My Blogging Journey.

When I read my friend Holly's post about why she started blogging, it really inspired me to talk about the reasons I started blogging, as I'm not really sure I've shared that here on my blog before.

About 2 years ago, I'd been in my job just over a year. Although the premise of video-game testing sounds like the best job in the world, but like with any job, it gets pretty repetitive and mundane after awhile and I started to feel really sad and uninspired.

I started trying to find ways to fulfil that need outside of work and I landed on going to the gym. I enjoyed the gym and it kicked started me losing the weight I wanted to lose, which was awesome. However I had started a little fitness blog along side my gym sessions, talking about how I felt, what work outs I was doing, how much weight I'd lost etc etc to help keep track of everything and I just found myself really enjoying writing it and reading other peoples journeys.

After the gym sessions fizzled out, not because I got bored as such but because I'd lost the weight I actually wanted to lose and felt quite happy with myself, but obviously my fitness blog kind of fizzle out with it and I started to slip back into being really bored and sad outside of work.

I ummed and ahhhed for quite awhile about starting a proper blog, I had no idea what to talk about, what to name it, how to go about being a 'blogger', until one day I took the plunge and SweetAllure happened. It started out for awhile being a beauty blog for people who was just getting into makeup AKA, me. I hadn't been into skincare or beauty for long and thought it'd be an interesting place to learn and grow, but after awhile I realised writing about one thing forever wasn't for me, I had so many other interests in life so why would I limit myself to one topic?

I slowly started introducing lifestyle and fashion posts and I just felt so much happier. It was keeping me occupied outside of work, thinking about topics and content, trying to take a none blurry photo and discovering the magical world of Twitter. I think becoming obsessed with Twitter and finding this HUGE community of bloggers was the turning point for me, before it was just a hobby but something changed and it became this huge drive and passion.

Talking to random people all over the world about everything to do with blogging was amazing and that was before I discovered 'Twitter Chats'. I remember just sitting on my sofa all weekend joining in chat after chat and talking to so many people about so many different things, it was just so new and interesting! I still do this when I get time and still love talking to new people about random stuff, it's the main reason I'm obsessed with Twitter.

After a few months I managed to somehow end up being invited along to a blogger meet up, where I met some people I still talk to now! It was so terrifying and bizarre but it was also pretty fucking awesome too. Before I knew it I was popping along to events and meets up all the time, meeting new people and making some amazing friends along the way.

I honestly could never have imagined the world that has been opened up to me from blogging. I've met so many amazing people in a city that I was so lonely in, I had no friends, no social life and writing about stuff on the internet changed that, how mental is that?!

I get invited to so many awesome places in Sheffield to try new menus or drink menus, check out awesome new venues that have opened up or try new products, it still blows my mind.

Even more recently, it's opened up another avenue for me with my artwork. I've always been creative, for as long as I can remember. Art was always my best subject in school, I'd sketch and paint or knit and cross stitch in my spare time. When I decided to share that artwork with you lovely lot, it just exploded. I really cannot explain how insane this last month or two has been on that front (and still is!). But I just don't know where I would be without all of this, writing, painting, events, meeting and talking to people, I'd still be sat being so sad and lonely crying to Nick that I just wanted some friends to talk to. But hey, guess what? those people are you. Every single last person that has spoken to me in real life, on twitter, in a blog post comment, it was every single one of you that lifted me out of a really sad hole that I thought I would never get out of.

So I want to say thank you. Thank you for being so fucking awesome, every single day. I hope I can always continue to carry on this wonderful journey with all of you as I change and grow as a blog and as a person! The support of the community has always been so amazing and I honestly wouldn't change it for the world.

I would genuinely love to hear your blogging story/journey, so please feel free comment below or tweet me a link to your blog post! (@sweet_allure)!

Advertisers Of The Month: September 2016.

Some of you might not know this but I've recently started providing ad space on my blog. I have and still do buy ad spaces on other peoples blogs whenever possible, it really is a great way to get your blog seen by new audiences and build relationships with other bloggers! I do think it's such a lovely way to support the bloggers you love too!

My first ever little advertiser is the lovely Kenzie. Now I want you to show him some big love, he's a new blogger around the block and we all know how hard it is to get started around here, so please give him a follow and check out his pages! It helps that he's super friendly and lovely too! 

Kenzieestyles.com is a fashion, beauty & Lifestyle blog set up in August 2016 it aims to provide mainly men's fashion, but will be mixed and also mainly produced based due to the fact I am obsessed with hair care products and deodorants.

Kenzieestyles has hopes of becoming a top male grooming/fashion blog, well I hope so anyhow. 

You can find Kenzie on all of his social media links below! 

Blog

Twitter

Instagram

Pinterest

Facebook

Bloglovin

Next up is my lovely friend Jessica! I've been speaking to Jess for awhile on twitter and she's so friendly and sweet! I love her blog, it's a mixture of health and fitness, beauty and home ware! So please head over and check her out, especially if you'd love to learn how to make a banging vegi chilli!

My name is Jessica, I am 28 and living in South Wales.

I started this blog as a way to share my thoughts & interests with like minded people - Focusing on beauty, fitness, fashion  & every day life.

You can find Jessica on all of her social media links below!

Blog

Twitter

Instagram

If anyone is interested in an advertising space for this or next month, please visit my advertising page or drop me an email at sweetalluree@gmail.com and we can discuss something!

The Riverside Sunday Roast Menu.

For anyone that knows me, a huge Sunday roast dinner with loads of veg and gravy is pretty much my favourite meal, I think I could happily eat it every single day. Although I'm not officially a real northerner, I think I secretly count as one because of my love for gravy and Yorkshire puddings, although between me and you, I suck at making them, I blame the oven!

So when I got invited to The Riverside to try out their new roast menu, I couldn't type back 'yes' quick enough. Nick and I drive past this place on our commute to work every single day and we always say we should go one day and of course that never quite happens, so it was nice to actually have a reason to properly go in and have a look at the place.

It's right next to the river, bet you could have already guessed that, huh? So it's got a really nice little scenic view and it has a pretty sizeable beer garden, which is always pretty full whenever we drive past on the way home! It's pretty sizeable inside too but when we arrived we were taken upstairs to a new function room, which is where all your Sunday roast dreams will come true.

After we'd sat down and settled we had a look at the menu, both Nick and I opted for beef, however I was a little disappointed that their was no chicken or turkey option, as I would have much preferred that. I did initially think that £10 for a roast was a little pricey but then when all the food started coming out it did seem like you got a lot of food for your money.

I really enjoyed the mixture of vegetables too, it wasn't your stereotypical roast potatoes and carrots, there was kale, broad beans and green beans along with roasted butternut squash, which I absolutely loved. Sometimes I really enjoy the veg on a roast more than anything else and I have to say I think this was true for this occasion. The Yorkshire puddings were also huge, they basically took up my entire plate, not that I was complaining!

The only thing I didn't like about the meal was the meat, like I said before I would have preferred to have chicken or turkey and the beef that Nick and I had ordered was a little tough and quite fatty, I honestly barely touched mine but I was pretty happy with the meal on the whole. Hopefully they'll have ironed out these little things before the launch early September!

I did like how they tried to be a bit different with the vegetables, I really like it when you get a cool little twist on a classic meal. They also do cover vegan and vegetarian options too for those that don't like meat, my friend Aimee had the nut roast and she said it was lovely!

Whats your favourite thing about sunday roasts? I honestly would love to know, I think a little blob of mint sauce really perfects it for me!

Meanwhile at Sweet Allure.

As you can probably tell by the absolute shambles that has been my schedule recently, you'll have noticed that I've not been on my best form regarding my blog! Ever since starting my art journal and the heart melting response I got from you lot, I decided to set up an Etsy Shop to sell my artwork as prints. It's been 2 weeks since that decision and it's been an absolute whirlwind since then.



Firstly, I've been blown away by the support and encouragement from my readers and my friends. It's been a 1000 times more successful than I ever thought it would be and because of this I've been pouring every bit of spare brain power and energy into getting that kick started and running. Not to mention just thoroughly enjoying being creative in a more visual form with my art. I love writing don't get me wrong but sometimes you just want to paint or draw! It also helps that I can sit and do painting whilst watching TV downstairs, whereas for writing I have a PC up in my office and it's no fun to hang around in there!

So this is basically just a post to let you know that I am aware of what is going on with the lack of content on my blog, it's something that has very much been on my mind and I wanted to let you know that full blogging schedule will resume shortly. I already have a bunch of post ideas lined up to talk about over the next few weeks, so once I've dusted off the keyboard and settled back into it, my 3 times a week schedule will be back in full force!

I have lots of exciting things happening in August to tell you about, from my hen do, the GirlGang Event and then my birthday, there is plenty of things going on in the background that I am very excited about, August really is the best month, except for maybe December...Christmas, duh!

I'm always hanging around on Twitter if you want to see what I'm up to! But thank you for your patience and I'll speak to you real soon,

My Bedroom Makeover Wishlist 2016.

We've been in our house for over a year now and slowely but surely we are going around the rooms and making things how we want them, it's taking longer than I thought, but with a wedding to plan it's currently sitting on the back burner. That doesn't mean however that I haven't got lots of ideas whizzing around my head for exactly how I want things to look and next on the list of things to finish is the bedroom. It's current just a white shell, with almost no personality in it whatsoever, however this does mean we have a great canvas to work on. So here are the thoughts and ideas I have planned for the main bedroom.

Entertainment of the Month July 2016.

I haven't actually watched as much TV as I normally would do this past month, I've been really putting a lot of time and effort into my blog, but I have to say what I have seen this past month has been probably some of the best entertainment I've seen so far this year. I have 3 things that immediately spring to mind for this post, so those will be the three I'll be focusing on today!

Stranger Things 2016.

The first of which is Stranger Things, a new Netflix original series that has been getting a lot of attention recently and deservedly so. I'm a lover of all things horror and creepy and when I saw the mini trailer pop up I was really intrigued. This series is about as close to perfection as you can probably get. Set in the 80's, a kid goes missing on his way home from staying at a friends and as they try to find him, a mystery unravels about the town they are in and strange things entail! The first thing I'd like to point out is how perfectly retro this is, everything about it screams the 80's, from the Stephen King-esque intro sequence, to the set designs and costumes, its honestly one of the most well crafted TV shows I've seen in a very long time. It also helps that the story and characters are well rounded enough to keep you glued to the screen wanting to know more, including a brilliant performance from Winona Ryder. No spoilers but I really hope this go onto a second series, because the ending was certainly set up with room for another season! I have never recommended a TV show as much as I have this one, so please give it a watch if you can!


The Fault In Our Stars 2014

I probably picked the wrong time to watch this, but I'd noticed this had gone up on Netflix recently and Nick was away on his stag do, so I decided to finally watch it. Big mistake. But not because this film is bad, but because this film is so beautifully sad that I cried for about 3 hours straight. This film is about two cancer patients who meet at a support group and fall hopelessly for each other. It has highs and lows, love, laughter, pain and suffering and complete and utter cryinginaballonyoursofa heartbreak, but I don't think I'll ever forget about this film. It's not very often you watch a film that really gets you so deep you continue to cry for about an hour after it's finished, but I'm so so happy I watched this film and I highly recommend you do too, maybe just bring a box of tissues, some chocolate and a blanket...you'll need it.


Mad Max: Fury Road 2015

I have never really heard much or seen much regarding the Mad Max series but I recently won a competition on Twitter and this came in the DVD bundle I received. Nick and I watched this on a Sunday afternoon with no expectations and I have to say I was really really impressed. As for the story, I was lost for most of it, for a good chunk at the beginning I had no idea what was going on, however the concept of the film is something I've never seen before. The attention to detail regarding the bizarre and clever things they do with the cars is unlike anything I'd seen before. I think I was completely wowed over during the desert thunderstorm scene, as it was so visually impressive. I heard there is another being filmed in this series and I'm very eager to watch it when it comes out. This one really did surprise me, but in a good way for a change, so that's nice!


Hopefully August will be jam packed with exciting new things to talk about, as I  plan on watching Finding Dory, Ghostbusters and Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (by my favourites, The Lonely Island).

As always let me know what you think of the 3 things I've been loving and please feel free to send your viewing suggestions my way, I love any type of recommendations!

 

5 Things I Miss About Living In London.

I've not spoke much about my university days here on my blog, but for those that don't know I went to university in London and by London I mean Kingston Upon Thames, which is probably one of the most pretentiously named places I can think of. Kingston nested in the lovely commuter belt of south west London, with it's lovely riverside location, shopping and 15 minute fast trains into Waterloo it was the perfect place to be close to the centre but far enough out to enjoy it.

I absolutely loved it and on reflection didn't utilise the things on offer as much as I should have. So I thought I'd write a little post about the things I really miss about living in LDN town.

A Polaroid I took of the London Eye. 

1. There is always stuff to do for free.

Living where I did it was surrounded by amazing places to visit. Quite locally we had Hampton Court and it's beautiful grounds. Not to mention the Thames itself to walk up and down of at your leisure, but I was only a bus ride away from amazing places like Richmond, Richmond Park and Kew Bridge. Then of course you had the big smoke itself a train ride away with its endless museums and galleries, the south bank and countless landmarks. I really miss buying a travel card and heading into central with my friends and just exploring.


2. Shopping, all the shopping!

And with all the money you've saved from doing free activities, you can easily flutter it away with all of the amazing places to shop. Although I did love a good Oxford street visit every now and then, it was absolutely mental at all times or days, so you have to be in the mood. Although my favourite place in the world to visit is Liberty. Full of beautiful things at every glance, I honestly think it's my happy place. I'd spend hours looking through clothes, jewellery, fabrics, flowers, basically everything until I convinced myself I couldn't leave without buying something. I haven't been in forever and this makes me so very sad.


3. The variety of restaurants.

If you are a foodie, then there is nothing better than being in LDN. If you can think of something you want to eat, you can pretty much find it. Although some of the more popular places have you waiting around, there are always lots of hidden gems. One of my all time places to go for tea and cake was Drink.Shop.Do near Kings Cross Station. I discovered it randomly one day and went back countless time on date nights with my then b/f, meeting up with friends or just to chill by myself before catching the train. I highly recommend you stop by if you are in the area! LDN is covered in little gems like this and it's so much fun trying to find them!


4. The sense of freedom.

Being my first home away from home, I always feel really free and grown up when I visit LDN. I always feel this sense of confidence when I'm navigating the tube system like a pro and stomping around with the commuters at 6:30am (yes I was one of those drones for awhile too). But I guess I always felt a little like an impostor as I'm a northern girl through and through, but there is always something so exciting and thrilling about being in a bustling big city with unlimited possibilities.



5. Last, but not least, living close to my friends.

Since moving up north, the one thing I miss desperately is living close to my friends. By some strange happenstance my best friend moved down to the big smoke during my 3rd year of uni, so I got to see her all the time. Now I barely see her from month to month because travelling is expensive and we're both super busy. Most of my uni friends still live a stones throw away from our uni digs and it sucks not being able to see them as often as I would like. Booooooooooo.


Despite all of the lovely perks of living down south, there are also multiple other reasons I don't miss it, maybe I'll do a separate post on this some other time but the big one is money. I was renting a box room in a shitty area, I'm talking, fitted a bed and a chest of drawers and that's about it, for over £600 a month. Whereas up north I own a 4 bed house with a mortgage that is about the same price, it's just absolutely crazy trying to establish yourself as a young adult and living in LDN. My work eventually led me up here to Sheffield and I couldn't be happier but I do still enjoy a visit to LDN from time to time.

What things do you love about London? Do you have any secret little places you'd love to share?