My Redhead Rambles for A.Vogel

This month I have been super busy writing for work, contributing to both the main A.Vogel blog and stress blog. For the past few weeks I have been putting the NEW Rock Chick Natural Deodorant from Crystal Spring (my first ever natural deodorant) to test and I have written a post about my experience. I also wrote a post about A.Vogel Hayfever Pollen Forecast App and devised a 7 step guide to combating stress which bride-to-be (like me) can follow, pulled together from the wisdom of past brides and A.Vogel’s stress expert Marianna Kilburn! Read on for a summary of each post and a link to my full post on A.Vogel’s blog to find out more…

Crystal Spring Rock Chick Natural Deodorant for Girls (or Women!)

Rock Chick

For the past few months I have been replacing many of my everyday beauty products with natural green products. From reading about other people’s experience this isn’t a quick process and it’s better to do it gradually, so each month I have changed several small things. Recently I made the decision to start thinking about the perfume, body spray and deodorant I use every day and look at replacing these with more natural products to help me stay fresh and still smell pretty.

I have done a bit of research on the perfume side and ordered my first testers, which I promised to tell you all about when they arrive and I try them. But the one thing I have managed to do is ditch my usual Nivea deodorant and replace it with Crystal Spring’s NEW Rock Chick for Girls! Okay so I know I am hardly a girl, but the packaging really appealed to me (as it is suppose to young/teenage girls) so I had to give it a try – what can I say I’m a sucker for the colour purple and sparkly silver stars, what girl/woman isn’t! Read my full blog post and find out if I loved it (I will give you a clue – I’m still using it!) here >>>

Don’t stress…I have my something borrowed for that!

Bride

My wedding planning stress post for A.Vogel recently started a Twitter discussion between two other blogging brides-to-be Debi from DibDabDebs and Karis from Practical Ever After and myself. Both are getting married this year and by the sounds of it their stress levels are sky-high. My 7 steps to combat wedding stress post was created following many conversation with my married friends who all warned me of the stress I am about to experience and after speaking with Debi and Karis its only confirmed that I really need to listen to their advice!

So far I have only experienced small moments of stress, like when I realised how big my other half’s family is and how we may have to upset some people if we want to stick to our day guest number. Seeing the costs of photography and videographer also made my stress level also caused a moment of panic until I stepped back and explore other options. Hopefully if I follow ‘my own advice’ I will be spared the big stressed out bridezilla moments I fear or at least manage my stress better when it does happen. Read my full blog post and find out about all the advice I received to combat wedding planning stress here >>>

Atchoo! There must be an app for this!

hayfeverpollenapp1.fw

Well it’s definitely that season again! I’m not taking about spring, with its eagerly awaited light nights and blossoming flowers but rather a less anticipated time – the dreaded hayfever season!!! I am lucky enough not to suffer hayfever, usually it’s just prickly heat I have to attend with, but my other half is very prone to the sniffles and itchy eyes! The other morning I heard the first beginnings of the sound that has haunted me nearly every spring/summer morning for far too long – sniff, sniff, sniff!!!!

This year I plan to ‘arm’ my other half with the A.Vogel Hayfever Pollen Forecast App by downloading it on his smartphone and stock up on plenty of Pollinosan. So hopefully we can enjoy the next couple of months sneeze free… Read my full blog post and find out more about the Pollen Forecast app & how it can help here >>>

Going Bare Faced for Cancer Awareness!

makeupfree

Anyone with a Facebook or Twitter account yesterday couldn’t fail to spot all the make up free selfies that were going around. Whether it was just another social media fad or a moment of digital marketing genius, I for one don’t care either way, all I care about is it that it was an amazing way to highlight cancer awareness and raise extra donations for Cancer Research UK.

According to the charity they didn’t start the selfie campaign but I’m sure they are very happy with whoever did. There seemed to be some negatively surrounding the selfies yesterday, which I could not believe. True maybe some people were posting a make up free selfie just to be a part of the craze or even to show off how good they looked without make up. But there was a lot of women who really did it to help and donated (like me) to Cancer Research UK – well I had to after scary everyone with my picture.

The other great thing I saw was an increase of information about breast cancer awareness and how to spot the signs, which really is so important. I check myself regularly but only for lumps, whereas the graphic I saw online yesterday (below) really showed I wasn’t checking the right way.

bca

So well done to all you brave women who bared all (spots & all) to show your support, to the women who also donated and also to the brilliance of whoever started this social craze – you did a really good thing!  We have all be touched by cancer in some way so any activity that raises awareness of this family/friend stealer is worth it in my books!

Have you done your Make up free selfie yet? Don’t forget to text BEAT to 70099 to donate £3 to Cancer Research UK! Go bared faced and lets kick cancers butt!

Proud to go make up free for cancer awareness,

Annmarie x x

The Very Inspiring Blogger Award

inspiring

After only blogging for 4 months I was extremely proud and very touched to be nominated for the Very Inspiring Blogger award by two very inspiring ladies themselves – Annie from Hello Purple Clouds and Liz from Smells Like Green Spirit. You have both made a wee newbie blogger extremely happy so thank you so much.

So on with the award, the rules are……

1. Thank the person who nominated you and link back to their blog.
2. Display the award on your blog sidebar or awards page.
3. Share 7 random facts about yourself.
4. Nominate about 15 other bloggers for the award.
5. Let your chosen bloggers know they have been nominated and link to your post.

7 things about me ……

1. I used to hate being a redhead, now I love it! it’s my most defining feature I think – I really wish I could tell 10-year-old Annie that those girls that are teasing you now are going to be trying to dye their hair your colour when your all older!
2. I LOVE to read – I get through 3 to 5 books a week
3. My favourite book is Pride & Prejudice.  I first read it when I was 13 and have read it over 100 times since
4. My fiancé and I first met when we went to school together.  He asked me out but I was too shy to say yes.  He left school a week later at the end of 4th year and I never saw him again until 10 years later when we befriended each other on BEBO – the rest as they say is history
5. My idol growing up was Ariel from the Little Mermaid – there was not a lot of redheads around then
6. My favourite food is Bernard Matthews Mini Kievs – I could eat them every night

7. My favourite living thing is the whole world is my dog Cassie, she is a rescue dog I got for my birthday when I was 21.  She is now a very old pampered pooch and lives with my parents and I miss her so much if I don’t see her for a few days.

Thanks again to Annie and Liz for nominating me. The rules state I have now to nominate 15 other inspiring bloggers.  Now most of these bloggers are so inspiring that they probably already have this award, so if you do ladies please just take this as a complement and a thank you for inspiring me so much.  These are the bloggers who inspire me and teach me to live a better, prettier and greener life every day!

My inspiring nominations go to:

Rachel from All Natural Aspirations

Ana from Ana goes green

Sarah from Sugar Puffish

Sandra from Beauty Balm

Liz from Well Meaning Being

Leanne from Lass and Lipstick

Louise from Kinder Health and Beauty

Jenny from Redhead Beauty Diaries

Dana from Hearty Habits

Evelyn from We were raised by wolves

Amber from Ambers Beauty Talk

Charlie from Sophia’s Choice

Jen from Jen’s Green Skin

Laura from Laura K

Gem from Buff Beauty

Thank you

Annmarie x