four thousand.

Four thousand. Four thousand of you. Wow!

You may have noticed (as I got highly excited about it on Twitter) that last week my blog hit 4k followers on Bloglovin.


This totally gave me a 'high-five myself' moment. I have been blogging for 2 and a half years now and it has become my biggest hobby and most treasured passion.
I really do struggle to remember what I used to do with my spare time before I started this, like seriously what did I use the internet for?!

I'm starting to feel really proud that all hours and hours I put into this site is actually giving people out there some enjoyment, so much so that they will come back again and again.

I cannot thank you enough for this. Yes I started blogging for myself, but knowing other people want to read what I'm rambling on about makes me work so much harder.
If you're not a blogger I will tell you now.... blogging IS hard work. 
You may look at it as a few pretty pictures, being giving products to review and talking with friends on Twitter most nights but the amount of time I spend creating my content is... well kind of shocking. (just ask my boyfriend who thinks I'm glued to my laptop!)

Setting up photos, sorting the lighting, taking the photos, editing them, uploading them, thinking up different and unique idea daily, writing paragraph after paragraph - so much goes into that post that takes you a minute or two to have a look/read of, so it means everything 

Everyday that passes I realise even more that THIS is the road that I want to go down in life. I love writing, creating, having my own little space to do anything on and share with everyone.
I'm not sure how possible it is too become a "full time blogger" or do something along the same lines but it's something I'm always going to strive for (I'm sure I say it about 1000 times a week haha!), my job I have is not what I want to be doing for the rest of my life, hell I don't want to be doing it for another year but I gotta pay my bills!
 As much as sometimes blogging feels like 'work' I love every second of it and can't imagine getting bored or loosing the fire for it.

I think back to when I started doing this... to the sarcastic comments I used to get from people and the "what's the point?" "why?" questions and now I just think.... ha! Look how much my little idea has grown, I'm super proud of myself.

So I'm going to keep on blogging ... forever. Haha okay okay slightly extreme but it's my little thing that I do and cannot thank the bloggers before me for paving the way for this to actually be a 'thing'!

Well this post was mainly to say THANK YOU and let you know that fingers crossed A Yellow Brick Blog will just keep growing and growing!

Goals before A Yellow Brick Blog's 3rd birthday : 

A complete layout re-design (It is soooooo needed!)
Be able to drop one day a week at my current job?!?!? (dreaming?)
Keep uploading a minimum of 3 posts a week
Including alot more fashion based posts (I know I've said this a million times but I mean it!)
Possibly starting a second blog focused on.... DISNEY! (I'm still thinking about that one though)
Hit 5000 followers - let's dream big people!

Love you guys thanks again for all your clicks, tweets, comments, shares, support - you make me smile xxxxxxxx

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Raising Money This Christmas : Bloggers Christmas Online Charity Fundraiser

Hello my dear friends,

This isn't your usual beauty, fashion or rambly type post (well I could ramble on a bit...) - today I want to talk to you about something a little different.......

Whilst at work the other I was in a daydream (not the first time I might add) - I was thinking about how this year instead of the usual ritual of writing and posting out Christmas cards to everyone, I would just scrap it. Totally get rid of the idea and instead donate that money to a charity instead.
I mean these days I can contact 90% of my family online and the other 10% I can/will see over the Christmas period - with the amount of money cards and stamps cost for them to just be chucked away come Janaury 1st I feel like a charity would benefit so much more from that extra £10 or £20!

So...... this got me thinking.....

How many bloggers are there in the UK? Thousands? And with all those Starbucks and new lipsticks I spot on Instagram and Twitter - I know you can all spare £1.
If we all just gave £1, imagine how much we could raise for a charity on the lead up to Christmas!

I think sometimes we can all take Christmas for granted, we all sit here and create these gift guides and wishlists on our blogs knowing that we will be receiving and giving gifts, having a lovely dinner and being sat at home or even out in a restaurant enjoying ourselves with loved ones. This isn't the case for everyone.
This is why I have decided to create the Bloggers Christmas Charity Fund - an easy way for all of us to give a little to those in need this winter. 

After a bit of research and speaking to a few people on Twitter I have chosen the charity - Crisis.
'Crisis is the national charity for single homeless people. We are dedicated to ending homelessness by delivering life-changing services and campaigning for change.'

Crisis have a program called Crisis At Christmas. This provides are number of things for a small price of just £22.29 per person, this includes :

Welcoming support from people who really care

Three nutritious hot meals including Christmas dinner

The chance to shower and change clothes, have a haircut and get a health check

Expert advice on life-changing issues like housing and employment

An introduction to Crisis year-round services for training and support for the future

ALL I am asking for is each of you to donate £1. Just one British pound - something I know you can all spare (That's literally half the price of a coffee!)
Just think.... just over 100 of us bloggers and we could be changing Christmas for 5 people.

Obviously if you would like to donate more than £1 that is more than okay - anything is welcome for such a great cause!

It only takes a minute and is all done through JustGiving so you can see where your money is and where it is going :)

DONATE HERE

With the amazing community we have I honestly believe we can change a few Christmas' out there, please share on your social medias - lets make this amazing!

Thank you,

Kirstie xxxx

A Yellow Brick Blog's 2nd Blog Birthday : Liz Earle & Smashbox Giveaway

As I promised.... here it is!
I'm so excited to be holding this giveaway for you guys to celebrate A Yellow Brick Blog's 2nd birthday here on the interweb. 
Both prizes I have bought myself with my own money as a way of saying thank you for all the supporting, love and kindness I've been shown in the blogosphere these past couple of years.

I've picked two prizes which I hope guys will like as much as I do.

The first is a Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Starter Kit.
You all know by now Cleanse & Polish is my holy grail cleanser, I swear by it and I always urge everyone to give it a go! So I thought this was a fab way of giving one of you the chance to try it out, maybe for the first time? Maybe to enjoy all over again? I know it's not always in people's price ranges for a make-up remover/cleanser so again I thought, hopefully, it was a good idea. This kit comes with a 100ml pump bottle and 2 muslin cloths.

The second prize is the gorgeous Smashbox Double Exposure Eyeshadow Palette.
 I thought a high-end treat was a must for a special giveaway and this palette caught my eye for a number of reasons.
These shades have state-of-the-art coated pigments which actually makes the 14 shadows into 28 different shades. Magic right? The technology basically means that when the shadows are made wet they change colour, so just wet your brush and see the colours transform! 
Smashbox products are always amazing quality and can you ever have enough palettes? Nope!

All you have to do to enter is fill out the Rafflecopter below :) 

There will be ONE winner.

Winner announced on 19th June 2015.

(This giveaway is UK Only)

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3000 Followers : Thank You & Giveaway

Wow! I cannot believe I am actually writing this post.

I've hit 3000 followers on bloglovin - three thousand. 
That is insaneeee, I literally cannot believe it! I am grinning from ear to ear and feeling a little bit proud I tell ya! 

It has been less than a year since I reached 1000 followers, so to be at 3000 already is overwhelming!
When I started this little hobby of mine up I could have never imagined how much fun it would be and how much I would learn and achieve, it's been an amazing 20 months so far! Blogging has transformed into a major passion of mine and I have loved watching this random little website grow and involve into something that people actually want to follow!

So.... I thought it was only right of me to hold a cheeky little giveaway for you lovely lot!

I am giving away a Marc Jacobs Dot 50ml Gift Set. A gorgeous perfume in a gorgeous bottle ... I kind of wish I was keeping it for myself to be totally honest!
This set includes the 50ml Eau de Parfum, a body lotion and a shower gel.
(You may remember when I hit 1000 followers last January I gave away a Marc Jacobs Honey gift set so I thought it would be fun to stick to the same theme!)

This is an amazing start to 2015 for me and I can't wait to put even more hard work and love into my blog this year!

NOTE : I really, really would love for this prize to go to one of my readers/a fellow blogger/a beauty lover - so if you have just stumbled across this site and are just going to enter for the sake of it then I please urge you not - as at the end of the day whoever wins is out of my hands and I would love to be able to give back to someone who has supported me!

All you need to do to enter is fill in the snazzy Rafflecopter below!

Love, hugs & THANK YOU xoxo

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This giveaway is UK only.

Like this post? Follow A Yellow Brick Blog on  Bloglovin so you never miss a thing!To see videos check out A Yellow Brick Vlog on YouTube

Christmas Beauty Box Swap With NotYourAverage

A couple of months ago me and the lovely Emma from notyouraverage decided to create a little Christmas box swap for each other! 

There's wasn't much interest for a secret santa this year with other bloggers (due to some not so great experiences for some people last year) so we thought we would just do something between just the two of us!

So the day finally came last Tuesday where we had both recieved our boxes so we decided to sit down that evening and do a live opening on twitter..... hands up if you saw it! 

It was so fun communicating with each other whilst opening each present, I actually loved it!

I was so so pleased with everything that Emma got me and I loved the box swap experience... I really hope she feels the same way!

 I thought I would share with you guys what Emma included in the box for me.............

Nail Rocks Nail Wraps

These black and white polka dot nail wraps are so cute! My nails are pants so anything that can make them a bit better without damaging is all good with me! I'm currently trying to strengthen and grow them so as son as they are in better condition I'm going to try these out!

Eye & Cheek Palette from H&M

I love love love the mix of all the different types of shadow in this palette!  With metallics, shimmers and mattes this is the perfect mix for me plus you can two lovely shades of blush too!

Simple Facial Wipes

This little packet is perfect for my handbag and for nights away from home... I think I may save these for when I go away to Germany soon!

Quick Fix Facials Mega Moisture Gel Mask

I have been eyeing up this brand in Boots for a long while now and was so chuffed to see it in the box! I can't wait to finally give it a go, I'm such a face mask hoe - I can't get enough!

Minstrels & Chocolate Coins

You can't beat a bit of chocolate at Christmas time.... and I'm not going to lie, most of this has already been devoured!

Tetley Mango & Passion Fruit Green Tea

I love love love green tea, it is my fvourite, so I was really touched that Emma had made this box so personal! I've tried this and really really like it, I'm not normally a fruity person but this is nice!

I love.... bubble bath/shower creme's

These. smell. amazing. - yumyumyum!

Christmas Socks

You can't have a Christmas without some new festive socks! These are the cutest, I'm so excited to wear them! I love that I also included socks for Emma too!

Statement Necklace

Obsessed! Love it, I love the festive gold with the pastel colours, this will look super cute with a knitted sweater! 

The Body Shop Snowman Body Washer

This was the first present I saw as it wasn't wrapped up, I am such a fan of The Body Shop and this was a lovely idea for a pressie!

Bleach London Bauble

YES! I've been saying for months I want pink hair, unfortunately for me I'm not allowed it for work but I'm planning to use this when I have a bit of time off in a few months time, I cannot wait! Plus it comes with a cute scrunchie

Reindeer Lipgloss

Adorable AND it's glittery!

Soap & Glory Heel Genius

I've used this foot cream for years now so was really happy to unwrap it! 

PS Love Sultry Lashes

Emma has told me that these are her fav lashes ever so I'm really looking forward to trying that out!

Not Pictured :  Rimmel Glitter Top Coat

I'm an idiot and forget to include the cutest nail polish that Emma bought me! It's a pretty glitter top coat with reds and green - amazingly Christmassy, keep your eyes peeled as I'm sure it will be featured on here soon!

THANK YOU SO MUCH EMMA!! Honestly, this was such a fun experience and I'm so glad we did it! 

Make sure you guys go and check out notyouraverage.co.uk - you may even get to see what I bought her!

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To see videos check out A Yellow Brick Vlog on YouTube

A Yellow Brick Blog's Christmas Beauty Giveaway 2014

I can't believe this is my second Christmas being a 'blogger' already! A Yellow Brick Blog is over 18months old and as I said the other day I have loved every second!

I wanted to hold a giveaway this Christmas to say a little 'Thank You' really, everyone has been so lovely and supportive and I still can't believe how far this little thing of mine has come in such a short space of time! 

So to add a bit of festive cheer to A Yellow Brick Blog I've purchased some beauty goodies for you guys so here's a chance for you to some fab presents for yourself :)

Here's what you can win....

Benefit's Best Of Benefit Kit
A kit full of Benefit's best sellers including the brand new they're real push up liner and my personal favourite Porefessional primer!

Smashbox Mini Bestsellers Kit
A trio of smashbox favourites including the full exposure mascara!

Fearne's Made You Look Eye Collection
A gorgeous eye shadow kit perfect for the festive season - I always love Fearne's Christmas gifts.

Soap & Glory Merry Kiss Much
A pretty bauble with S&G's 'A Great Kisser' lip balm inside!

Soap & Glory Santa...Gloss
The famous Sexy Mother Pucker lipgloss in the shade Charm Offensive.

All you have to do to enter is fill in the Rafflecopter below -

Good luck & Merry Christmas you fabulous lot

xxx

This giveaway is UK only.

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2000 Followers Big Beauty Bundle Giveaway

Hello you cheeky lot! If you follow me on twitter then you may have known this was coming....can't keep anything to mysef can I?! 
Yes! I have managed to hit 2000 followers on bloglovin which means --- Happy giveaway time!

I am still astonded that I have managed to convince over 2000 of you to hit that follow button on bloglovin.... I must be very persuasive?!  It literally feels like yesterday that I was writing the same sort of thing for my 1000 followers giveaway and I am so happy and over joyed to have double that number - totes cray cray guys!!

I just wanted to say a massive THANK YOU to everyone who has been so lovely and supportive to me and this giveaway is for YOU!

NOTE : I really, really would love for this prize to go to one of my readers/a fellow blogger/a make-up lover - so if you have just stumbled across this site and are just going to enter for the sake of it without any interest and no intention of trying out the products yourself then I please urge you not to enter so that someone who really deserves to win does - as at the end of the day whoever wins is out of my hands!

So here's what you beauts can win....

1 x Soap & Glory No Clogs Allowed Detox Mask

1 x Soap & Glory The Scrub Of Your Life

1 x Soap & Glory Hand Food

1 x Soap & Glory Heel Genius

1 x Soap & Glory Hand Maid

1 x  Montagne Jeunesse Creamy Coconut Face Mask

1 x Superdrug White Chocolate Mousse Mask

1 x Eylure 107 False Lashes

1 x St. Ives Apricot Scrub 30ml

1 x Collection Work The Colour Smokey Eye Palette

1 x Impress Press-On Manicure 

1 x Natural Collection Lipstick - Rose Bud

1 x Cocoa Butter Formula Lip Balm

1 x Seventeen Skin WOW! 3 Way Highlighter

1 x Brit Rocks Perfect Girl False Eyelashes

1 x Lee Stafford Flat Iron Protection Shine Mist 50ml

1 x Seventeen Instant Glow Shimmer Brick - Gold Bronze

1 x Collection Little Mix Perrie Lipstick

1 x Seventeen Limited Edition Lip Crayon

This giveaway is UK only - but no fear you worldwide lovelies, there will be a special twitter giveaway soon which will be for everyone too enter!!! ( I hope that is okay, trying to make it as fair as possible!)

Enter below via the rafflecopter!

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Happy 1st Blog Birthday!!!

It's here! A Yellow Brick Blog's first blog birthday! A year ago today to decided to jump in and take on the blogging world properly and become one of those people known as a "blogger"! 

Over the past year I have had so much fun, learnt so much, spoke to the nicest people ever and generally just really enjoyed myself on this crazy blogging journey!

To me it is insane that I am sat here looking at my little spot on the internet knowing that it has nearly 1,900 followers and over 210,000 views - when on earth did this happen?! Totes baffled!

Look how much it's changed in just 365 days!

I am so so grateful for everyone who has been so supportive and lovely to me especially all the other bloggers who have been so welcoming to me - you guys rock!

I feel like I'm part of a proper community and everyday I love coming online and reading comments/tweets etc from people and I'm so proud of what I've achieved so far!

So this is just a post to say thank you, thank you, thank you for every single one of you who's read, followed, commented, tweeted, re-tweeted, liked, favourited - and well... more of less done anything to encourage me along the way!

So... roll on the next year (or ten!) and whatever it has to offer!

Mother's Day Gift Guide

Not long now boys and girls - Mother's Day is literally round the corner so I thought I would lend a helping hand and give you some great ideas for gifts for those special ladies in your life! 

Weather its your mother, your grandmother, your mother-in-law or just a woman in your life that really deserves to be spoilt, mothers day is a great way to show those ladies how much they mean to us and how much we really do appreciate everything they do/have done for us!

I've choosen a range of gifts from smelly gifts to practical gifts - so hopefully there is something to suit all Mummy's out there and I've made sure everything is under £50!

Britain's Best Mum Travel Mug  : Who's Mum doesn't love a good cup of tea? or coffee? or even hot chocolate! I love these travel mugs, they are great for taking away and for in the work place - this is a great present and the writing says it all! 

Hotel Chocolat Chocolate H-Box : Stuff diamonds, chocolate is a girls best friend! I was lucky enough to try these chocolate's a few months ago and was overwhelmed by how amazing they are! These are such a luxury, amazing unique flavours and outstanding tastes - an amazing treat for that woman in your life!

Philosophy Thank You Raspberry Sorbet Gift Set : This is such a gorgeous looking present, two lovely products in a cute presentation box! The fact it is the "thank you" gift set really drew me too it - thank you is something we should all say to our mumma's! (although my Mum won't be getting this as she hates raspberries hahaha!)

Liz Earle Superskin Concentrate : Liz Earle is a favourite with woman of all ages across the UK and the world and this is a popular product from the fabulous Superskin range! Maybe something not all Mum's would want to fork out on on a regular basis so treating them to this gorgeous facial oil could definitely put a smile on their face!

No7 Pop & Glow Cream Blush Stick : A fairly new product from No7 , give your Mum a new pop of colour for the upcoming spring and summer months - there are 3 colours available so hopefully something for everyone!

Thierry Mugler Alien Eau Extraordinaire Eau de Toilette 60ml : Angel and Alien have been best sellers for years and now Thierry Mugler have released a new scent! This is the new Alien scent called Alien Eau Extraordinaire and personally I love it! The most expensive gift I've included but a fabulous way to say Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Jackson Mumtastic Card : How cute is this card! I couldn't do a mother's dy gift guide without including at least one card! I am someone who spends age and ages in card shops looking through every single card they have until I find the perfect one! But looking online it took me only seconds to find a few cards I loved!

La Roche Posay Lipikar Hand Cream 50ml : A brand that is taking the beauty world by storm! If your Mum's are anything like mine then they love a good hand cream! This is a lovely indulgent hand cream which works like a dream and is under £5! A great little present!

With Love - Limited Edition Gift by Sanctuary Spa  : Total bargain alert! This is half price at the moment at Boots - so act fast if you want to get one for your Mum (or yourself) as this is bound to sell out! Sanctuary are lovely indulgent brand and this box contains so many products she won't know what to try first!

Yankee Candles : Candles, I find, are amazing gifts! Yankee have got to be one of the best candle makes in the world and with the crazy amount of different scents there is a candle (or twenty) for everyone!

Juliana Home Living Multi Aperture Photo Frame : Family photos are so precious - so why not find your favourite photos of you, your mum and your family and pop them in a gorgeous frame like this or even in an album!

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1000 Followers Giveaway *CLOSED*

First of all, I cannot actually believe I am writing this post. 1000 followers?! Seriously where did all you little critters come from?
I am so overwhemed to hit that milestone after just 8 months back on the blogging scene - thank you so so much everyone!
When I started doing this, having 1000 followers was just something of a dream and I still can't quite believe it - High Five!
I thought I would host a giveaway over here on A Yellow Brick Blog to show how thankful I am for everyone who has taken the time to click, tweet, comment, follow over the past few months - you guys rock and you've made 2014 so exciting for me already!

There is just 1 prize and 1 winner and unfortunately due to the nature of the prize this giveaway has to be a UK ONLY giveaway (Sorry my world babes!)

So here's the prize...... 

1 x Marc Jacobs Honey 50ml Gift Set which includes :

1 x Marc Jacobs Honey Eau De Parfum 50ml

1 x Marc Jacobs Honey 75ml Shower Gel

1 x Marc Jacobs Honey 75ml Body Lotion

.... because everyone deserves to smell beautiful!

To enter just fill out the Rafflecopter below and cross your fingers.

Good Luck Everyone xxx

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A Year in Review 2013

2013 may seem a million years ago (aka 3 weeks) but after being tagged to do this post I thought back to 2013 and how much fun I had blogging so this seemed he perfect thing to include on my here!

I was tagged by Lauren from BeautyxDivision and I loved reading her answers! So interesting to find out who everyone else has been loving and what posts have been their most popular and I thought this would be great to look back on in a couple of years!

So here we go - A Yellow Brick Blog's year in review : 2013. 

 Q1: Top 5 new blogs to read in 2013 

To whittle it down to just 5 is hard because I love so many but I think I'd have to say : 

Sugarfixx Beauty, Glambeautys, Tease Flutter Pout, Thumbelina Lillie & Late Night Nonsense . (For a list of all the blog I've been loving check out my Blogs I Love post)

Q2: List your 5 most read blog posts in 2013

They are... 

1. My Weightloss Story (Setting goals and changing for myself)

2. Kirstie's Travel Diaires #9 : Universal Studios Hollywood 

3. 500 Bloglovin' Followers Giveaway 

4. Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser Review

5. Seventeen Stay Pout Lipsticks

 

Q3: Your favourite blog post of 2013

That I've written? I think I would have to say My Weightloss Story - it is a very personal post that I am quite proud of, it took alot for me to write it (it was like therapy!) and the reaction/comments I still get to this very day makes me so glad that I was brave enough to upload it! It also helps when I've gained a couple of pounds to help motivate me to get my butt in gear! I also loved completing the 30 Day Snap - I was proud to keep that up and keeping up with the creator of The 30 Day Snap (the legend that is Louise from Sprinkle Of Glitter) and her photos for each day!

Q4: What would you like to improve(if anything) on your blog next year?

100% my images. My camera isn't a bad camera and with the right lighting i'm normally quite happy with the photos I upload but over the last few winter months I have realised how much I do rely on natural sunlight! I would love to invest in a digital SLR (Canon 600D I have my eyes on you!) and some snazzy lighting to help improve A Yellow Brick Blog because I feel photos really can make or break a blog! (I would also love a total blog make-over!)

Q5: Name one blog you have a blog crush on 

Who haven't I got a blog crush on? Glambeautys, Tanya Burr, Couture Girl... the list is endless!

Q6: How often do you post?

I like to post as much as I can, I try and keep my posts mixed up so it isn't alot of one subject or one type of post but with a full-time job it is difficult to post most days. Right now I've posted 11 days in a row which I am so proud of - high fiving myself!

Q8: Share your first blog post of 2013

My first post of 2013 was back on 21st May. It was titled  'I Am Back!' - I have had A Yellow Brick Blog since 2011 but unfortunately previously when it came to blogging I'd do a couple of posts times and then the motivation would fade away and I'd forget all about it for months on end! When I uploaded this back in May I knew I wanted to may a go of my blog and put as much work into it as I could.

I've loved reading blogs and watching youtube for so many years now I wanted a little space of my own to share my loves and interests - even if it was just going to be me reading it!

Q9: Name one thing you would be doing if you weren't writing this post right now

I need to sort out my wardrobe! As I'm on a spending ban to help save money for my holiday to Florida I thought it would be great to start eBaying again and get rid of all the clothes and accessories that have just been sat in my wardrobe for months on end collecting dust! So that would be what I would be doing if I wasn't sat here on my laptop watching George Of The Jungle.... don't judge!

Q10: What have you loved the most about blogging in 2013?

Definitely the community. Everyone is so lovely, supportive and just total babes! I'd love to think that I have made some good friends through doing all this blogging malark! I've also loved watching my blog grow - the fact I am nearly hitting 1000 followers on Bloglovin after just 8 months is just insane to me - I am overwhelmed - so thank you all!

I think these are such great questions and so fun to answer and read alike! So I tag you all - all you blog writers to get involved and share all your posts and feeling about blogging in 2013!

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