Beating the January Blues!

So, statistically this is the most depressing day of the year... which is a depressing statistic in itself!

I just read Louise from Sprinkle of Glitter's Blue Monday post and decided to make my own version, complete with inspiring images from Pinterest!

January is never all that much fun. Money is often tight, the excitement of Christmas and New Year is over and it's still dark, still cold and this year (for much of the country) the weather is causing everything to grind to a halt. What fun!

So, how can you cheer yourself up?

Pinterest

As ridiculous as it sounds, something I found myself doing the other day was simply thinking back over some really funny memories from the past few years in preparation for filming the Best Friend Tag with my best friend Emma. After just a couple of minutes I ended up grinning from ear to ear... what's more, I was in work at the time! Anyone who knows me knows how much I despise my part time job, I usually feel pretty miserable from the start of my shift to the finish, so the mere fact that reminiscing in my head genuinely changed how I felt during the shift is a miracle! So have a look back through old photos, or just think about a time when you were really, really happy. It really does make a difference.

Pinterest

Watch or read something that you really love. While you can only avoid reality for so long, if you're having a really rubbish day getting engrossed in your favourite book or TV programme can instantly lift your mood. It does for me, anyway!

Pinterest

Call or visit a good friend. Having a total rant to your friend about how you feel, followed up by a distracting conversation about something totally unrelated is always a good way to make you feel better. The other night, for example, Emma and I spent a good hour ranting about how rubbish things are in terms of jobs, the economy, and global news in general, followed by an hour of watching videos like this on YouTube... suffice to say, we ended the evening laughing hysterically!

Pinterest

Think really hard and you'll realise that there has been at least one good thing about the day, even if in general it has felt a bit rubbish. For me, I am planning a catch up with two of my friends tomorrow night, and later this evening I'm going to watch the season 3 finale of The Vampire Diaries (I am so far behind!!). I also had some amazing vanilla and strawberry yoghurt ice cream while watching Home and Away with my mum! These might not be hugely exciting things in themselves, but they each brightened up the day even just for a little while - so be sure to take note of the little things that put a smile on your face :)

Pinterest

Make a plan (this was also one of Louise's tips!)! Whether it's something as small as catching up with a friend (as I am tomorrow!), as big as going after a new career, or something in between, like taking up a new hobby, saving up to buy a new *insert whatever your dream purchase of the moment is here*, or looking into visiting your dream holiday destination, making a plan can make a huge difference to how you feel. Plans gives you something to look forward to, and focus on when you're feeling down :)

So that's it for my top tips for cheering yourself up on the most depressing day of the year! What are some of yours? Leave them in the comments below, and I hope you've all had a lovely 21st of January - let's turn that statistic around!!

Lynsey xxx

Dipping my Toe into the Vlogging Pond...

Yes, that's right. The vlogging pond. I'll say no more on that title!

Just a really quick post to link my recent couple of vlogs for anyone who might be interested in watching me ramble away to the camera. I've never vlogged before, but I'm actually finding that I'm really enjoying it! I do love to talk, so it's a good outlet :P Also, let me know if I talk too fast. It has occurred to me that

super sexy thumbnails... thanks YouTube!

As well as chatting about my day/travel plans, I'm planning on doing some chatty lifestyle sort of videos a la some of my favourite YouTubers, like the lovely Kathy from justkissmyfrog. I love the variety she has in terms of her videos, and there are lots and lots of them I am tempted to make videos responses to, so that's a plan for the next wee while. If anyone has any particular thoughts on topics for such videos (my university experience, career thoughts/panic attacks, tv/film reviews etc) please let me know in the comments below :)

Speaking of film reviews - Les Mis. I saw it last night and cannot possibly say enough good things about it. Possible review material right there!

Thanks for reading/watching guys, if you have any channel recommendations for me let me know - you know how I love my Youtubers :)

Lynsey xxx

Afternoon Tea Anyone?

Last week I was lucky enough to score an invite to a lovely event at the Hilton Hotel in Glasgow, organised by the lovely folks at the Scottish Blogger Events Network (SBN). The concept itself was, for obvious reasons, enough to entice me - there was going to be cake, and lots of it!

The Hilton recently opened an Afternoon Tea Lounge, and so far it has been seriously successful - last night showed me why! I met up with some other bloggers before the event, including Kirsty from SBN, and we met the others in the foyer of the hotel where we were welcomed with a lovely glass of bubbly! The lounge itself is beautiful, and after a little while of chatting we got down to the serious business. Tea and cake testing of course ;)

The Hilton offers three options for Afternoon Tea... first, is the ''Classic Afternoon Tea'' with scones, pancakes and lovely little pots of jam and cream!

Then we have the ''Confessions of a Chocoholic'' option, which includes melted chocolate with pieces of fruit and marshmallows, perfect for dipping!

And finally, we have my personal favourite, the quirky Alice in Wonderland themed ''Mad Hatters Afternoon Tea''! With cute cupcakes, sandwiches and a sweet little bottle of 'drink me' potion (bright blue but perfectly drinkable!)...

Next, we had the pleasure of taste testing the teas! The friendly staff at the Hilton brought round the gorgeous little glass jars or tea for us to have a look at and smell of, and we then chose which we wanted to test. All three of us at my table went for the Orange and Cinnamon Tea, which was lovely. We also tried some of their 'Tailored Ti' cocktail inspired by the Tea Lounge (which is, by the way, called 'Ti' - Gaelic for Tea! A nice touch for a Scottish hotel!). The cocktail includes the Blackcurrant and Lavender tea which gave it a really unique flavour! Whether it would be everyone's cup of tea (pardon the pun) I'm not sure, but I'd certainly have one !

Our tea was brought to us in beautiful little glass pots, and we were provided with a little hourglass timer, indicating the perfect time to pour your tea, whatever type you choose!

I had such a great time at this event! Not only did Kirsty and co. do a fantastic job of co-ordinating it, but the Hilton went to such an effort! The cakes, which are all made in house, looked and tasted amazing, the staff were lovely and the atmosphere was really nice and relaxed. I also had a fantastic time meeting some new bloggers, and catching up with those I have met before (I've linked all of their blogs below, let me know if I missed anyone!)! The icing on the cake was the amazing gift we were all given at the end of the night - our own cocktail making set! That's me set to hone my drink mixing skills in preparation for possible bar work in Australia!! It was a really nice gesture, and a perfect way to end the night.

All in all it was an amazing night, and I can't recommend the Ti Lounge enough. The prices are amazing - check out all the information on the Hilton website here - at just £14-£17 per person depending on the option you choose.

Hope you enjoyed that little post, thanks for reading guys :) I also talk a bit about this in my next vlog over on my YouTube channel, which will hopefully be up tomorrow!

Lynsey xxx

The Lovely Bloggers!

Kirsty (from SBN): http://www.rockit-style.blogspot.co.uk/
Iona: http://ionablogs.blogspot.co.uk/
Gemma: http://thelipglosslily.blogspot.co.uk/
Laura: http://www.alifewithfrills.co.uk/
Andii: http://www.andiijamesblog.com/
Lisa and Sami: http://www.beautyaesthetic.co.uk
Paula: http://www.prettyp33.blogspot.co.uk/
Lori: http://glasgowbeautyblogger.com/
Rebekah: http://itsakindoflovely.blogspot.co.uk/
Melissa: http://pretty-little-obsessions.blogspot.co.uk/
Wendy: http://www.thankfifi.com/
Leanne: http://leannebryson.wordpress.com/
Roisin: http://lostmyheartinwonderland.blogspot.co.uk/
Michelle: http://ananyah.com/
Emma and Mark: http://foodanddrinkglasgow.co.uk/

*Disclaimer - I was invited to this event as part of the Scottish Bloggers Network. I do not work for, and am in no way affiliated with the Hilton Hotel Group.

What's in a Name?

Image from Pinterest

Ever since I was little, one of the things I've always found trickiest in life is choosing names and titles for things. At primary and high school I loved creative writing, and would absolutely relish the entire writing process until I finished the story and then the panic would set in! I still like to write creatively to this day (not that I have done for a while!) but still, any time I attempt a script or even a short story I find myself lost when it comes to deciding what to call it.

So, that brings me to my current dilemma! I started this little blog way back in 2010, simply as a place for me to occasionally jot down some thoughts about makeup I loved or tv shows I was enjoying, not as something I was going to write regularly. The name 'Intermittent Ramblings' was really a last minute decision, and I chose it because that literally was what the posts were!

Fast forward to now, and after blogging more, especially during the first half of last year, I intend to really work at my blog this year. I want to get a custom blog design, and post at least weekly, if not every other day. Last week, I changed my blog address and name to match my YouTube channel, which is lynseymacmakeup, but it just doesn't feel right for the blog. Now I am left ploughing through 'tips for naming your blog' websites and posts, thinking up random combinations of words that somehow relate to beauty and lifestyle, and still coming up with nothing!

So, I just wondered how any of you decided on your blog name? Was it an easy process for you, or did it take a while to come up with something you really loved? If you have any ideas for a good new name for the blog of a tea drinking, american tv watching, makeup loving, fairy tale believing, about to be traveller (some of the random things I have been attempting to use to figure out a good name) please, please leave your suggestions in the comments below!! :)

Tea in my horoscope mug :)

Lynsey x x x

Getting to Know Me - The Liebster Award :)

I was really excited to see that the lovely Lynne from Cocktails and Daydreams nominated me and a few other bloggers for the Liebster Award at the weekend :)

This award is a great way of getting blogs (with under 200 followers) out there to the world, and I was thrilled to see I had been tagged to do it! The rules are as follows:

1) Write 11 facts about yourself
2) Answer the 11 questions asked by the person who nominated you
3) Choose up to 11 blogs (with less than 200 followers) and write 11 questions for them (remember to let them know you've nominated them).

11 Fact About Me!

1. I have lived in the same house for my entire life - I'm 23! - since the day I came home from the hospital when I was born. Which will make moving to Australia even more of a big change!!

2. I have a bizarre fear of/dislike of fish, and the idea of deep sea diving strikes absolute terror into me! This goes for fish as food too, seafood/sushi etc aren't my cup of tea!

3. Speaking of cups of tea, I drink about six a day depending on what I'm doing!

4. I have an Honours Degree in Film & Television Studies from Glasgow Univesity.

5. I was school captain for my year group at high school.

6. I love performing, although I haven't done it in years! I studied drama for four years at school, played Ado Annie in our production of Oklahoma and sang a solo at our end of year show.

7. I am baby daft (always have been) and definitely look forward to having my own kids one day in the future!

8. I have watched Home and Away and Neighbours with my mum every day since before I can remember - when I was really small I really just pretended to watch, because she watched them!

9. I don't have any piercings or tattoos, since I took a terrible allergic reaction to having my ears pierced when I was 12!

10. I am a ridiculous old fashioned romantic and will watch literally any rom-com or romantic movie, no matter how cheesy or predictable!

11. I have, quite possibly, the biggest sweet tooth in the world. Cake of any pretty much any kind is definitely my weakness!

11 Questions from Lynne!

1) If you had to go without lipstick or mascara for the rest of your life which could you give up?

I actually find this quite an easy question! I'd definitely go without lipstick, I have a bit of a mascara addiction haha! My eyes are my favourite feature, whereas my lips pretty much don't exist, so I tend to go for lipgloss or balm most of the time anyway.

2) What's your favourite type of blog post to write?

Chatty, rambly posts about things I've been up to - I never stop talking in person, so I end up being the same when I write!

3) What's the best holiday you've ever been on?

Ooh that's a tricky question - I had a lot of amazing family holidays to Aviemore (in the north of Scotland!) when my brother and I were kids, but I also had a fantastic time in Tenerife with my best friend in 2010 and 2011. Most recently I had a wee trip to Aviemore just with my mum, it was only two days but it was amazing, I was in definite need of a wee break and it was perfect!

Classic in the mirror while getting ready photo with my best friend Emma in 2010 ❤

4) What's your favourite TV show?

Ohhhh dear, this could take a while! I studied Film and TV at uni and I'm a television drama addict!! I'm particularly fond of American TV, so a lot of my favourite are American dramas. I don't know if I could pick between 'Lost', 'Being Erica' and '24' though, so I'm going to just call it a draw there :P And if I need cheered up, 'Black Books' or 'Arrested Development' never fail to make me laugh!

5) Are you a heels or flats girl?

I do love heels, but I'm definitely more of a flats girl, I like to be comfortable at all times and with heels I always end up with sore feet by half-way through the night!

6) Which would you rather do: go on a big night out, go for dinner and cinema, or have a night in with a takeaway and a DVD?

All three sound amazing! I think dinner and the cinema though, I love a big night out every now and again, and takeaway with dvd is always a win, but I really enjoy eating out with my friends, and with my film and tv addiction I'm always excited to go to the cinema!

7) Which Friends girls are you most like - Phoebe, Rachel or Monica?

Definitely not Monica, I am not the tidiest of people! I'd probably say I'm most like Rachel, although I love Phoebe, she's hilarious

8) What has been your biggest beauty mistake? A dodgy haircut, questionable makeup look etc

When I was 14, after having a fringe all my life, I decided it was time to grow it out! So, after months and months of growing it out, I went on holiday with my family and sat down once we were home to have a proper look at our holiday photos - I looked horrendous!! I'm just one of these people who will never, ever suit not having a fringe I'm afraid, whether it's on trend or not haha!

9) What's your favourite accent?

It's probably a cliche, but I do love an Irish accent! I really like certain American accents too, and I really like a nicely spoken Scottish accent - how patriotic of me!

10) If you were a celebrity and had to go on a reality show would you rather do Celebrity Big Brother, I'm a Celeb Get Me Out of Here, Strictly Come Dancing, or Dancing on Ice?

Well, I'm a terrible ice skater and I am not the outdoorsy type sadly, so I'll count out 'Dancing on Ice' and 'I'm a Celeb..'! I'm not the most graceful dancer but I really like Strictly, so I'm going to go for it - partly just for the amazing dresses! Maybe I'd improve with a bit of training :P

11) If you were only allowed to buy clothes from one shop/website for a year, which would it be?

I think probably H&M. To be perfectly honest I don't buy clothes all that often, I more of a makeup buyer, but when I do go out looking to spice up my wardrobe (and at a reasonable price) I can usually count on H&M to have something I like!

I Nominate...

I'm tagging the following lovely bloggers now (some of whom were also tagged by Lynne, but I'd love to see them do this tag!):

Beatrice: http://beabops.blogspot.co.uk/
Fai: http://faibassett.blogspot.co.uk/
Iona: http://ionablogs.blogspot.co.uk/
Paula: http://prettyp33.blogspot.co.uk/
Suzye: http://loveinmyheartoceansapart.blogspot.co.uk/
Laura: http://www.thelikelylady.com/

... and here are my questions!

1. What one food could you not live without?

2. If you could go back in time what era would you most like to visit?

3. Which part of your beauty routine (if you have one!) do you least enjoy (skincare, hair, makeup, nails..)?

4. What is your favourite TV show? (Lynne asked me this, but I love asking people this too since I am a self-confessed TV drama addict!)

5. If you were stranded on a desert island (and had access to food, water, medial supplies etc) what one thing would you want to have with you?

6. What was your favourite subject at school and why?

7. What is your favourite scent?

8. Who is your style icon?

9. What is your favourite social media site?

10. Who is your celebrity crush?

11. What made you bite the bullet and decide to start blogging?


I can't wait to read your responses if you have a chance to do it ladies :)

Thanks again to Lynne for nominating me, and thanks to you guys for reading!

Lynsey xxx

Some 2012 Favourites...

Hi guys! There are lots of 2012 Favourites tags and posts doing the rounds just now, but as a spur of the moment thing, having glanced around my room (which is in desperate need of a clear out before I head to Australia!) I thought I'd make one of my own simply listing a few of my personal favourite things from last year! I'm a little late on the bandwagon with this one, I know!

Favourite Makeup Product: Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation - I absolutely LOVE this foundation, and considering it is under ten pounds (sometimes only £5 when Rimmel have their special offers on!) it's a total bargain! The only downside for me is that as it is a drug store foundation the colour range isn't quite wide enough, and the palest colour (Ivory) isn't quite pale enough for me! But a bit of Illamasqua white foundation (or Barry M White Cream Foundation for a High Street buy!) sorts it out perfectly!

Favourite Nail Polish: This is a tough one but I've gone for Golden Green from the Models Own Beetle Juice collection. It's such a lovely colour, which isn't bright enough to really clash with anything, and would be equally suitable for daytime/office wear, or for a night out.

Favourite Bath/Shower Product: For the second year running, this goes to the amazing Original Source Raspberry and Vanilla Milk Shower Gel. All I'll say on this one is I'm still amazed I haven't tried to drink it. It honestly smells like some sort of delicious milkshake!

Favourite Film: Again, a tough one, but I've gone for The Artist. Technically I think it actually came out in 2011, but I didn't get to see it till January, and I adored it. It's the first film in ages that I went to see and genuinely though I could go straight back in and watch it again the minute it finished!

Favourite TV Show: I'm going to cheat here and say two different ones, because they are totally different types of show and I've loved both equally. First is Being Erica, which aired it's final episode this year at the end of season 4 *sob*. This is definitely a contender for my all time favourite TV programme (which, coming from a TV Drama obsessed Film and TV Studies Graduate, is saying something!), and if you haven't seen it I highly recommend picking up the dvds when they are cheap on amazon. You won't regret it! The other is The Vampire Diaries, featuring the sexiest cast ever on TV, and gripping storyline after gripping storyline. Need I say more?!

Favourite Book: Like so many others, I got caught up in The Hunger Games fever this year, and I absolutely loved all three of the books. My favourite, however, has to be the first book, The Hunger Games itself (by Suzanne Collins). It is one of the most unbelievably enthralling books I've read in a long time, impossible to put down and definitely one that gets you thinking.

Favourite Album: My favourite album of 2012 goes to Electra Hart by Marina and the Diamonds, who (as I mentioned in my last post) I saw on tour in June! Her lyrics are amazing, the music incredibly catchy and I just love her style. I got Taylor Swift's Red for Christmas though, and it's fantastic, so a special mention must go to it too!

Favourite Gadget: While like most people I can't imagine life without my phone, I have really loved my Kindle this year, which I got for my birthday. I never thought I'd like reading something that isn't an actual book, but I have to say my wee Kindle totally won me over, and within a day or so of having it! It's so convenient and has definitely helped get me back into reading more, which I am so pleased about. It's going to be seriously handy when I go on my travels!

Well, I think I will leave it there! Hope you enjoyed this little favourites post, let me know what some of your favourite things from 2012 were! Have you used/watched/read and loved (or hated!) anything I mentioned in this post?!

Lynsey xxx

My 2013 Adventure!

Happy New Year everyone! Hope you all had a smashing time over the festive period, with lots of good food, drink, family time and nights out :)

I can't quite get my head around the fact that it's now 2013! For a lot of people (including myself) 2012 was a bit of a non-event! It felt like a constant cycle of unpaid work experience, horrible weather and there just seemed to be an air of gloominess about it a lot of the time.

It wasn't all bad though! Highlights for me were:

My little trip to Aviemore with my mum in October - best couple of days of the year ♥

Seeing Marina and the Diamonds in ABC in Glasgow with two of my besties.

Meeting some lovely bloggers at the blogging meet ups and events I went to (including my lovely friend Gemma who I ended up working with for a few months!)

Seeing the Academy of Makeup go from strength to strength and celebrating it's first birthday in June!

And just generally spending time with my lovely friends and family - that's not really a specific highlight I realise, but I am very lucky to have them!

Now that 2012 is over, however, I have some very exciting (and scary!) plans for 2013... *drumroll please*

I'm off to Australia in March!

It's only for a few months - somewhere between three and six months - and I don't think it has properly sunk in yet that I'm going! I booked up at the end of December there with a fantastic company who help to organise working holidays (more on that in a future post) and so I fly out (on a group flight with other people doing exactly the same thing) from London at the beginning of March. I have family in Sydney and one of my best friends lives in Australia, travelling around with her Australian boyfriend, so I know there will be some friendly faces when I get there - a huge bonus for a home bird like myself.

So, since one of my 2013 resolutions is to be much better with my blog and YouTube channel, I thought I'd take you guys along for the ride! I'll try to update as often as possible, with weekly posts on good places to visit in Sydney and general working holiday adventure posts and maybe vlogs too :)

I'm going to keep updating before I go with little updates on how my planning is going! So my 2013 blog will probably drop down a little in terms of beauty related posts (which I used to be good at posting regularly, back at the start of 2012!), and be more of a lifestyle/travel journal, at least for the time I'm away from Scotland!

Anyway, I hope you are all well and are all making exciting plans for the year ahead. While it's possible to start afresh any day of the year, January always brings that 'clean slate' sort of feeling, with people making all sorts of resolutions - what are some of yours?

Thanks so much for still following me despite the massive absense in the latter half of 2012, and let's all make 2013 the best year ever!!!

Lynsey xxx