Shannon Stacey is 1 Years Old!

Hi everyone! Sorry I haven't blogged in almost a week, I've been so busy I've barely had chance to sit down. I had an all day job interview last week which was quite far away so I spent several days away with no internet access.

I realised today that my blog is a year old in three days time and I couldn't actually believe it. When I think of everything that was going on in my life at the time of setting it up, I realise how much has changed and how quickly a year has flown by.

I decided to set up a blog as a past time and to share lifestyle advice, my journey to a healthier and happier version of me including my weight loss and fitness journey, and also to share my passion for make up and shopping! I had been toying with the idea for almost a year because I enjoyed reading blogs so much, but I really lacked the confidence. I wasn't worried about what strangers think at all, but I thought that people who knew me personally, whether I was friends with them or not, might think it was silly or talk about it in a negative light and it would cause me more stress than it was worth.

A year later, I am so pleased that I plucked up the courage and just went for it. Even within a year, I feel like my blog has improved and exceeded all the expectations I ever had for it. My page views continue to increase as the months draw on, the quality of my posts has improved a lot in my opinion, I have more followers and have met some incredibly lovely bloggers. I've enjoyed blogger meet ups and chatting to various brands.

What are my hopes for the next year? Well for FOREVER now I've been saying I am going to purchase a proper camera and really work on my photography because that is the stage of blogging that I definitely rush the most and is by far my biggest weakness I think. I have my eye on the Olympus Pen EPL7 and think I might treat myself once my university accommodation deposit is returned to me.

I would just like to thank everyone who has supported Shannon Stacey over the past 12 months. Whether you've enjoyed reading it from the start, or you read the odd post here and there, or this is the first time you're reading it, I really appreciate it and hope you will still be reading my ramblings in another 12 months time!

In true beauty blogger style, I decided to treat myself to a MAC lipstick to celebrate my blog's birthday. I've had my eye on for a while and it is raved about everywhere all over the net. I'm sure I will be reviewing it in the next few weeks or so.

♥

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21st Birthday Weekend

Morning everyone, I have to say I am struggling this morning after an incredibly busy birthday week! My 21st birthday was yesterday and me and my Mum spent the day exploring London. 

On the Saturday evening we went to a restaurant where I live in Lincolnshire called Witham and Blues, which is a New York themed restaurant. I've always wanted to eat there and I definitely wasn't disappointed. I loved the NYPD police car and New York cab parked outside and the interior screamed New York. I ordered the 'Brooklyn Burger' with skinny fries which was two quarter pound beef burgers with endless cheese and onion rings. I also enjoyed a cocktail on the house because it was my birthday, and by the end I was so full I couldn't manage a dessert which broke my heart a little because they looked so good! If you live in the Boston area you should definitely check it out.

On the Sunday we woke up nice and early so we had plenty of time to explore London. I've never been to Camden Town before but I've always wanted to go, and I had so much fun exploring the markets. I bought a necklace and a new make up bag which I'm sure will appear on my Instagram feed soon if you are interested in seeing them. The food market was so tempting but in the end we decided we really fancied Fish and Chips, and sat in a retro style restaurant called Poppies which is the number one eat-in fish and chip restaurant in the UK at the moment apparently. Having now eaten the food, I definitely wouldn't find that hard to believe because it was so delicious. 

I really wanted to see the Amy Winehouse statue but we couldn't find it for the life of us, and it was so hot and there were so many people around that we decided to give up and head to the Regent Street/Oxford Street area to enjoy a quick spot of shopping. I ended up with a Raspberry and Cookies and Cream ice cream as well which kept me going throughout the warm afternoon! We then ended our day off by going for cocktails in the Ice Bar down Heddon Street. I loved every second of it, I just couldn't believe how amazing it looked and it was just one of those experiences that you know you'll never forget. I wore sandals though and I genuinely thought I would lose all my toes to frostbite by the end of our Ice bar session! 

I had the most perfect birthday and I want to thank everyone for your well wishes, cards, gifts and money. I have a list of 21 things I want to do in my 21st year that I'm still working on - kind of like a bucket list I guess - so if you'd like to read that I've posted the link here

♥

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