend was coming over to watch boxing I thought "Bugger it!" and headed into town.

I thought, whilst I was there, I might as well come back with something useful for Autumn/Winter 2013. For the first stop I made was to Primark...

Collection Wednesday - What's In My Drawers?

Despite the title this honestly isn't a post about my underwear!

The one thing I've noticed from speaking to other bloggers and reading other sites is that the main drawback of beauty and fashion blogging is the cost.

KACHING!

Every week new products are launched, new styles become on trend, the latest gadget comes out (Case in point yesterday Apple released the iPhone 5S and 5C. Do I need it? No. Do I want one? Of course!)

Despite being a real life grown up now, with a job, a mortgage and some money to spend I, like many others, cannot justify spending loads of money each week and it got me thinking.

How many things, in my make-up collection and wardrobe, were potentially overlooked when they came out?

What is Collection Wednesday?

So this is where Collection Wednesday begins. Every Wednesday I'll delve into my collection for things that float my boat, question why I ever purchased them or are just a little bit ...mehhhhhh, I like it but I don't love it!

Of course if get a new release or anything new I will no doubt shout about it but let us give a bit of loving for the old friends we currently own that are still there after the launch dies down.

This week's stars are...

Pores No More.... more cement than miracle cure

Dr Brandt's - Pores No More - Pore Refiner with Hint Of Tine - £33.15

I wanted to like this so much. I got given a tube by my hairdresser/wedding make up artist and she swore by it. The colour wasn't quite right and although the coverage was amazing initally it looked like someone has taken a trowel and slapped it on. 

The worst bit is when I had a bit of a tan and thought I'd pull it for another go I pumped it on the back of my hand and it just clumped and went an almost, peely skin consistency (see image below!)

Dr Brandt had dried right up :(

For £33.15 I wasn't expecting miracles but DO NOT LIKE.
HOWEVER this is just my personal opinion and lots of people I know love the stuff. The Pore Vacuum is really good as well. Available at FeelUnique.com

I LIKE it but I don't LOVE it

Urban Decay Primer Potion - £15

I remember when this primer was first released and it was AMAZING, every blogger swore by it and every vlogger used it in their how to's. Now I don't hate it but I just don't think it's the best. For £15 I had the original bottle and there is still quite a bit left, this is due to a couple of design flaws and thus why the packaging changed. Added to the fact the packing peels off everywhere and gets all over your face. Personally I find it useful but no more useful than using a concealer or a MAC paint pot. More often than not as well a lot of the shadows I use don't need a base (I like vivids! What can I say? :))
Available at Debenhams


Best eyeshadow pencils I have ever used!

Urban Decay - 24/7 Shadow Pencils - £12.60

I love vivid colours. It's probably why I don't wear make-up to work, I can't get away with neon pink eyeshadow in a Thursday morning meeting! These pencils are amazing and no matter what look I go for these are brought out again and again.

I bought one originally for Bestival a few years ago where I was rocking a Katy Perry costume and I picked up Clash which is a vibrant blue glitter reminiscent of felt tipping the sea in a picture when you were a kid. This stuff would not budge, which at a festival was amazing. I could wander along my merry way and not worry. 

Swatched Urban Decay 24/7 Shadow Pencils
(L-R - Narc, Mercury and Clash. With Flash)

Swatched Urban Decay 24/7 Shadow Pencils
(L-R - Narc, Mercury and Clash. Without Flash)

Shortly after I purchased Narc (a metallic khaki green with glitter) and Mercury (Metallic silver with grey tones) and they are so versatile. They can be worn on their own or provide enough base for any number of dramatic looks by working other colours into the crease and brow bone. I know when I put them on as well I don't need to worry about fall out either.

Only downsides are that they are so hard to shift you'll have trouble shifting without waterproof make-up remover and a wire brush, there are too many for me to buy all of them and also putting eyeliner on top can be quite tricky as well. Apart from that ,along with MAC shadows these are in my top 5. They are available at Debenhams.

Till Next Time
FluffyCandy
Xx

Liebster Award

I've been nominated for a Liebster Award!!! How exciting. Big thanks to Mary over at Strike A Pose for the nomination! 

The Liebster Award is a way to give new bloggers with less than 200 followers to gain more recognition, help their blogs grow and let their readers know more about them.  The Liebster Award is a really great way of sharing and discovering new blogs and bloggers.

There are 11 questions and then you give 11 facts about yourself. Then you set 11 questions for those you nominate!

Here are the questions I was given!

• If you were stuck on a desert island what three things would you take with you?

My D&G sunglasses (for the sun of course!), my iPad (fully charged of course) and lip balm

• What one item could you just not live without?

Black kohl eyeliner. I feel naked without it

• What is your favourite day of the year?

My birthday (28th August) because it's in the summer, it's my birthday and it's around the Bank Holiday so all my friends are about!

• Which fashion icon inspires your style the most?

As mentioned in a previous post is has to be to Gwen Stefani. She embodies everything that I love!

• If you had to, which TV show would you go on?

Catchphrase (if it's still about!) I always thought it was SO easy when I was at home and I could win money.

• What’s your most embarrassing moment?

When I was 12 I went on the French exchange and got my eyelid stuck in a zipper. Yeah... that was fun.

• What inspired your blog and the name you chose for your blog?

Fluffy Candy UK was my email address and username when I was a teenager. As I mention in my about me page, rather than being embarrassed of it I'm embracing it as a big part of who I am and how I came to be on the Internet.

Which 3 people would you invite to a dinner party?

Russel Brand and Stephen Fry for intelligent conversation and amusement and probably Kate Adie the war reporter, I bet she has some stories to tell!

• Whats your favourite song to dance to in front of people?

Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart. One of the most beautiful songs ever written and good times with my best friend dancing about in dingy clubs to it. 

• Whats your favourite song to dance to when no ones watching!?

The Cure - Pictures of You. It's a proper swishy swooshy song and has a lot of meaning for me so I tend to get a bit emotional when it comes on too. 

• If you could only shop in one clothes shop for the rest of your life, where would it be?

Easy River Island. Everything in there just fits so well!

11Facts About me!

1. I have a French Bulldog called Boris
2. I have been married for 10 months
3. I am half French Canadian
4. I speak fluent French... when I'm drunk
5. I've been learning to drive for nearly 5 years
6. I'm allergic to apples
7. I once interviewed Example in a little cafe in London before he was famous
8. I prefer Pizza Express to Nandos
9. I don't understand eyebrow pencil but use it all the time
10. Some of my front teeth are fake (different post, a different time!)
11. There is a 17 year age gap between my brother and sister with me. 


Now for My Questions to you!

1. 1. North or South? 
2. 2. What would you wish for if given three wishes?
3. 3. What is your party trick?
4. 4. Coca Cola or Pepsi?
5. 5. Favourite colour?
6. 6. What did you want to be when you grew up?
7. 7. Beach or forest?
8. 8. Most expensive piece of clothing you own?
9. 9. Red lips, pink lips, nude lips or other lips?
10. 10. Which beauty blogger/ YouTube Vlogger do you really admire?
11. 11.Worst beauty purchase ever?

I tag the following ( I couldn't find 11!)

The Posh Girl Club

Make Up Girly

A Pinch Of Shaz

Poppy Lovelace - Coffee & Polka Dots

YummyMummy

Miss Sarah Sparkle

Bree-Foxy of Gypsy Glitter

My Monday Pause - Having a go at blogging as a business

Slightly different tack today guys. As I mentioned in a previous post I've been blogging on Fluffy Candy for a full week now and, as far as first weeks go, it's been fantastic.

So each Monday, around lunchtime, I'm going to be doing a sort of self development, my journey post called My Monday Pause. Hopefully with a bit of advice relevant for you and also a bit of reflection on my journey as a blogger.

Starting Over

The one thing that has been really apparent this very first week is how much I've missed writing. Like REALLY missed writing.

When I was a kid all I wanted to do was be a journalist, every subject I took at school was media related, every A-Level, even my degree was in journalism. However, whether a mixture of lack of money (Living in London was SO expensive) or just the wrong timing it seemed like it was never meant to be.

Looking back now I'm sort of glad this happened, it's utterly frustrating to think that if I could have pushed on a little bit more I would have had it happen however, the path that I took not only led me to meet Mr Candy but also gave me some EXTREMELY valuable skills.

Moving To The Dark Side

I got into sales. Yep, I'm a sales person. It seemed when I first went for it like easy money and there were SO many jobs available too (there's a good reason for that! It's bloody hard!)

My first foray was at a teeny weeny office in Finchley, London, selling adverts in some magazines. This was literally the sketchiest office in the world. There was one computer between 5 people and people had made up their own names to sell ads. I wasn't there for very long (they kept forgetting to pay me) and in that time I sold adverts to Nokia and John Frieda and also got a bottle of Frangelico for coming in early and doing the vacuuming(!)

After having done my degree I assumed if I went and worked in sales at a magazine, which was an easyish job to get, that one day I would magically side step into being a journalist or writer. This is not the case. In fact it made it IMPOSSIBLE because whenever I applied for anything the advert sales side of things was deemed more valuable than my writing. 

Because at the end of the day, as much a writers and editors wax lyrical about informing consumers and business, the prizes and prestige that come along with an amazingly written piece. Magazines, TV, newspapers, websites are all businesses. More often than not the bottom line comes first even if you want the content to be key.

The Wrong Kind Of Cow
After my short stint at the strangest magazine publisher ever I then spent the next few years flitting between being a top performer at an ailing local newspaper and then dabbling into the world of b2b publishing (namely in the public sector).

I loved both jobs and hated them equally all at once. I loved being able to sell based on features and suggest features to the editorial guys. 

I hated the features coming out badly, editorial saying one thing and then doing another and then the occasional advertiser bashing that came out. 

Explaining to Mr Smith the butcher why his advert promoting British Beef is next to a 1,000 word rant about the evils of eating meat was never a fun job.

One of the worst instances of this was when I ran an advert for a local beef supplier (I sense a theme here?) who was appearing at a local food festival and thus had bought space in our official guide for the day. 

This supplier had a particular breed of cow that he specialised in. I got our art department to make up the advert and source all the pictures. Sent him the copy to proof which I got no reply from. 

In our contracts (something which I would never do myself!) was a clause that when sent it was deemed as "accepted" unless they got in contact. As deadline drew closer the guy didn't get in touch and so the ad ran as was.

On the Monday, after the food festival, I got a screaming call saying that I had ruined his business, he was laughed at by all the other butchers and I had made him the laughing stock of the local area.

All because the picture of the cow the art department had sourced had the horns pointing the wrong way.

Nightmare.

What's This Got To Do With Blogging?

Good question. The main theme from all of these events (though I'd label them incidents personally!) was a slightly incomplete feeling. I always felt I was either in the right place but doing the wrong thing or being creative and being able to express myself but in the totally wrong subject area (There is only so much excitement I can give about police pension plans....)

I had the skills but I needed an outlet that brings them all together.... and here I am a quarter life crisis, one Blogger and Twitter account and eight days later.

This is the beginning of something I've wanted to do for a long time. Having had the jobs I've done, the people I've met and the skills I've picked up along the way, these have taken to me to this point now and the question is where to go next.

I have a plan in mind and what I "envision" I'd like to be. The question is now simply getting there.

Just by reading this post and making a comment below you'll be helping me so much towards this dream. And the great thing is, success breed success! 

What I learn along the way I hope to be able to pass on to others in my position. As things develop and evolve I want to able to not only make an opportunity for myself but for others as well, whether it be advice on approaching potential advertisers, finding your own "voice" down to plain and simple supportive advice. 

If you have any questions, comments or what to learn a bit more please drop me a line either in the comments below or through my Contact Page. I'm really hot on my emails and will email you back pretty much straightaway!

Till Next Time

FluffyCandy

Xx

My Style Icon - Gwen Stefani

We all have one person who we idolise. Over the years I have loved many a celebrity and tried to emulate them through the way they dress, their make-up, even down to what they eat and drink.

However there is one celebrity who I have been, for want of a better word obsessed about from the age of about 12. She embodies so much from being a polite and respectable woman, a rocking musician holding her own in a genre dominated by guitar based groups of men, a style icon and an advocate of fashion and beauty. 

That woman is Gwen Stefani.

Starting off with a little band called No Doubt, from the 80s onward Gwen has always had her own style, her own presence and her own signature look. Everybody recognises her famous platinum blonde locks and bright red lips. 

In the early 2000s Gwen even launched her own solo music career and not one, but two fashion lines, L.A.M.B and Harajuku Lovers.

L.A.M.B was what you would consider "high-end" and retailed in places like Harvey Nichols in the UK and Nordstrom in the US. I literally would get my student loan, go out and blow £150 on a hoodie I loved her so much. Harajuku Lovers was a little bit cheaper and a little bit cuter. Sometimes, if you're lucky some turns up in TK Maxx on occasion and I've grabbed myself a couple of tees and hoodies along the way. 

Gwen performing at Wembley Arena on her Sweet Escape Tour 

GET THE LOOK

Gwen's famous red lipstick has many "dupes" and I've tried them all. MAC's Russian Red, Urban Decay's Tart Lip Gunk (sadly discontinued) however the one lipstick always sited as being her favourite is L'Oreal's Color Riche in True Red - £4.95 In fact, Gwen even was the face of L'Oreal for a while. 

 








Lamb Women's Bindi Special Occasion Heels - £63-£233.47 - 
Gwen even branched out into footwear. Click the shoe above to see some of the styles available.

   
L.A.M.B Perfume - 50mls - £12.14 - I wear this pretty much as my everday scent. It's a lovely mix of floral tones, including Sweet Pea and is really fresh and spring-like. 

If you want to take a listen to where all this started from pick up one of No Doubt's Albums and see for yourself the enigma that is Gwen Stefani!

Till Next Time 

FluffyCandy

X

August 2013 Favourites

So September is upon us again. The days draw shorter and it gets a bit colder and we start thinking about what we've done this year so far... or in the world of beauty blogs we think about what we have loved this month. This is my first ever favourites post and I've thought about what products I should include. I've tried to give a good selection of which I've been using over the month of August, plus one extra non make-up item. I would love to hear what your thoughts are on the things I've picked, any recommendations of things you think I might like or perhaps you've not enjoyed them. Please leave me a comment and blog url. I'd love to hear from you

Lush's Ocean Salt Facial Scrub - £7.25 for 100g

I love Lush. In fact the first time I became aware of a lot of the blogosphere was when I became obsessed with Lush hauls on YouTube. I have tried many of their cleansers but always end up coming back to Ocean Salt time and again.

I can't use it all the time because with the salt it's obviously quite drying. I suffer from quite a stubborn blackheady nose and this just gives me the extra push that clears them up. I guess it's kind of in the same way that your skin clears up whenever you go on holiday. It can be picked up from www.lush.co.uk

Essie - Bikini So Teeny - £7.50

Essie - Bikini So Teeny painted on

Please excuse a) my horrific lighting set-up and b) the state of my nail/painting. I've only recently got into doing my nails and, again, I've only just discovered Essie. But oh my goodness, Essie (along with OPI) is hands down one of my favourite nail brands. For cackhanded fools like myself this goes on beautifully and this shade, Bikini So Teeny, is the perfect pastel lilac for Summer into Autumn. 

In particular I've been layering with OPI's Anniversary to give this wonderful shimmery colour. You can pick them both up from Amazon from the links below. 

Essie - Bikini So Teeny  - £7.50

OPI Happy Anniversary Nail Polish - - £7.89

Avon Super Extend Eyeliner - Black - £4

Avon Super Extend Eyeliner - Felt Tip

Avon Super Extend Eyeliner - Swatched in thin and thick

Ahhh Avon! Ding dong and all that stuff. I actually tried to sell Avon earlier this year and I was pretty good at it. My current job is in sales and marketing so it was quite natural for me to pick up a bit of extra cash and a bit of extra make-up. However in the end it just ended up taking up too much of my time and the thought of roaming around the streets picking up soggy catalogues did not appeal so I stopped. However it did leave me with a legacy of some good products.

Case in point is their Super Extend eyeliner. It's a felt tip eyeliner which has a couple of different thicknesses possible dependant on how you use them. I've worn this a lot as my kohls have been melting recently and sometimes full on liquid eyeliner can be too much.

Best thing as well, it's on sale now and is only £4! Check it out at the Avon Shop by clicking here 

LipCote - £3.50

Many people's mums teach them how to use make-up. My mum never did this. She only wore lipstick, mascara and her eyebrow pencil. The one thing she ALWAYS wore was Lipcote. This has recently had a bit of a revival and a strong marketing campaign and too right. This stuff is amazing. It goes with me everywhere.

My lipsticks are bold and my routine is simple, apply, blot, LipCote. It keeps my lipstick on for hours and is great for all the weddings and events I've been to over the last few months.

Pick it up from Amazon for just £3.50 

Lipcote - £3.50

Urban Decay - Naked Skin Foundation - £24

I love Urban Decay. Along with MAC, I think it is one of my favourite make-up brands. From the moment I went to Harrods and, despite being a student, was treated to a full makeover and samples I've been hooked. 

I don't normally wear a foundation unless I'm going out and because my skin colour changes so easily I've never had much luck matching one, however earlier this month for the my birthday I promised myself I would buy myself a new foundation. Urban Decay's Naked Skin was the one I picked.

It's not cheap (£24) and I do think you have to use quite a lot. I've been using mine over a base of Stila's One Step and using a proper brush. The effect I've had has been amazing. I have OKish skin but this just makes me look really good in photos and I feel like it lasts all night. Watch out when matching it though because it can be a bit cakey. There are something like 40 different types as well so although I've linked below I would suggest finding your nearest counter and getting a few testers done.

Urban Decay - Naked Skin - 6.5 - £24
Stila One Step Correcting Serum - £21.50

And last, but by no means least, I have a piece of jewelery. I've always really liked Tatty Devine and I've got a few pieces by them. I was recently lusting over the Radiance Necklace which, although beautiful, was an eye watering £100+ for a perspex necklace. Then, whilst at the Metro Centre in Gateshead earlier this month, I spotted this. A diddy version, on sale reduced from £35 to £17.50. Obviously I snatched it up fast and I LOVE it. It's shimmery and reflects in the light and has a very long chain (Unusual for Tatty Devine necklaces) but I can honestly say that it's beautiful and I've been wearing it every chance I get.

Currently lusting over their A/W Head In The Cloud necklace now... 

I think it might be sold out now but check out Tatty Devine and for slightly cheaper on Amazon too Tatty Devine

Till next time,

FluffyCandy

X

Dry skin begone!

We all have the parts of our body that never do "quite" what we want them to. For example, I hate my ankles... or lack of therefore. I don't know whether I have too much sodium in my diet, have horrific injuries from constantly tripping over kerbs as a teenager or just am genetically predisposed not to own them.

My other big issue is my legs. I am not a big fan of my legs however when they get a bit of a tan on them (like now thanks to the brilliant weather we've been having and a back garden to lounge in) I will do my utmost to get them out. 

I've always suffered from dry skin on my legs. I think it's a mixture of them tanning quite well and wearing tights in the winter, plus the inevitable six month period  of central heating that we get in the UK but they always end up dry and flaky.

My mum always use to use coconut oil on her legs and the smell always invokes memories of her and long summer holidays in the Med. The coconut oil she used to use was, in fact, meant to be for hair believe it or not, but she swore by it for many years.

Nowadays we have a range of moisturising products at our fingertips. In the words of YouTube's Jenna Marbles I am a self confessed "goo hoarder" and my cupboards are full of half used moisturisers, body scrubs and butters that started off great but never quite made the distance.

 (Side note.. must start using some of this stuff up!!!)

That was until I read about a product called Nip+Fab Dry Leg Fix. Apparently (according to the British media anway) Jennifer Aniston swears by it and I have to say when I saw it on sale in Selfridges in Manchester I was sorely tempted to pick it up for £10.25 for 100mm. However, remembering most of my "goo" collection I resisted.

Then last year I was in Gatwick about to jet off to Mexico on honeymoon and I spotted the distinctive green and white packaging in Boots. I thought to myself "Well, it's your honeymoon... spoil yourself" What I didn't realise at the time was I had found one of my Holy Grail products.

Firstly, the scent... pistachio. Oh my god. I LOVE pistachio, it had almost a citrus tone to it as well. Application was easy it's smooth and absorbs quickly with no greasiness and a small bit goes a long way. Normally in the past I've used baby oils etc and it's been a bit of a mission to get any moisturised pay-off but with this I saw results instantly. 

I swear by this product now and I was lucky enough to get a free sample with a copy of Cosmopolitan a couple of months ago just as mine ran out. It does run out quite quickly mind as I use it every time I shave my legs.

The great thing is about this product is that there is a whole range, so if your legs aren't the problem but say your tummy, or boobs, or arms there's a fix for each one.

The only downside to this product is availability. I tend to like to go out and purchase my products in store rather than online, merely because of the delivery aspect (I work all day and nobody is in to collect packages). However where I live this isn't stocked in my local Boots and I have to just buy a couple of tubes whenever I spot it so I don't run out. Their website http://www.nipandfab.com does offer delivery and I would definitely suspend my postman worry if I was running low.

Some of the other products are available at Amazon as well which I will link below!

Till next time,

FluffyCandy

X

I ❤.....

I LOVE lipstick (or even ❤ it!) My favourite brand of lipstick has got to be MAC, purely for the sheer volume and range they have. Other brands I have in my collection are Benefit, Rimmel, Barry M and a couple of chemist brands, but if I had a birthday then MAC would be the one I’d ask for. 

So, whittling it down to just one shade was tricky. A few years ago I was OBSESSED with MAC’s signature Russian Red a bright, blue based red with a shiny sheen. I wore it every opportunity I got. 

Nowadays I love my pinks and my corals, though the red does get pulled out on the odd occasion!

What I did to come my decision is delve into my handbag to see what was in there that I used the most…. the result was…

 

MAC – Vegas Volt – Amplified finish

I ❤ this lipstick so much. It’s bright and cheery but totally works on a day time look. A lot of the Amplified lipsticks that I own (Girl About Town and Impassioned) are beautiful but only work at night. 

I wear this when I’m at work (and I don’t wear a lot of make up at work) but still wear it out and about on the town. It’s a beautiful pinky coral colour and stays on for hours. This can even be further extended by one of my products that I couldn’t live without. Lipcote.

 

I ❤ Vegas Volt

Swatched

The formulation is creamy and thick, the colour payoff is bright and immense. It’ll take a very impressive colour and/or formula to knock this off the top spot.

What are your favourite lipstick colours? 

Till next time,

FluffyCandy

X

Setting a goal and sticking to it!

Why set goals?

We all have things that we want to do in life. It could be a monetary or material goal, it could be a personal development goal like losing weight or completing a marathon. Even in our day-to-day life we have goals to get to work on time, cook something for dinner, watch a certain TV show.

I thought long and hard about what my first post should be about. I wanted to set up a blog about beauty, make-up and lifestyle as these are all things I really love and when you're starting out why not write about what you love.

Then when I sat down and thought about it lots of these popped into my mind. How would I make mine unique, how would I fund new purchases to try out if nobody was reading and it led me back to the bigger picture. Why did I want to start a blog in the first place?

My reason is quite simple, and is part of a goal that I used to focus on a lot that has fallen by the wayside over recent years. I want to write. 

Blogging gives a voice to millions of people who would not have been able to have such a creative outlet in previous years. As a teenager before the Internet really took off I would keep a diary and record my thoughts on a daily basis. Since the increase in things like YouTube, Blogger and other sites it's a lot easier to do this now. I've blogged in the past, fitfully and inconsistently and whilst I was off chasing other dreams my dream to write got buried.

How does this relate to goals and goal setting then?

Having a goal in mind isn't just something you write down and forget about. It takes time and stages, and more often than not is made up of lots of little goals.

You find out what it is you really want and then put together actions, a completion date and resources you will need. You need to take time to reassess and re-evaluate when things aren't going to plan but never losing site of the end goal.

So consider this my goal setting post. This post is the beginning of a journey I hope to take over the next year. it'll take time and I'm sure I'll make some mistakes along the way but I would love it if you could join me, share with me your goals and plans and hopefully, with a bit of luck and a bit of graft, we can do it together.

My Five Goals 

1) Building my blog - September 2014

This blog has got to be my first port of call I need to stay focused, formulate a plan and grow on it.

In twelve months time I want to be able to say I have a well designed, well thought out blog with a good subscriber base. I would love to set the goal of being able to be a blogger full time but it'll take time to see how this will pan out.

My first action to complete is to blog at least twice a week for the next month. That's four weeks, eight blog posts. Fitting this blog into my life is the first hurdle I need to overcome. Hopefully by doing this I will find my voice and my forte.

2) Pass my driving test - December 2013

(Source - http://www.smartlearners.co.uk)

I've been learning to drive now for.... god... YEARS. I, like many other aspects of my life end up stop start, stop start. I am well on the way to doing this now and am doing 2 hours of lessons per week. I would like to take a test by December 2013. I'll keep you updated with my scrapes and victories along the way (today I managed to remove my instructors hubcap FTW!)

3) Go to New York - January 2014

(Source - http://nyc.metblogs.com - Royalty Free)

I got married nearly a year ago and it's been amazing. Once upon a time I wanted to travel the world and, to some degree, I've done this. Before Mr Candy and I start thinking about the next step (Babies Eeek!) I really want to go back to New York for a week. Mr Candy would love NYC and would be able to finally buy some shoes that fit him (Size 15 UK!) I've found the deal (7 days for the two of us £1100) but now I need to do a couple of things

a) Convince Mr Candy

b) Pay for it - By my reckoning if I put it on a credit card I have 4 months to raise the cash. I'm thinking a bit of decluttering and ebaying might be in order. 

4) Get a new computer - September 2014

Ok, so NYC is my main "financial" focus at present but I am really hankering for a new computer. I've used my trusty MacBook Pro I am writing on today for close to 6/7 years now and although still functioning, it's feeling the strain. I have access to a shiny whizzy new iMac at my father-in-laws which I will no doubt be using for any photo heavy posts but, if I want to "make it" as a blogger I need to start thinking about what tools I'll need moving forward. Currently saving all my shiny silvers in a Terramundi (a sealed pot for saving that needs to be smashed before you can get the money out). Once I get to NYC this will be my next focus.

and lastly

5) Make a new blogging friend - October 2013

Whenever I watch YouTube vloggers I love I always admire (and slightly envy) the great relationships with each other. The blogosphere seems like it's filled with genuinely nice people. Now obviously you get a troll or two but I've experienced that in the past. I'm at an age now where I can brush it off a little bit better.

The great thing is about friends is you help each other out. Maybe you're someone with a similar dream? Maybe you have some useful insight to share? Who knows! Feel free to drop me a link below to your blog and we can navigate this crazy blogosphere together :)

That's all for now. I've waffled on enough, let me know if you have any goals and what your plans are to achieve them. I'd love to help you out if I can as well!

Till next time,

FluffyCandy

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