UPDATE | IT'S BEEN A WHILE AGAIN...

It's been almost 6 months since I last wrote a post on here and during that time so much has happened. In August I had a marketing internship in one of the biggest publishing houses in the UK Random House. I then finished my MA in Publishing at the end of September. It's been a busy last few months of 2014 and I was just so unmotivated to blog. Which has happened before and I promised it wouldn't happen again but alas it has. 

I really lost interest in reading blogs which in turn meant I lost interest in writing on mine. 

I don't have that many followers compared to other bloggers out there and that doesn't bother me so much. I think when someone decides they're going to blog they enter the blogging world with so many hopes and more often than not it doesn't live up to your expectations. I've learned that while you may not gain a huge following overnight it takes a lot of hard work and tenacity to blog on a regular basis. I take my hat off to those of you who manage to do so. 

But anyway I'm rambling. I wanted this blog to be a place that I love and can write about whatever I want on it but it started to feel like a chore. That's not what blogging should be like. So I went on hiatus and concentrated on other things. But slowly I am coming back to blogging. I've been mostly active on bloglovin liking posts etc even if I haven't actually been blogging myself.

So here I am not making promises and blogging with no expectations. :)

LOVE VANESSA xx

IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!!!

As the title says it's my birthday today and I turned 23 years old. And how do I commemorate it with a birthday selfie ha ha. ;) Whenever it's my birthday I always take the time to reflect on what I've achieved the past year. I actually had my undergraduate graduation on this day last year which was the strangest way to spend a birthday ha ha.There are so many amazing things that have happened in the last year and I feel that the next few months will be huge for me. I have made so many new life long friends, got to live in Oxford for a year and I will have finished my Masters degree which is something I'm really excited about. It means that I can work on my blog a lot more which I'm looking forward to as well. So here's to another year...

THE OPINION POST | FAN ELITISM

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I tweeted about fan elitism a couple of days ago after I read a comment on an article about Paramore and was inspired by Zoe's post she wrote today about music snobbery which you can find here. Her post got me really thinking and I came to the realization that snobbery and elitism isn't just limited to fans of music but of other things such as TV shows, comic books, actors/actresses, youtubers and even gaming. 

I'm part of a lot of fandoms and fanbases and have been for some time namely Marvel, Echelon & Star Wars as a couple of examples. All of these and even ones I'm not part of such as One Direction all have some form of elitism it seems. Either you need to have liked it for several years, or need to know everything about it etc for you to be classed as a true fan which to me is BS. Also it's come to the point where people bully or even send death threats simply because you don't like the music they like.

I've experienced it myself and it's not fun believe me, also you find yourself often having to prove you're a 'real' fan when simply liking something in my eyes makes you a fan. You don't need to know everything about it or have liked for them for years. Also for example as a Marvel/Star Wars fan you are continually disregarded as a fan if you just so happen to be female. The first true science-fiction book ever to be written was Frankenstein and that was written by Mary Shelley who is in fact a woman, so women practically invented the genre. The elitism here is redundant; gender doesn't affect your ability to like something.

I admit when I was a teenager it felt a bit like I had to prove myself a fan of certain things and often got mocked for things I liked; especially music I liked. I remember I always got mocked for liking the Killers at secondary school by boys who were my friends; admittedly I'm not so big a fan of them now. Now I'm in my 20's I don't care as much about people not liking things I do or if I don't like what they like to me it doesn't really matter.

But anyway I'm rambling now which always seems to happen ha ha.

For me I think there are several mottos to live by as a fan of something:

1. Like whatever you want to like.

2. Ignore those who mock you for liking it, who really cares if you're enjoying yourself.

3. You don't need to know everything about it.

4. Remember you'll find so many people who will appreciate you for joining their fandom/fanbase.

5. And finally just enjoy it regardless.

What do you think about fan elitism? Have you experienced it?

LOVE VANESSA xx

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

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Love this quote from Kurt Vonnegut's Timequake which you can get here.

I've decided I'm going to have various different quotes for this segment on the blog, some literary some not.

You can see quotes I have reblogged on my tumblr too here.

LOVE VANESSA xx

THE MAKEUP POST | TESTING THE EYEKO SKINNY LIQUID EYELINER

This product has been raved about by bloggers and one of my style inspirations Alexa Chung. I was lucky enough to get the Eyeko Skinny Liquid Liner free with July's Issue of Glamour.

The eyeliner claims to be smudge-proof and fade-proof, long lasting and intense single stroke colour.

Now I'm a eyeliner fiend literally only two eyeliners Collection 2000 Fast Stroke waterproof eyeliner & Max Factor Colour X-Pert waterproof eyeliner (both in black) actually manage to last a whole day without rubbing off. So I was hopeful in that the Eyeko one would be very good because of all the positive reviews and hype.

Well to be honest it's not as amazing as I thought it would be. Yes it is easy to apply but I have kind of mastered the technique of applying it after wearing eyeliner for years now. The product is very dry and I don't know if that was just my one but some people on instagram mentioned that it was dry for them too. Now that would be fine if it was highly pigmented and didn't budge. It took several coats to get a real black colour compared to the ones I usually use which require only one coat. It also rubbed off quite quickly and I found myself having to remove the eyeliner that had transferred to the top of my eyelids. I also had to put on the Max Factor one over it to make sure it didn't rub off; all in all not very good.

At the retail price of £12 I find the Eyeko Skinny Liquid Liner a little pricey for something that doesn't quite work for me so am glad I got it with the magazine. It's such a shame because I know loads of people love the product.

What do you think of the eyeliner?

LOVE VANESSA xx

THE FASHION POST | MINI SUMMER WISHLIST

This post is an entry to a competition held by Excel Clothing in conjunction with The Blogger Programme to win £500 to spend at their online store.

For me most of the time I wear quite monochromatic colours and a lot of black but when it's summertime I do wear slightly brighter colours like blue which is the focus of my mini summer wishlist.

I love the camera motifs on the dress.

Most of the time I am wearing a collared shirt if I'm in a skirt or trousers this one is quite unique.

I've been eyeing up Michael Kors bags for a while but they're slightly out of my current price range.

1. Sugarhill Boutique Ching Ching Skater Dress in Green. x

2. French Connection Holiday Block Classic Shirt in Yellow. x

3. Michael Kors Hamilton Large East West Satchel in Navy. x

If you want to enter the competition too go to this link here to see the rules and how to enter.

I'll be making another wishlist with no restrictions on brands and not as a competition entry soon.

LOVE VANESSA xx

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

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A little motivation goes a long way.

LOVE VANESSA xx