Recent Drugstore Make Up Purchases!

Hey Beauts,

Sometimes when I haven't spent money in a while, hauls like this happen. It's not necessarily something I am proud of, however most things here are something I have wanted to divulge in for a while now and deep down I am secretly so happy that I have spent the money on these beauts for myself. That is what life is. 

Essence Lip Liner in Cute Pink 07 & Maybelline ColorSensational in Mauve Mania 342
Essence Lip Liner in Femme Fatale 14 & Revlon Ultra HD in Gladiolus 875

Revlon Colorburst in Striking 240 - Vivacious 120 - Crush 005

Bourjois Blush in Golden Lilac 33 - Bourjois Bronzing Powder in 52

It all started one night whilst picking up a few cleaning essentials whilst in Wilkos. I passed the Collection stand and noticed they actually had their fair shade of the lasting perfection concealer in stock. Without hesitation I popped two of them into my basket and one of the cool medium shade as they were on 3 for 2. At £4.18 each, I couldn't complain but these have for sure gotten more expensive over the years. Whilst there I also decided on the two Essence lip liners at a steal of £1 each.

The next day I somehow ended up at Boots and bought the rest of this haul. The Revlon ColorBurst Balms are something I have been lusting over for well over a year now. They always seem to be on 3 for 2 and the two shades 120 & 005 have never been in stock at the same time. So when I found that they were, I was over the moon and at £7.99 each I can definatly say they are well worth the money. I also could not stop staring at the Revlon Ultra HD lipstick (£7.99) in this stunning red shade which smells amazingly of vanilla. 

Still speaking of lipsticks, I wanted to find a lovely mauve/taupe colour to go with my new Essence lip liner and so I decided upon a Maybelline Colorsensational Lipstick (£8.99) and whilst there I also couldn't resist picking up a SuperStay 24 Color Lippy (£8.99) as they stay on super well and I just love lipsticks. Plus Maybelline were on 3 for 2 also and I needed a new Lash Sensational (£7.99) In black.

Lastly, I decided to pick up a few face products. I really wanted to try a drugstore bronzer and I've only ever heard great things about the Bourjois bronzing powder (£7.99) and threw it in my basket without hesitation. Still at Bourjois, I spotted this beautiful little round pot blusher (£7.99) and thought it would be a perfect dupe for my beloved (& running out) NARS Orgasm blusher. I then decided this wouldn't be a complete haul without a new foundation so I settled on the Rimmel Match Perfection in 100 Ivory at £7.99. Being there I remembered I actually needed a new Stay Matte Powder in 003 Peach Glow as my current one smashed and so grabbed it at a steal of £3.99.

And that was my haul. What have you been buying lately? Have you tried any of these products? & What do you think of them? I would love to hear all of your thoughts and opinions down in the comments below. Remember if you aren't already and would like to be - You can follow on BlogLovin' and GFC so you don't miss out on any future posts.

Be happy, Be beautiful and Be YOU!

Ellie, xx

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Happy 2016, What has been going on & Resolutions!

Hey Beauts,

It's been a while hasn't it really since I have sat down and blogged regularly - well that is about to change. I am so determined this year to stick to my goals and new years resolutions. On top of that, I finally feel a calming sensation coming over my life at the moment as it has been so hectic lately, let alone for Christmas, but my partner and I have moved into a much nicer place with much nicer neighbours! More on that later... 

So because I failed so much on last years resolutions, this years are pretty much identical so let me get copy & paste out....(don't worry, I have edited them slightly)

1. To lose weight! I saw something on Facebook the other day that went 'I wish I was as skinny as the first time I wanted to lose weight' and by god it is true. I am about 6 or 7 stoner heavier than when I first wanted to lose weight, which is quite sad really seeing as how I was probably only about 12 at the time. But this year, I am so determined to feel happy about myself and whilst I don't want to lose a huge amount, I just want to feel happy and confident with myself.  

2. To blog more! I love blogging. Not only to communicate with you beauts, but to look back on my thoughts of products or memories that I would have written down. I could come up with infinite excuses to what happened to my blogging streak I once had (lots of work hours, broken computer, moving out and laziness) but now it is just about starting over and trying again with more willpower! Plus, I have much better lighting in this place than I did in my little flat. 

3. To talk to people more! I feel so bad that I am getting on with life so much that I forget to talk to friends. People that I never see anymore from back home and people that I work with on a daily basis. Even though I talk to people when I see them and everything is great, I really feel as though I should try harder at being a great friend by letting my friends know that I am thinking about them and that I love them.

4. To save more! The past few years I have just spent my money willy nilly as part of me felt as though it gave me more freedom. Almost as if 'I've earned this money so I can buy all the nice things'. However I have learnt that to grow up, I need to learn to save money, for financial security and whatnot. Or at least spend it on things that will help me along in life! 

5. To start learning to drive! I had two driving lessons once and really enjoyed them. Driving comes with it much freedom too. Not having to rely on public transport or others to give you lifts. Whilst I am not planning on getting a driving license or even a car this year, I can at least attempt to get better at driving.

I feel as though this year will be my year to shine with my new year resolutions and I think that is down to setting small yet achievable goals and not setting one massive goal for the end of the year that seems so unachievable it is unreal.

For example, for losing weight in January;

Week 1 - Just get up and move around more, not necessarily exercise, just walk to the shops and work etc..

Week 2 - Get up and do 5 minutes of high intensity exercise each day. It is only 5 minutes, It is not exactly the most difficult challenge of my life - but it will help.

Week 3 - Do 5 minutes per day as in week 2, but also two extra 25 minute low intensity workouts (maybe pilates or something).

Week 4 - Exactly the same as week 3, but push myself harder in the workouts and make the 25 minute exercises more intense.

However, this was catered for me. I'd say more about eating healthier but as of right now, we don't really have a kitchen at the moment. So I am saving the 'eating healthier' goals for February when the kitchen is in and beautiful. I cannot wait!

As for moving out again - We've moved out! We have moved into a much nicer property, a detached bungalow with lovely old neighbours. I cannot tell you how much I have missed central heating as the flat only had electric heaters. The rent is exactly the same and yet the bungalow is much much nicer and I am over the moon.

So there you have it. I hope my beauts and readers of this blog enjoyed this post - I don't really tell you much of what is going on in my life so I thought this little update was needed. I would absolutely love the hear your thoughts on new years resolutions and what yours are if you have any, so leave a comment down below letting me know. If you aren't already and would like to be, remember you can follow on BlogLovin' and GFC so you don't miss out on any future posts.

Be happy, Be beautiful and Be YOU!

Ellie, xx

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'Think Pink' - Review!

Hey Beauts,

So If you follow me on Instagram - here you will know how much I have been absolutely in love with baths at the current moment. Every night (unless I fall asleep early) I will be in the bath, reading books for hours on end and my best companion for this has been LUSH bath products!

This little beauty is called 'Think Pink', and you guessed it - It turns your bath water a lovely deep shade of pink. After a while, multi-coloured confetti hearts appear as if my magic to give your bath that extra bit of loveliness. The scent however is the best part of this bath bomb as it has an amazing scent of candy floss with a hint of vanilla and is perfect for when you're feeling all girly. Whilst I do love this bath bomb, I do think there are better bath bombs available and LUSH's bubble bars are even better. It retails at a lovely £2.65, lasts for one bath and is quite simply wonderful. 

Have you ever tried Think Pink before? If so what did you think of it? if not, what are your favourite LUSH products? and what bath products should I try next? Leave a comment down below letting me know. I hope you enjoyed this post and if you did, remember you can follow this blog on BlogLovin' and GFC so you don't miss out on any future posts.

Be happy, Be beautiful and Be YOU!

Ellie, xx

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Old Friends... - Magical Mondays!

Hey Beauts,

I don't know about you, but I am most definatly one of those people that lives for friends. I love making friends, I love spending time with friends, I love conversations with friends and I love seeing how people repay you for your friendships and react to friendships. It is just really interesting to watch. Saying that, It is common to fall out with friends and slowly lose touch with people that you absolutely love and lately I have just been getting fed up of losing friends over petty arguments or just being busy in general and not having enough time to talk to one another. Because of this, I have set myself a goal to have a conversation with at least 4 people a day (new or old) in an attempt to remind my friends that I do love them, but people just get busy.

One of my favourite sayings is 'The best type of friends are the ones where when you don't talk for ages and then when you talk again, it is like nothing has ever changed'.  Whilst I do agree with this to a certain point, I feel as though friends still need to feel appreciated in that time in between. By little conversations and wanting to spend time with each other. Being busy sometimes doesn't cut it. What I have learnt lately is by not communicating with friends, it leaves room for falseness to form. That is why it is good to talk to people.

Another thing I have been noticing a lot is the fact that technology is over taking the world. Do you remember going out and spending time with your friends? Going round a knocking on their door to see if they are free? Where technology makes it a lot easier to talk to one another, it takes away the idea of spending time together, and seeing each others smiles and happy faces while they are spending time in your company. That to me, is one of the best parts of friendship! So go and organise a meal out or a trip to the park.

I don't know, this is just what I have been thinking a lot about lately and I'm sorry if this kind of post doesn't appeal to you all that much, but friends are what makes the world go round! Do you have any tips in making friends? And are you one of those people that follows the same motto I do or do you try and talk to people as much as you can? Quite simply, what are your thoughts on this post? If you enjoyed this post and aren't already, you can follow on BlogLovin' and GFC so you don't miss out on any future posts. I hope you have a magical Monday.

Be happy, Be beautiful and Be YOU!

Ellie, xx

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Girl Online - My Thoughts!

Hey Beauts,

Zoella - one of the most subscribed youtubers there is. It is only natural for a girl with a following to this extent and that lives off the income to explore other forms of media to live off as lets face it, YouTube isn't going to last forever. Since being released, this book has received such a backlash (that I personally don't think it deserved) because of it having a ghost writer. And what? Did it stop you enjoying the story? I didn't think so.

Girl Online was great, I really enjoyed it. Especially when I had guessed what was coming next, but hadn't guessed the unexpected twists that came with it. Although parts of it were somewhat cheesy (DUH! Its a teen read), other parts took me by complete surprise. The book contained some amazing pieces of advice for not only health, but life aswell. It made me swoon, it made me grin, it even made me cry when I didn't expect too (only having ten pages left!). I just really cannot put into words how much I enjoyed reading the book! It's currently 4am writing this because I felt compelled to blog about the book, and I have just spent 4 hours in the bath reading the final 50% of the book and getting completely lost in the story.

So the book wasn't life-changing, but what do you expect from someone who isn't an author? And although the book was ghost-written, it was just a really enjoyable read. One of the lessons in the book is why say bad things about people online? You don't know their story, you probably don't even know the full story because the media has no-doubtedly manipulated the story in some way or form. So having read the book, It really puzzles me as to why so many people are annoyed and speaking out about their annoyance because of the book being ghost written. Did they even read the book? I even had a friend come round once, and pick the book up off the counter and say 'why are you reading this? It's sounds so cheesy.' and I just replied because I want to. I can't wait to tell her that I actually enjoyed it!

Anyway, I thought it was a lovely story of a girl named Penny and her life when anything she seems to do goes wrong. She learns how to get over panic attacks, how to mature beautifully and most of all - how to have confidence. Of course romance is thrown in for good measure - its a teen girl read. And some loving friends and family, but I recommend this book to anyone who just wants to read something enjoyable.

So have any of you read this book? What were your thoughts? Have you said anything bad and are now thinking twice about what you've written online? I'd love to know so let me know in the comments below. As ever, If you're loving what you're reading you can follow on GFC or BlogLovin' so you don't miss out on future posts. 

Be happy, Be beautiful and Be YOU!

Ellie, xx

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Happy 2015 & New Years Resolutions!

Hey Beauts,

So it is the first of the year again and it is time for everyone to make new year resolutions that won't be kept up (unless very lucky) and will fall to pieces after the second week of the year! I am no exception. However, like every year, the new year brings with it a handful of positivity. So here I am to tell you my New Years Resolutions! 

1. To lose weight! I actually started this one at the beginning of December as the pain of remaining the same was greater than the pain of change. Because of this I have managed to stay the same weight over Christmas (Thankfully) and eaten to my hearts content! But now Christmas is over, it's time to step it up a gear and actually lose some extra fat. I'm surrounding myself with inspiration of a summer bikini body for when I go to Florida in September. 

2. To blog more! I love blogging. Not only to communicate with you beauts, but to look back on my thoughts of products or memories that I would have written down. I could come up with infinite excuses to what happened to my blogging streak last year (lots of work hours, broken computer, moving out and laziness) but now it is just about starting over and trying again with more willpower! 

3. To have fun! Again, like last year, I just want to have fun! With Florida on the cards (for the first time ever) It is already set to be one of the best years ever.

4. To save more! Last year I just spent my money willy nilly as part of me felt as though it gave me more freedom. Almost as if 'I've earned this money so I can buy all the nice things'. However I have learnt that to grow up, I need to learn to save money, for financial security and whatnot.

5. To start learning to drive! I had two driving lessons last year and really enjoyed them. Driving comes with it much freedom too. Not having to rely on public transport or others to give you lifts. Whilst I am not planning on getting a driving license this year, I can at least attempt to get better at driving.

So what are your beauts resolutions for 2015? And how has your 2014 been? What was your favourite memory of 2014? I would love to know so leave a comment down below. If you loved reading this and want to stick by me throughout the 2015 year, follow on GFC and BlogLovin' so you don't miss out on future posts!

Have an absolutely amazing 2015 beauts, here's to 2015! :D

Be happy, Be beautiful and Be YOU!

Ellie, xx

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Cute & Dainty Bracelets!

Hey Beauts,

So the other day I saw someone post on Facebook about these bracelets that you tie on and eventually they fall off and in return you are granted a wish or good luck or something along those lines. Whilst you might be thinking I am crazy for thinking myths like that are true, you are wrong! The reason I purchased a couple are because the bracelets are absolutely adorable.  

So obviously I had to pick up an elephant because it's an elephant and I picked the red colour because it matched the red string on the dinosaur, which again is absolutely adorable! The idea behind the bracelet is cute, however quite bonkers if you don't mind me saying. The reason I purchased them though is because I am really bad when it comes to throwing things away or losing things, especially things I really like. Since purchasing these, I have lost the dinosaur and the elephant broke. For once though, I am happy about it, because I got a little bit of happiness from them and whilst I owned them, they were of course - adorable. 

To top it off, when purchasing these, in the notes to the buyer I wrote 'Do you consider these notes? If so, draw a smiley face' and when I received the package in the post, there was indeed a smiley face in the package which completely made my day! Have you ever purchased anything from TinyWishes? Don't you think these bracelets are super cute? Tell me below what you think of them, I'd love to hear your opinions and remember to follow on GFC and BlogLovin' if you aren't already! Speak to you next time :) <3 

Be happy, Be beautiful and Be YOU!

Ellie, xx

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100 MASSIVE Thank Yous!

Hey Beauts,

Today I am here with the biggest smile on my face! I have hit a milestone, can you actually believe it? I certainly cannot! I have hit 100 followers on GFC and I am so super happy right now that you can see all of my teeth! :D

Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you and thank you so much, because if it wasn't for you 100 people that have decided to follow me on GFC, I wouldn't be here where I am today! And the fact that you strangers out there can make me this happy is unbelievable! I'd really love to speak to you, not so much in a public sphere, but more on a one to one basis! So I think (if you wanted to) you should follow me on twitter send me a tweet saying you want to chat and I'll follow you back and we can direct message! The chances of any of you actually doing that are more than likely quite slim, but it would actually MAKE MY DAY if you did! :D 

So here's to 100 followers! Next up - 250! I love you beauts so much and once again, THANK YOU! Oh and that is a smiley face firework - hehehehe! As for BlogLovin' You lot are nearly at 200! Can you believe that?! :D  

Be happy, Be beautiful and Be YOU!

Ellie, xx

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The key to happiness! - Magical Mondays

Hey Beauts,

So the past few days I have just been feeling really down, It's not that I'm not happy (Because I am actually quite happy) It's just due to deadlines looming with uni work, no job and just being lazy isn't really keeping me upbeat and cheerful. So I've decided to put together a few things that will make me (and hopefully you) more cheerful on both the inside and out! Writing things down will always push me to do more things (Little list maker me) and by giving you beauts inspiration too, hopefully we can share ideas on what makes us feel good in our lives! :)

1 So my first ever magical Monday inspiration thingie ma jiggy is to look back over old photos! Photos that made you happy, when you had a smile on your face, when you mind was like 'I'm so super happy right now'. Instead of looking back and thinking 'I wish I was as happy now as I was back then', think 'I've lived a pretty happy memory'. 

This is a photo of me and a group of friends a couple of years back on holiday in Madrid (It was a pretty amazing holiday - over France, Spain, Italy & Germany). I absolutely love this picture and it brings back such amazing happy feelings from that holiday and it just makes me think of how lucky I am to have friends like these and how lucky I am to experience such an amazing time! :D Even just writing this has brought back a warm fuzzy feeling inside of me! :)

2  The second idea would be to just put on your favourite film or one you've been meaning to watch for a while. Just sit on the sofa, with your duvet, a nice drink of some sort (Mine would be a diet coke over ice), a snack or your dinner - whichever you would prefer, I'd suggest yummy food and I wouldn't think of the calories or fat or sugar, just enjoy the food. Surround yourself with extra blankets, a dog, a couple of teddy bears or your partner (whichever you'd prefer) and just settle down and enjoy the film. If you fall asleep in amongst your comfort fort, at least you can think about the early night you've had and the extra rest - perfect for diminishing those naughty under eye circles that never budge!

3 And finally, when it comes to taking pictures, I am such a happy person! Be it a selfie, nature, friends, a funny face or something random - I love seeing the beauty in everything (Even ugly beauty). So here I am sharing with you beauts a picture of me and my puppy, Spence! (He isn't a puppy). I love him to pieces! It makes me so happy just calling him up onto the bed and trying to take lots of pictures of us together! And looking back over the pictures just taken usually end up leaving me and my boyfriend in fits of giggles! As you can see, he has a pretty wonky face and is how he ended up with one of the many nick names of 'Wonky dog', but I wouldn't have him any other way! :D So just grab a camera, phone or webcam and take pictures! Who cares if you 'don't look good' in them, have fun and keep it to look back on in the future to remember the moments! :D

So what do you beauts think of magical Mondays? I decided to call it that because the thought of you deciding whether or not to be happy is quite magical! :) Do you have any ideas that I could try out? And maybe feature in future Magical Monday posts? If so, don't forget to comment down below and tell me! I love hearing of new ways to be happy and cheerful! :) Remember to follow on GFC and Bloglovin' if you don't already and stay happy!

Be happy, Be beautiful and Be YOU!

Ellie, xx

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Lazy Day!

Hey Beauts,

Not a beauty related post today, but a life style one! Today has been one of those days where I am too tired to do anything really so I have literally just been laying in bed pretty much all day reading blogs, watching YouTube videos and being lazy (Apart from walking the dog and doing a quick workout). So I thought you'd appreciate a quick picture from my laziness! 

Oh! and this morning I also had my first ever driving lesson which went way better than I ever thought It would. I didn't even stall the car so this is the main reason for that smile on my face! I really was bricking it, my tummy was all nervous and everything. One piece of advice? Don't be nervous, it's fine & really fun!

Days like these really do make me happy and I believe that you should do what makes you happy! I hope you've all had great days or are going to have a great day ahead of you (depending on when you read this) and remember to be happy!

Be happy, Be beautiful and Be YOU!

Ellie, xx

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Get to know me! - TAG Thursday

Hey beauts!

I thought I would let you get to know me better to start things off! Now there are a bunch of different 'tags' out there on the world wide web, so I closed my eyes and picked one and this was the result!

1) How do you prnounce your blog name?

Just how it's written, Elephant Stories and more.

I named it this because elephants are my favourite animal and I am an elephant. This blog will be all about my stories in life and more! Thought, opinions, etc, etc...

2) How old are you?
I am 20! I was born 15th February 1993! So a day after Valentines day! I never needed to cry for being lonely because the next day would be awesome!

3) What Nationality are you?
I am British & a quarter Irish.

4) What grade year are you in?
In Britain it is called year not grade! Haha, silly languages! I'm technically in year 16, I think! Which is my third and final year at University.

5) Do you have a job?
I do and I don't. It's a job where I work roughly February-October and then I'm jobless and have to apply for the job back. I absolutely love my job, working on the rides and recommend it highly. It's very social! I work at the theme park, Alton Towers! Such a fun job!

6) What is your eye colour?
My eye colour is blue!

7) What is your natural hair colour?
When I was younger it was blonde like in this image and slowly as I've grown up it's gone more of a mousy brown shade.

8) What type of skin do you have?
Normal to combination. My T-zone can never make up it's mind on whether it wants to be oily, normal or dry.

9) Do you have freckles?
I always say no to this question, but they randomly appear every summer without me knowing and disappear again in the winter months!

10) Do you/did you have braces?
Yep, for a whole 18 months. Painful they are.

11) What is your favourite perfume to wear?
Lovely by Sarah Jessica-Parker
Cherish by Ghost
Juicy Coture by Juicy Coture
Turquatic by MAC
Wonderstruck by Taylor Swift
Wonderstruck Enchanted by Taylor Swift

I absolutely LOVE perfumes. These are a few of my favourites as I really can't just pick one >.<

12) How long does it take you to get ready in the morning? 
That depends on what I'm doing! Anywhere from 5minutes+

5 minutes if I shower the night before and get everything ready the night before
15 minutes if I'm doing minimal make-up and got things ready the night before + snooze alarm once
1 hour if I need to shower
1 hour 30 minutes if I need to shower, do make-up and get things ready

13) Whats your favourite colour?
Aqua/Turquoise/Blue

14) Heels or Flats?
Flats, Flats, Flats with the occasional heel on a night out. I'm already 5ft9 so I wear heels when towering above everyone else seems fun!

15) Gold or Silver
White gold / silver

16) Do you have a boyfriend?
Yep, I do and I love him to bits! We've been together 3 years come April 4th 2014.

17) Do you have any siblings?
A brother named Peter, he's a year younger than me.

18) Do you have any pets? 
Yeah! The cutest dog ever! He's a mongrel, but we love him.
Here is Spence!

19) Have you ever been out of the country?
I've been to a few places,
America, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Majorca & a couple others. Travelling is fuuuuuuuuuuuuun!

20) What is something that makes you nervous?
I really hate being in crowded places. I'm also really nervous about losing the person/people I'm with in busy areas too.

So now you know me better, let me get to know you better! I tag you! Once you're done, write your blog name/link/thing down in the comments and I'll come and check your blog out! :)

Be happy, Be beautiful and Be YOU!

Ellie, xx

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A start to start all starts!

Hello 2014, my names Ellie and this is my blog! 

At this time I don't exactly know where this journey will take me but I do know one thing and that is that it will be fun. My one and only new year resolution is to have fun! If something is getting me down, making be cry or upsetting me, I will forget about it, do something that makes me happy and just be happy! 

Now when I said I only had one new year resolution I kind of lied. It has little sub categories like all the little individual fishes in a school of fish. I love to travel and this year I want to travel more be it in Britain or Europe. It's just fun to travel, explore new places and discover it's little treasures so that's that! Secondly, I would quite like to enjoy running. The thought of running right now just brings with it the idea that everyone will look at me a think 'gosh that fat chick shouldn't be running' but I'm trying not to let what others think invade my life, which bring us to number three, not to let what others think ruin what I want and enjoy to do. It's my life and if I continue to let what others think of me get me down, It won't be much fun. Fourthly, I'd like to read more. I've completely neglected reading the past two years and I miss the adventures books used to take me on and the creations and images they would create in this little brain of mine, and finally, I'd like life to be a little more organised, clean and tidy. As much of a mess my life is, if my bedroom floor is too messy for too long I will freak out, scream, shout and panic until it's cleaned up. So no more shouting from me please!

There you have it, my one new year resolution! 

Have an absolutely amazing 2014 beauts and make it one to remember! 

Be happy, Be beautiful and Be YOU!

Ellie, xx

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