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Ally Aldridge Beauty

Tropic Opportunity Night

Opportunity Night

My local ambassador for the brand posted on Facebook that Tropic was holding an event nearby for everyone to get together and learn more about the brand (there would be freebies).  I decided that as the venue was easy to get to, it would be fun to do something grown up and for me.  Together with a friend, on Tuesday, 15 May 2018, we attended to hear about how Tropics began.

The story

Susie Ma (the founder and creator) has quite a humble beginning.  She moved to the UK and as a teen, she’d help out her mum at Camden market selling toys. Her family came from Australia and enjoyed creating their own beauty recipes with natural products.

One day, Susie bought some jam jars to market and mixed up a batch of her moisturiser and sold it at the stall for £20 a pot (this was a few decades ago and even for London that isn’t cheap) and they sold out fast!  Susie and her family realised that she was onto something and she had to make more.  Susie kept selling her jar until she had enough to help her mum buy her first home.

One of her friends told her about a TV show called The Apprentice where you pitch your product to sponsors.  Susie got on the show but didn’t win. However, Lord Alan Sugar’s wife was so taken by the cream he was encouraged to reach out to her to work on a deal.

Most retail products have to be filled with certain chemicals to retain their shelf life.  Susie didn’t want to do this as she wished to keep the products clear.  This caused a problem and they had to find another way to market the brand without retail.  Susie then went with a social selling platform.

She didn’t want her ambassadors to feel pressured into sales as she was confident her products would sell themselves.  She allows her employees to work flexibly – they can work as much or as little as they want or are able to.  This is very appealing to people with other commitments (like parents or carers) or those that wish to wind down but can’t get their state pension because the government have upped the age.  It also appeals to those that love beauty and want to support an ethical brand.

Susie likes to reward all her ambassadors and there are prizes for her team at whatever level they are at.  The ambassadors who came to the event shared with us their experience of the Glammies, free holidays and other perks for hitting a target.  All of them spoke about how they don’t feel pressured or tied in.

We were told Susie is in the process of revamping the makeup to give it a new look.  There are lots of people speculating that her next project will be a baby and child range.  Although, many guests shared what products they already use on their kids (for example, the Frangipani body wash).

Reflecting

I must admit, after hearing the heartwarming story of how Tropics began and Susie’s values, I love the brand even more.  I was very tempted to sign up as an ambassador but I am about to go on maternity leave so I think it is best I simply continue as a loyal customer for now.

If you have the ‘Think Dirty’ app, you will see that this Vegan, Organic and Cruelty-Free brand’s products are rated ‘0’ (the lowest) toxic level.

If you haven’t tried Tropic yet, you really should check them out.

My story with Tropic

If you follow my blog then you’ll be aware that I do love Tropics Organics. My first purchase was the Tropic Travel Essentials Set.  This set came with:

  • Smoothing cleanser (50ml)
  • Vitamin toner (30ml)
  • Skin revive (15ml)
  • Organic elixir (10ml)
  • Lip love balm (10ml)
  • Bamboo face cloth

All the items fit in the little travel cotton bag that comes with the set.  RRP £28

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I went on to buy the full-size versions of the cleaners, toner and moisturiser.  When I placed the order, my local ambassador had a deal on.  Everyone who placed an order that week got added to a raffle and they got 10% of all orders placed off their bill. This resulted in my getting most of my order for free!

My husband stole the moisturiser (RRP £22) and when it ran out he had the cheek to ask me to buy more.  So, when I placed my order, I decided to treat myself to the Soothe The Senses body oil (RRP £28).  My wedding flower was Frangipani so I’ve had my eye on this for a little while.   Once again, my local ambassador had a deal on!  When I received my order, I had a travel size version of the Wild Mint, Lime and Pineapple body wash and body puff.

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My husband and I fought over who the body wash belongs to (friendly banter) and when it ran out my husband placed his own order for the full-size version (RRP £10) and treated himself to the Awaken Your Senses body oil!

My next purchases will likely be one (or more) of the following:

  • Mini Body Wash Collection – RRP £14
  • Frangipani, Star Anise and Tiare Flower Body Wash – RRP £10
  • Mini Tamanu Balm – RRP £16
  • Clear Skin Blemish Fighting Mask – RRP £16

 

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Ally Aldridge Books, Review

Book Review: Lion’s Share

Author: Rachel Vincent

Lion’s Share

The Wildcat series is by one of my favourite authors, Rachel Vincent. I fell in love with The Shifter series years ago and have since sought something equally as good.

If you haven’t read The Shifter series, I highly recommend it. The first book in the series is ‘Stray’.

Lion’s Share

This is the first book in the Wild cat series.

What is the book about?

The series is a spin off from the shifter series. It has two MCs; Abby (tabby) and Jace (an acting Alpha). The werecat world has their own laws to ensure that the prides all cooperate. As tabby shifters (girl werecats) are rare, they are highly valued and protected. However, this makes life very difficult for the girls who are constantly watched by enforcers (werecats trained to protect tabby’s and enforce the law) and cannot do a lot due to their safety. Abby is very fortunate that she has been allowed to attend university (Faythe is the only tabby ever to be granted this privilege).

Skip to ”What did I think” to avoid spoilers.

How it starts

Due to a number of shifter deaths in the territory, Jace has reason to believe a group are hunting them. Jace decides to bring Abby back to the ranch for Christmas for her safety. Especially as the hunters came after Abby and her university friends in the past, killing all but her roommate. When Abby learns the council are meeting about the hunters she accepts Jace’s offer to join his enforcers even though the offer made was a compliment when she’d defended herself against hunters. Jace has to honour his word and she becomes the newest enforcer on his force.

The middle

Abby is engaged to Brian. Brian is a safe choice and she only accepted his proposal to stop the other werecats hitting on her. Sadly, they have no chemistry. The more time she spends with Jace, the more she realises she is with the wrong man and breaks off the engagement. Things get physical and steamy between the pair. Abby keeps sabotaging the missions, to the point where she has broken so many laws she is to be sent back to her family. Abby doesn’t want to go and runs away. Jace and his guys then figure out what she’s been up to… Who she is protecting.

How it ends

Abby’s roommate, Robyn, was infected by a stray when the hunters attacked them. Never has a woman survived scratch fever. Abby knows that the council would want to test Robyn and enforce their laws and world on her. Abby kept Robyn a secret to protect her from all that. Jace and his enforcers help Abby fight the hunter and save her roommate. They then have to stand trial before the council. Jace takes full responsibility for Abby’s crimes as her Alpha – he is banished to the free territory. Abby defects (quits all prides) and takes off with Jace. The free zone is very dangerous due to there being no laws but fortunately Jace has contacts as he was working with Titus to get the free zone recognised with rights. Titus takes them in.

What did I think

Read it! It is quite a steamy novel and the chemistry between the pair is sizzling. I’ve already bought the next book in the series.

The only thing I found strange is the girl on the cover is not Abby. Abby is described as a redhead with curly hair and the cover girl has sleek brown hair. The next book in the series is about the roommate, Robyn who better fits the description. I wonder if they’ve used the same model for the whole series to give a uniformed look.

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Ally Aldridge Writing

Free resources for blogging

These are the free resources I used to get me started blogging and continue to use.

Blog site

First, you need to decide on your platform. Over the years I’ve used Tumblr, Blogger, Weebly and all have been great and free.

My current favourite is Word Press. It also has a great app that is easy to use so I can make a start on my posts and publish, wherever I am.

I’ve even been thinking about paying for Word Press because I am loving it that much.

Grammarly

I was late to discovering this app and site. The service is free (you can pay extra for more features). It checks your text and advises on spelling, grammar and punctuation. I don’t always have time to use it but posts I thought were fine have still thrown up some mistakes. It’s not easy to use on my mobile though so I only use it at my PC.

LoCal

This free online calendar has a function where you can schedule tweets which I have found incredibly useful. It only works on the PC.

Canva

This site (and app) enables you to create social media images – I’m talking blog titles, novel covers, infographics, Pinterest, Facebook cover, Instagram pic, flyer, invitation, etc.

There is also a handy app for making pics so you can create whilst out and about or using pics straight from your mobile.

Google Drive

I have a spreadsheet with ideas when to schedule my posts from (although, in the future, I may use Google calendar for this). I can save articles I’ve written too and back up photos from my phone (including Canva images I saved).

Simplenote

I jot down useful info like blog post ideas or favourite fonts on Canva, etc. Everyone needs a note.

*****

What do you use?

I hope you like the resources I use and hope I’ve introduced you to something new. Do you use any of the above? What are your go to resources for blogging?

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Ally Aldridge Personal

How I got my son pedaling first try!

Today, I am going to share with you a very proud mummy moment that I am sure many parents have treasured before me.  It is the day, your little one sits on their first pedal bike and realises that they can do it.

Although, Noah got it in his first attempt we have been preparing him for his pedal bike for two years and I am going to share with you how we did that.

Balance bike

My son was 2 years old when we got him a balance bike. I got him the Yedoo Fifty (this model is now discontinued to make way for their new balance bikes).  I can’t remember the name of the store I bought from as I bough online and the company was based in London and donated old bikes to Africa.

I knew Noah would love it and. It was lightweight and easy for him to maneuver and he was whizzing around in no time.

Recommendation:  I recommend choosing a lightweight balance bike that’s easy for a young child to manage and for you to carry when their legs get tired (you may be carrying them & the bike). In addition, balance bikes teach them the skill of balancing which they need when they take to a real bike.  When choosing a balance bike you want their feet to be flat on the floor.

An alternative to a balance bike is a scooter.  Many of my friends chose a scooter for their kids due to cost, size or appeal.

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Stabilisers

I wanted to buy my son a pedal bike back in 2016 for Christmas, when he was three but his grandparents wanted to buy it. I wanted to get him a Frog 43 and offered to pay for it but they’d found a cute one with stickers and stabilisers from a high street store.

Sadly, the bike wasn’t as appealing as it looked. The stabilisers kept coming loose and causing the bike to tip. The pedals were stiff and difficult to move. My son hated using it and kept returning to his balance bike. It was redundant before Easter, collecting dust.  I was going to order him the Frog when I was made redundant so all unnecessary purchases went on hold – Noah return to his trusty balance bike.

Recommendation:   I don’t recommend stabilisers as they cause the child to rely on them to balance and changes the way they turn as tilting will cause them to tip over. In addition, cheap bikes tend to be made out of heavier materials and are difficult for young children.  The one we had took Noah from wanting a pedal bike to hating them.  Honestly, avoid them!

Pedal bike

We bought the Frog 48 from a specialist bike store (Elmy Cycles).  The store told us about a scheme where we can trade Noah’s bike in for a discount against the next size when he needs it.

The staff measured Noah to recommend the best size for him.  When choosing a pedal bike you want their feet to only just touch the floor, this encourages them to pedal instead of scoot along like on a balance bike.

I could have bough stabilisers to attach to the bike but chose not to – the staff also didn’t recommend them (for similar reasons given above).

Noah was excited to use pedals until he sat on the bike and realised it’s trickier than it looks. He wanted to place both feet on the pedals before setting off – which, doesn’t work.  We held his seat to get him started and he quickly got the idea of pedaling. We had to remind him to look where he’s going not at his feet or over his shoulder at us. We were encouraging him to start on his own with one foot on the floor and he managed it a few times – it’s something for us to work on.

Recommendation:  I do believe it is worth investing in a quality pedal bike. This bike isn’t too heavy if you end up carrying it and its light enough for a child to manage.  It was also very useful visiting a store with bike experts.  The guys at Elmy Cycles really do know their stuff and their advice was incredibly useful in making our decision.

Research

It is worth doing some research into the bike before purchasing as they aren’t cheap but you want to make sure that the one you buy will be easy for your child to use and love and be worth the money.  If it is the most expensive present you are buying them then you need to be confident that it will be the best and most used present.

I used the internet to read reviews on bikes.  One of the best websites I found was by Two Wheeling Tots.  The site is aimed for people in America but they test a number of makes and model and have universal advice for parents choosing a bike for a child.  It is a fabulous result that can save you a lot of disappointment and wasted money.

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Ally Aldridge Personal

Dry eyes

This is just a short post. I planned to photograph my old foundations and write a review on them all as an ultimate guide for pale skinned girls. Sadly, that wasn’t meant to be.

My dry eyes

Instead, I’ve been suffering with dry eyes. It feels like I’ve got something in my eye and they are on fire.

Sun lotion

At first, I thought it was sun lotion so bought a sun lotion specifically for face use. I was in a rush so I bought Malibu from Savers. It was only £2.99 and came with a lip balm. I’m not sure it meets with my ethical standards as I was in a rush but it works and it is budget friendly.

Makeup

Then, I thought perhaps I had suddenly become sensitive to my mascara so I ordered a trusted old favourite (Pacifica’s water resistant one). Lucy Rose Biz had an offer on where I got a free BB Cream if I spent £30 so I bought two mascaras (one black, one blue).

Pharmacy

Next, I thought I had hay fever as my eyes kept watering. The pharmacist said I couldn’t take anything whilst pregnant. She suggested rubbing vaseline on my nose. I don’t use vaseline. Instead, I use Akamuti’s petroleum free jelly.

Optician

Whilst seeing the Optician, I asked if they had any tips. The Optician looked at my eyes and told me she didn’t believe I have hay fever but dry eyes. She explained that after a long winter and sudden heat wave, my eyes couldn’t keep moisturised. This made sense as it was really bad on the super hot days. She gave me eye drops called artificial tears which has provided some relief.

Vampire

As a redhead, I’m used to shunning the sun like a vampire but my eyes have never been affected before.

The sun is making my eyes so sore. I treated myself to two massive sun hats from Primark (I don’t usually wear hats) and have my eye on another one from the British Heart Foundation charity shop.

My husband bought me some lovely big Lipsy sunglasses which have also helped as they are so sensitive in the day light. I feel like a vampire.

Pregnancy and dry eyes

I searched ‘Dry eyes and pregnancy’ and found it is caused by the hormones not creating tears like they usually do. It often happens during the 2nd or 3rd trimester and affects a second or greater pregnancy. Usually the symptoms go after pregnancy – let’s hope so!

Tips to deal with it are:

  • Drink more water
  • Avoid screens (Tv, PC, Tablet, Kindle, Mobile, etc)
  • Avoid air con
  • Use a humidifier
  • Wear wrap around sunglasses
  • Use artificial tears
  • Eat omega 3 (salmon, mackerel, walnuts, flax seed)
  • Use a face mist

Seriously thinking of getting a face mist and have me eye on the Caudalie one.

As a result, I haven’t written the post I wanted because I’ve been resting my eyes. Screens irritate them as much as the sun. I now drive with a tissue to dab my tears.

Here’s a pic of me out for dinner this weekend and not writing!

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Ally Aldridge Books, Review, Uncategorized

My Top 5 Board Books

TOP 5 BOARD BOOKS.png

This review is based on board books I bought for my son. I have borrowed similar books from the library but these are my own.

Board books have thick cardboard pages throughout making them very hardy.  Don’t give them to a teething baby because they can turn the cardboard to pulp! These books are great to enable your little one to build confidence in books and turning the pages.

Guess How Much I Love You

Author:  Sam McBratney

Illustrator:  Anita Jeram

This story is a classic and an excellent bedtime read. Little hare is coming up with ways to express how much he/she loves big hare. Big hare keeps coming up with something bigger. It’s where the saying ”I love you to the moon… And back” comes from.

No Matter What

Author:  Debi Gliori

If you’ve had a tough day with your little one, this is a great story about how ’no matter what’ you always love them. It’s also ideal for parents that can’t always be with their child as the last page has a beautiful message about wherever you are, you still love them.

Peace At Last

Author:  Jill Murphy

This story follows Mr Bear trying to get to sleep but everywhere is noisy. My son loved the different sounds in the story and joined in with the repetitive ”Oh no, I can’t stand THIS!”

The Snail and the Whale/Room on the Broom (box set)

Author:  Julia Donaldson

Illustrator:  Axel Scheffler

This set contains two Julia Donaldson books and would make a great gift for a child.  Her stories have a great rhyme which children enjoy hearing and a good story.

This book follows a snail that tours the world with a whale.  There are some beautiful images illustrating how vast the world is and the different climates of different countries.  When the whale gets beached, the snail saves the day – teaching that no matter how small you are, you can make a difference.

This story follows a witch that keeps dropping her things from her broom.  As she hunts for her belongings she makes new friends who join her on the broom. These friends save her when she gets into trouble with a dragon who’d like to eat her with chips. She then makes a truly magnificent broom to accommodate them all.

*****

Have you read any of these?  Is there a board book that you think I need to add to my collection – I’d love to hear your recommendations.

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Ally Aldridge Personal

TTC – Getting Pregnant

This is a very personal post that I hope will help other people that may be struggling with wanting to start a family but for whatever reason can’t.

My first TTC journey

I wanted a baby long before my other half was on-board with the idea.  I wouldn’t dream of tricking anyone into such a serious commitment and life changing decision, so, I waited patiently until he was ready…

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We bought a house, we got engaged, we got married – still, he was enjoying it being just the two of us.

I told him everything accept how badly I wanted a baby.  I didn’t want to put pressure on him to change his mind and knew it was important for him to make that choice himself.

The waiting almost killed me.  I was hid it from my husband out of fear it might guilt him into agreeing.  I went for my pill check up and broke down with my doctor.  My doctor gave me my combination pill (as I requested it) but encouraged me to talk to my husband and start a family.

Instead, I spent my evenings locked away in my bathroom, alone with my thoughts. A world without my baby wasn’t a world that felt right.  I wondered if I had missed my chance, was getting too old, perhaps I was never meant to have babies. I cried that maybe my husband would never change his mind but I couldn’t leave him – he was the one.  But,  I wasn’t sure how long I could wait for him; I was losing faith.  I felt helpless.

I began thinking of taking my life.  I didn’t want anyone in my life to know how deep my struggle ran because I didn’t want them to blame themselves when I was gone and think they could have saved me.  Even today, a lot of the closest people are likely to not be aware how bad things got for me.  My husband noticed in the evenings, I was hiding myself away and grew concerned. He encouraged me to see the doctor.  I was diagnosed me with chronic stress and offered antidepressants but turned them down because I feared if my husband might changed his mind that my body would be full of drugs, instead, I took the option of counselling.  Whilst, I waited for the referral I started talking. I confided in one of my best friend and husband. By the time the NHS was able to help me with counselling, I no longer needed it.

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My husband was ready to start trying but now needed my mind to be in a better mental state.  Once, we were both ready, I came off the pill but I was so desperate for a baby, I wanted it here 5 years ago and did everything in my power to increase my changes of falling quickly (so, I thought).

Putting pressure on myself to fall quickly, made getting pregnant more difficult.  I didn’t noticed what I was doing as I was obssessed and the need to be pregnant was all consuming.  I took folic acid, multi-vitamins, cods liver oil, hemp oil, casava-root pills, any other supplements suggested to boost fertility.  I kept a spreadsheet to keep track of what I had taken and at what point in my cycle. I took cough medicine to thin my cervical mucus.  I even imported Clomid from India. I was using pre-seed, certain sex positions, resting after sex with my legs in the air and strictly sex every other day – it made sex a chore! I was doing ovulation and pregnancy tests and dealing with the heartache of each negative result. After, 9 months I began to count down to seeing my doctor to discuss fertility options and tried to gain wait as my BMI was just below what is accepted for IVF.

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Then, I sold my house and moving stole my focus. Whilst I wasn’t focused on getting pregnant, I got pregnant.

Finally, I had my son.  I will never forget how having him has made me feel complete.  He really did save my life.  I don’t think I could have gone on much longer without him being part of my world.

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My second TTC journey

This time, I wasn’t in a rush. I was now already a mother. If Noah was all the children I’d ever have, I would be thankful for that.  My husband made me promise that I wouldn’t go crazy again.

All I did was switch my contraceptive pill for a prenatal multi vitamin and we had sex when we felt like it – we kept it fun.  I was shocked when in the first cycle I fell pregnant.

What my TTC journeys taught me:

TTC Info Graphic

If you are on your TTC journey, I wish you the best of luck. Don’t hesitate to talk to your doctor if you need help at any stage.

If you have been successful – congratulations.  What was it that worked for you?

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Ally Aldridge Beauty, Body Care, Makeup, Pip Box, Uncategorized

Review: The Pip Box (April)

What is The Pip Box?

It is a beauty subscription box with a selection of cruelty free products.  The box contains a selection of five products – skincare, body care, makeup and occasionally a sweet treat too.A donation from the cost of the box goes to an animal friendly charity (This month is Animal Free Research).    In addition, you earn loyalty points for each purchase which can then be used for money off future boxes.

Cost:  £13.50 (+£3.95 P&P) subscription, UK

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April’s The Pip Box unboxing ?

A post shared by Author Ally Aldridge (@redfae) on

What was in my box?

The box came with an information card to tell me all about the products inside and their value.

The Konjac Sponge Co:  Body Sponge (website RRP £29.00, Sheet lists price as £11.99)

This wasn’t an easy product to photograph. It’s also a product you would not expect to have won so many awards but this sponge has!

It 100% natural, biodegradable and despite being gentle it is able to deliver a deep cleanse and boost circulation.

This sounds amazing and I’m putting it in my shower right away.

Weleda: Evening Primrose Body Oil (website RRP £24.95 full size, Sheet lists price as £3.99 sample size)

I really like this brand as they’ve been creating natural products for a long time now.

It’s described as being ideal for dry/mature skin. I’m hoping that it’s going to prove beneficial for a growing pregnant tummy. I don’t suffer with stretch marks but I am living oils at the moment as a precaution.

FRUU: Colour Balm in Strawberry (website & sheet lists price as £4.99)

Wow, I wasn’t expecting the balm to be so pigmented. It’s like a lipstick but really soothing, nourishing and smells delicious.

I love the colour but saw there are more shades to try on their site! This is a brand I’ve not heard of before and pleased to discover.

Balade En Provence: Apple Hand Cream (website & sheet lists price as £9.99)

This is another new brand to me. That produce vegan skincare with natural ingredients. I think they are relatively new as there is currently only two products.

I love the cute ’apple’ shaped jar the hand cream comes in. The other product they do is a pear hand cream in a pear jar. I’m excited to try this product to see if it is as good as not looks and I want to leave it out somewhere so I can show it off to guests.

Peony Cosmetics: Pink Glow Luminizing Stick (website RRP $22.00, sheet lists price as £16.99)

It uses natural ingredients (92%), gluten free, paraben free and cruelty free.

The product had fallen out the tube when I first got it out the box. I pushed it back in the shaft and it fixed it. *phew*

The only highlighter I currently have is my RMS one and it’s almost run out. This will be a useful addition to my makeup. I’ll let you know how I get on.

Reflect on previous box

This is how I got on using the products from my March box:

Dr Botanicals:  Tropical Invigorating Cream (website RRP £29.00, Sheet lists price as £44.00)

This really light moisturizer has been a joy to use on those really hot days.  I do find I have to be ever so careful squeezing the tube as the gentlest touch will release a generous amount – either that or I am very heavy handed.  I still can’t get over how beautiful it is. I love seeing this tube in bathroom cabinet.

Saturated Colour:  Make Me Matt (website and sheet RRP £8.00) and Moisturising Lipstick – Naked Pink (website and sheet RRP £7.00)

I’ve found the ‘Make Me Matt’ quite dry so I haven’t really used it much. It is a useful product to hang onto for any occasion when I need to make a lipstick have a matt lip. However, I have been wearing the lipstick on its own, most days.  I really like the colour. It is a strong pink and very pretty.

Okko Skincare:  ‘Try me’ Natural foot balm stick (£21.00 RRP for 50g on the website, £3 on the sheet for 4.5g ‘try me’ size)

I don’t really suffer with cracked heels so I haven’t felt the need to use this product much but it was a lovely treat.  I still think I have another use left in the ‘try me’ size, I will use it again.

Raw-Ganic:  Refreshing Aloe and Green Tea Facial Wipes (£2.99 on the sheet and website)

I was planning to save these for my maternity bag but I really like it.  Especially, when I am tired at the long day and can’t be bothered to spend ages in the bathroom – I just want to go to bed. These are so quick and easy and have a nice gentle smell.  I will be buying this product again.

Would I recommend?

I am a regular subscriber to The Pip Box and never been disappointed by the contents.  I really like the new reward scheme, supporting a charity and discovering more cruelty free brands.

The hand cream looks really cute. I’ve tried the highlighter and lip balm and they are beautiful universal colours that would suit most people. I can see myself using all these products. I am really happy with what I got.

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Ally Aldridge Goals, Writing

Reflecting on NaPoWriMo

30 days of NaPoWriMo

These images are snippets from the 30 days of poems:

The challenge is over and I did it.  It’s time to reflect on how it went.

Three things I learnt:

  1. Reading the blog posts on NaPoWriMo.net has enabled me to learn so much and the prompts have challenged me to try things I wouldn’t have thought to do myself.
  2. I found posting every day a real challenge with my schedule, however, I was late only twice.  I’m really proud of what I achieved and can see the possibilities if I make time for my writing.
  3. Posting daily has increased my followers and engagement.  I hadn’t expected so much support – in fact, I feared I’d scare people off.  In addition, I have discovered new bloggers to follow.

Here are some statistics for you:

Most liked poem:  Day 15 – Grim Reaper (20 likes)

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Most commented on poem:  Day 11 – Flipped (5 comments)

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Most viewed poem:  Day 12 – Haibun (32 views)

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Increase of followers

It was so unexpected and I wish I’d paid attention to how many followers I had before I started. Each day, I have gained a few new followers. Now, I have 100 plus!

Wattpad – Poetry Collection

I have been adding the poems to a book on Wattpad to create a collection. If you’d like to read them all in one place in full, please click here.

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Would I do the challenge again?

I think I will give it another go in future but don’t think I will do it every year.  Poetry isn’t really my forte although I think it is a useful learning tool for any writer as it encourages you to think about your use of words and the English language.

I am relieved the challenge is over and the pressure of a daily post is off.  However, I am delighted at how much I produced and proved to myself that if I make time each day I can make progress on a project.  I want to apply that logic to complete another novel.  Novel writing has taken a back seat since starting my CIPD course at work so once that is finished in June, I am going to get back into novel writing.

I was pleasantly surprised by all the support from other poets and NaPoWriMo participants. I didn’t feel like I was doing the challenge alone. The increase of followers and engagement was unexpected but I am so happy to have connected with you all. Thank you – it helped keep me going.

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Ally plus text