A Beauty Gift Guide

* Some of the products featured in this post have been gifted to me. All opinions and recommendations are my own. No affiliate links have been used * 

It's the most wonderful time of the year ... gift guide season! Gift Guides are my favourite blog posts to put together and to photograph, I'm always so inspired by the pretty packaging and my love of a good gift set. I've spent weeks curating the most beautiful selection of products to share with you, I hope it helps to inspire your Christmas shopping this festive season. 

How I Grew my Instagram by 15k Followers in One Year

Instagram is a funny old thing and mastering it can seem impossible at times, especially with the constant algorithm changes. Despite this I have managed to maintain relatively steady growth on my Fridayfaye account this year - increasing by 1000-2000 followers per month and I have achieved this without using a single dodgy method - no bots, no fake followers, no pods. Unfortunately, I don’t have any magic tricks or instant growth methods to show you, but I do want to let you know the changes I have made to improve my Instagram growth with the hope that it will help you if your follower count has come to a halt.

Free Girly iPhone Wallpapers - July Edition

I've been making my own pretty iPhone wallpapers for a while now so I thought I would share some of my favourites with you. They are, of course, free to use but please keep my watermark on them if you re-share them and please don't claim them as your own creations. Open each image in a new tab by right clicking and selecting "open link in a new tab" to save the full high-res versions. Happy saving!

My 4 Step Routine for Keeping Anxious Thoughts at Bay

Anxiety has been popping in and out of my life since I had my first panic attack at 11 years old. My most recent spell hit earlier this year following the loss of my mum, it made the grieving process so much harder because I had wanted to go back to work and find distractions but it forced me to stay home and think horrible thoughts. Since then it’s been an uphill battle to get back to ‘normal’, I’m still having the occasional bad days but I feel like I'm past the worst of it now. I thought I’d share some of my ‘anxiety routines’ with you just in case they help anyone who is suffering.

How to Shoot and Edit the Perfect Flat Lay Image

I love a good flat lay image, they’re my favourites to look at and also to shoot. I’ve been flat laying for a couple of years now, and though I would never claim that my images are perfect, I have picked up a few tips and tricks that I would like to share with you, so if you’re looking to up your flat lay game then keep reading.

Switching to Natural Skincare with Urban Veda

*Sponsored post in collaboration with Fragrance Direct*

Natural skincare is becoming extremely popular, everywhere I look it seems that people are ditching the chemicals in favour of products packed with natural ingredients, which I why I was so excited when Fragrance Direct suggested that I could review some products from the brand Urban Veda.

25 Instant Mood Boosters

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts my moods have a bit all over the place this year, which I hate because I know that time spent moping around is wasted time. I’ve discovered that there are a few mini steps I can take to cheer myself up which require minimal time, money and effort, so I thought I’d share them with you.

3 Beautiful Summer Fragrances

*post contains gifted products and affiliate links*

I am weirdly proud to admit that I own more than 40 perfumes. My collection started off small and blossomed very quickly when I realised the effect that choosing a scent could have on my mood, my memories and even my confidence levels, to me there is no greater joy than when my fragrance choice matches how I’m feeling because I know that I'll be able to wear the perfume in the future and remember the amazing day I had. Here are 3 of my favourites for the summertime.

3 Ways I Will Make My Blog More Successful

Something I’ve been thinking a lot about recently is the purpose of my blog and Instagram account. Maintaining both takes up every minute of my free time, my weekends aren't mine to do what I want with - if I want to go on a short trip or even a day out shopping I have to plan for it weeks in advance because of my full-time job. Though I love being creative and taking photos, sometimes it can feel a bit like I’m working 7 days a week. Don’t get me wrong, I love creating content and I’d be lost without this little space I’ve created on the Internet, but I do wonder if I could be achieving more with my platforms. Here are some of the goals I’ve set myself for the year ahead.

My High Street Summer Wish List

*Post contains affiliate links*

As is typical with the British weather, the sunshine has decided to delay it's arrival this summertime. Unsurprisingly, the gloomy forecast hasn't stopped me from virtual shopping as if its 95 degrees outside, a girl can dream after all. Here are some of the pretty summer style bits that I've been loving from the High Street this month, fingers crossed the temperatures will soar in the next couple of weeks and I'll actually be able to buy them before they go out of season! 

Pretty Phone Wallpapers - June Edition

I've been making my own iPhone wallpapers for a while now so I thought I would share some of my favourites with you. They are, of course, free to use but please keep my watermark on them if you re-share them and please don't claim them as your own creations. Open each image in a new tab by right clicking and selecting "open link in a new tab" to save the full high-res versions. Happy saving!

5 Feel Good Movies For Gloomy Days

I've always been quite an emotional person, but this year my moods have been all over the place. I can start a day feeling positive and hopeful and end it sobbing into my pillow, which can be really difficult to deal with. In the past I haven’t been a big movie watcher, I’m a terrible fidget so I find it difficult to sit still for two whole hours, but recently I’ve discovered the power of movies for lifting my low moods into a more positive place. Here are some of my go-to feel-good watches. 

The Little Details - An Accessories Haul

*Post contains affiliate links*

Having taken an accidental 7 month break from blogging I’ve decided to make yet another come back, this time in a much clearer mental space and with a plan up my sleeve. I’ve never been able to commit to blogging before, I’ve always blamed a lack of time for my lazy posting schedule (which is somewhat a valid excuse considering it feels like I spend every hour under the sun working my full-time job), but if I’m being totally honest, the main reason was because I found my own content to be so uninspiring that I couldn’t drum up the motivation to keep posting it. I’ll admit that I would have never read my own blog in the past, but that’s going to change from now on. I’m committing to posting only content that I enjoy writing, content which contains more of my personality and comes from the heart, I hope you’ll want to follow along with my new blogging journey, I’d love to see your face around here! Now that I’ve got that off my chest let’s get into the post.