Ellie Bows & Sparkles is Back! | The Blog and All That it's About

An old school beauty blog, with a focus on acne, making vegan easy, seasonal style and snippets of life that make my heart sparkle.

Well hello 2019! And hello to your lovely self reading this post! Between the short space from last Halloween and the here and now it has been a whirlwind to say the least. You may probably have thought my blog Ellie Bows & Sparkles was done and gone but alas, that is certainly not the case! Sometimes you hit a brick wall, whilst in the mean time you also enter a hurricane, walk into a swamp and unconsciously forget all direction you seem to be travelling in. When I posted my last blog post on Halloween I was definitely in that triad of 101 things to do and not a moment to spare but what actually motivated this little blogging break was disappointment. I was greatly disappointed. With my content, my photography, my Instagram and loss of fun in it. At the same time going through a very low place in my mind (Where I've Been), whilst still keeping on top of day-to-day life doing my upmost best in everything I possibly could too. But all together that made me release, my blog - whether I be the only one who reads it or not - makes me that absolute happy whereby your heart sparkles therefore there was only one way to do this. That was to do it properly! So, with the continuous efforts from the past few months I'm so flipping happy to finally say... I'm relaunching my blog! And it's going to better than ever!

Why you may ask?

I've always been heart glowingly proud of all that I've done on and with my blog, despite feeling a little out of sorts with it at some times. But with that and the realisation of my utter love for blogging I had to take it by the sparkle, take the time it needed to take, and curate it into all the things I wanted it to be. Because this Ellie does not do half hearted!

I love blogging and I love it through and through.

So, I needed to give it back all the joy that it gave my heart. That meant coming up with a proper plan for the whole blog, not just posts. Taking time to research how to cherish and improve my site. Practising and developing my skills, like photography, because that's the only way I'll get to where I want what I do to look how I envision it. And of course, give it a brand spanking new look and a good ol' pamper by taking the time to curate a new blog design that really encompasses me, Ellie, and my blog today.

So in the spirit of the relaunch of my blog I've created a three posts series that I'm going to be sharing over the next three weeks, celebrating all that my blog is about!  Today's post certainly encompasses just that and the posts to follow include a 'Get to Know Me' and 'Why I Started Blogging' edition. My hopes for the series is both that those who enjoy my blog can get to know me a little better and newcomers to my blog can see the real me in case I might just be their cup of tea and one they'd like to follow!

So, you might be wondering, what's the purpose of this, the first blog post in the series then?

Simply to say what I haven't said before. Welcome to my blog, Ellie Bows & Sparkles! This is what my blog is all about! It's nothing super professional and I'm definitely far from a dab hand at any of these things, from blog photography to web design or makeup application to culinary baking. But that's what I love about my blog and all that it is. I'm just an ordinary girl with a spark of joy for all things beauty, style and adding an extra bit of sparkle to all those little moments in life. So whether you're a long time follower or a newbie around here, I've a insight into all the lovely things you can find on my blog. Exploring all the kinds of blog posts I share here below, there might just be some of your favourites or the 'old-school' style blog posts you've been missing! You never know, it might just be the blog you've been looking for...

What you'll find on Ellie Bows & Sparkles...

Beauty

Starting up my blog stemmed from a long-time love for beauty and makeup, a new found love for product reviews for my relentless acne and a whole lot of inspiration from a few OG blogging gems (Fleur de Force, Zoella, Vivianna Does Makeup, Lily Pebbles, Essie Button - props to you if you remember these old usernames!). My first ever blog post back in 2014 was a beauty haul. Fast forward from there and there's been a mixture of reviews, makeup looks, still the odd haul and empties posts (< - MANY empties posts), always with a focus on my troublesome acne, the best bargains and budget friendly beauty and, of recent, my switch to cruelty free and vegan beauty. There's also a good sprinkling of hair care and styling and easy-to-do nail looks too. With 'easy' being a huge emphasis on my blog here. Being not the most naturally of skilled in the fine art of hair, makeup artistry and all things aesthetic I greatly tailor my posts around making things as easy as can be. Sharing the day-to-day beauty bits that work or not for me and those little tips and tricks I've found along the way that make things just that little bit more do-able! To this day my beauty posts are the most frequent I share on my blog and it really is, at heart, a true old school (think 2012/ 2014) beauty blog.

Fashion

Fashion is something my blog has also had a focus on since day one and it's a topic I just couldn't wait to start blogging about when I went to picture my first ever lookbook. As cliché as it is, I've always had a passion for fashion and a wardrobe that's probably too full for its own good. I'm an avid collect of pretty clothes and everyday staples, making my collection a treasure trove of never-ending outfit possibilities. Being the penny conscious person I am, I don't tend to do as many hauls as I used to and try to shop a little more ethically but still pretty much always on the high street. My ultimate focus on fashion on the blog is making the most of what you've already got. I adore the thrill of piecing together old clothes in my collection to compliment new trends and many of the fashion posts I love to share include seasonal picks, trends and easy ways to incorporate them into daily style. With fashion, as with beauty, my mission is to make it all as easy as possible to style and really, I'm just your everyday girl with a sweet tooth for a touch of seasonal style and playing dress up!

Food

Okay, we've all a special place in our hearts for food and I don't think this could be a blog about all the things I love unless food was included! Most of the food posts I've shared on my blog to date have been decadent dessert recipes and seasonal bakes but since commencing my degree I haven't the time to do as much baking as I would usually like to. Since going vegan a little experimenting in the baking department has also been needed. However, that transition to vegan baking has now become another journey I've begun to love to share throughout my blog too. Coming to the end of my degree - and with the prospects of the very exciting recent gift of the Mrs Cupcake baking book - I'm going to be delving back into my baking passion. A passion I'll be sharing more about in an upcoming post in this series! Since embarking on my journey of going vegan sharing all I can that has made the transition that little easier for me is something I also most enjoy sharing on the blog now too. So far there's been vegan-ised recipes (Lotus Biscoff Brownies) and round ups and reviews of fab vegan food places but on the trajectory to three years being vegan there are so many more posts I cannot wait to share! Including savory recipes; easy switches, tips and tricks; vegan on a budget; round ups of some of the best vegan food places locally and all around; supermarket savvy shopping, where to find vegan items, and fun vegan food event ideas, like birthday buffets and Summer picnics. So if you're a sweetie lover alike or are vegan yourself this blog is a delicious directory for the best and budget vegan picks and all things scrumptiously yummy I tell you!

Lifestyle

Lastly is a touch of lifestyle; a niche that seems a common feature on other's blogs. For me though, lifestyle on my blog has always been inspired greatly by my desire of sharing all the things I love. I'm a sentimental soul at heart and love nothing more than a heart-felt celebration, happy occasions and enjoying all the little things in life. A lot of my love for this I'd say has definitely come from all the lovely things I'd do with my mum, nan and granddad as I grew up, of which actually inspired my Christmas Snowflake DIY decorations post. As you can tell from my fashion brief above I've definitely a love for the seasons, of which again I think is inspired by those memories I cherish with my mum and grandparents. Therefore I've often a a plethora of lovely lifestyle posts from Spring to Summer, Easter to Christmas, all things Autumnal and just about everything in between! Also including exciting events like prom, back to school and birthdays. Equally though it wouldn't be life without a few bumps along the road and being down to earth, open and honest is something I've admired greatly in bloggers I've loved for a long time and those I stumble across and began to love today. For that value of mine, I sometimes share more personal posts on how I'm feeling lately or little ways I find that help me through tricky times. Like a little update in the journal of Ellie for those who wish to follow it.

And that's my blog, Ellie Bows & Sparkles, in a neatly wrapped bow!

  

I do hope it's been informative as to get to know my blog a little better and I do hope it's been an enjoyable little exploration of my blog too. As some oldie but goldie followers may well have noticed there's been a few tweaks to my blog design too, bringing some exciting new extras you won't have seen before! A big change first of all is my blog theme, one of Blogger's new templates curated with tweaks and touches of all things Ellie. Another big addition too is my brand-new blog archives collection, The Archives, where you can search to your hearts content of all the posts I've created, from beauty to fashion, food or lifestyle, all you wish. In addition to this, (something I'm most excited for ! :D ) there's also going to be a seasonal section on my Archives directory for various different occasions, collating together each's very own gallery of all my related posts I've published. Take Valentines for example, where you might find a selection of Valentines inspired style, lovingly lovely makeup looks, romantic recipes and many more inspired posts! With my cute new nav bar (if I do say so myself) the blog is going to be an ease to navigate around now too.

You can also now ponder over to the About Me or Disclaimer page to get to know a little more about me and how I share some exciting things on my blog; take a glance at my Privacy Policy if you really fancy; and if you'd like to talk with me more the door is always open over at my brand new Contact Me page!

And with that I shall leave you to go and explore the rest at your own leisure. If you're new to the blog and you'd like to follow, a warm welcoming hello to you! And for those who already are, welcome back. I have missed you dearly. There's another two posts to follow in this series sharing all about me and why I started blogging so keep your eye's peeled around here and if you'd like to keep up with me on my other means of sharing all things about my weird and wonderful self here are my social media links below...

. Instagram - @elliebowsandsparkles

. Twitter - @EBandSparkles

. Pinterest - Ellie Bows and Sparkles

. Bloglovin - Ellie Bows & Sparkles

Until the next post,

Ellie Xx