Relaunching My Youtube Channel

Www.youtube.com/beautyandhelen 

If you're one of my regular viewers or subscribers on youtube, you will have noticed I've not been uploading videos recently, I wanted to explain why and tell you some pretty exciting news!

For the last year since it launched my youtube channel has gone from strength to strength and I couldn't ever have wished for the success I've had, I'm utterly shocked that one single video on my channel has racked up nearly 25,000 views in just a few months! I cannot even get my head around that amount of people watching me! It's incredible, however I feel like a lot of my content on my channel has been trial and error, a lot of the videos are beauty, some are vlogs, some are tags, some are collaborations and others are reviews. I was really struggling to find my identity on youtube and identify where I fit in and where my passions lie, finally after a months trial of daily vlogging I've found it! 

I've taken some really good advice from my network Stylehaul and decided to give my channel a complete overhaul in order for for my channel to be a better place for my subscribers. I value you guys hugely and feel that I owe it to you to do this properly and to the best of my ability.

So I've come up with a new plan, same channel, different way of doing things. 

From now on I will be:

*daily vlogging

Uploading every single day. My vlogs will incorporate beauty, lifestyle and my daily life, I've got so many amazing things to share with you already planned! 

So mon, wed, thurs, fri and sat will be ordinary vlogs. Then every Tuesday will be:

*Try it Tuesdays

Every Tuesday I will be trying something new for your entertainment. This could be a food, a place, an activity, an experience, a product, a funny challenge, a makeup look... Literally anything I've never done before. (Keep it clean though!) Send your suggestions!

And every Sunday will be:

*Subscribers Sundays 

Every Sunday I will be hosting a live hangout on google+ via webcam! Everyones invited to join me for a Sunday hangout and chat about anything and everything! Plus I'll be doing giveaways!! I'll be posting links to these on my twitter @helen_ann, Instagram (beautyandhelen) and also my Facebook fan page. 

The reason I decided on Try It Tuesdays was because I want to push myself out of my comfort zone and have a laugh while I'm doing it! 

The reason for Subscriber Sundays is to get to know you guys! I feel like this should be a 2 way relationship and I want to be friends with you all, not just to talk at you down a camera!

So there you have it! 

I'm super excited to relaunch my channel and I hope you guys are excited too. 

I think it's going to be a far, far better way of doing things! 

Any comments or suggestions are welcome!

The relaunch starts on 1st September 2014 and my first video will be a vlog! 

If you've just come across this blog and aren't already a subscriber but like the sound of this, then you can subscribe 

here:

 www.youtube.com/beautyandhelen 

Being Yourself

Being yourself should be the easiest thing in the world. After all that's exactly who you are! 

Yet so much of the time, so many of us are afraid to be exactly that.

Society, jobs, the media and even peer pressure all influence the way we present ourselves and we are terrified of being judged, ridiculed or outcast, so instead of being unapologetically ourselves and the fabulous unique indeviduals that we are, we put up a front and in some cases even play a fictional role and be someone else because it's easier. Or at least we perceive it to be easier.

Outwardly this can be the way a person dresses, styles their hair, wears their makeup or holds themselves. 

Inwardly it could be holding back their personality, sense of humour or values, sexuality, dreams or desires.

I have met so many people who, if they just had the confidence to be themselves, could conquer anything and live their dreams, even take over the world and bring about real positive change, but they're too scared to put themselves out there incase they are judged or too scared to chase what they really want because they are afraid to fail. 

It's human nature to want to be accepted and liked, we all strive for that, consciously or not. It's nice to be 'normal' but something people fail to realise is that 'normal' people aren't the ones who change the world, it's the ones who break the mould that do. Maybe if you had the confidence to be you, it would inspire others?

Often we feel that our hands are tied, family, friends, employers or peers simply wouldn't accept us if we revealed the true version of us. Sometimes we are not allowed to be us or we'd lose our jobs! Employers literally banish any uniqueness by insisting on a uniform, banning piercings and tattoos, hairstyles and even tell us we must toughen up our personalities and stop being too 'nice' Hardly helpful! You can't change who you are! They shouldn't expect you to! 

The truth is nobody is normal, not really, because normal doesn't exist. Everyone is different. On the inside we all have different dreams and ideals, different fears and passions. Normal only exists because people conceal these things because they are too afraid if being seen as eccentric. 

How this relates to me:

Last year for the first time in my life I truly found myself. I found the confidence to do what I want to do, to be who I am. I started my youtube channel and put myself out there, flaws and all and you know what? For the first time in my life I found true contentment. I found contentment because I admitted to being who I am:

Yes, I look like complete crap when I've just woke up in a morning, yes I probably spend far too much time dreaming about a life I'll never have, yes I like being centre of attention and yes I am just a little bit chubby. Yes I buy farrrr too much makeup and yes I talk to my cats like they're my children, yes I do have OCD and like washing my hands a lot and yes I do like boybands even though I'm 30. Yes I do work in a supermarket even though I've got good qualifications and yes I dream of being a writer, yes I laugh at stupid things and yes I smoke when I know it's dangerous,Yes, I'm a soft touch, too nice for my own good, yes I've made a million mistakes and yes I am scared of a lot of things.

When I decided to start my youtube channel I braced myself for the hate, what I didn't brace myself for was where it would come from. I expected it to be strangers when in fact it was people closer to me. Family and friends who didn't support me, laughed at me and told me I was a loser but I faught back and I told them I was doing it with or without their blessing because it was what I wanted to do. Eventually people either supported me because they saw it made me happy or I cut them from my life, because if they can't accept me for who I am and what I want then they have no place in my life! 

On the contrast I got letters and cards from strangers all over the world who watched me on youtube and said I inspired them, they liked me and they supported me, so I lost friends but I gained many many more good supportive friends in the process! 

That's the thing you see, anybody who can't accept the real you doesn't deserve to be a part of your life! Maybe your old peer group won't like it, but it won't be long until you find a new group of friends that love the real you! And surely that's better! 

I'd love to hear your thoughts and comments below xx

You can also find me on: 

Twitter @helen_ann

Youtube: www.youtube.com/beautyandhelen

Instagram: beautyandhelen 

My ALS Ice Bucket Challenge!

The ALS ice bucket has been sweeping the globe with everyone from Bill Gates to Harry Styles taking part.

I knew I'd never get away without doing this, but I hoped and prayed I would! 

Myself and my friend Emily were both nominated by our friend Greame yesterday so we decided to take on the challenge together. Safety in numbers! We found the biggest bucket we could and got our men to do the honours! 

I nominated my boss Karen, my friend Charlotte and my husband Ste (the guy on the left in the plain white t'shirt) 

Here's us getting a soaking. It was VERY cold! I hope you enjoy watching! Also don't forget to donate! 

http://youtu.be/IeZ3PZseuWk

Inspiration and positivity

Life is full of things that test us and push us to our limits, so I've decided to dedicate this blog post to the quotes I've found online that inspire me personally, I hope they will inspire you too! 

I've included quotes about strength, dreams, love, attitude and life so that whatever is testing you right now, hopefully you'll find something that you will be able to relate to! If you find this useful please do share it with your friends! And if you have any great quotes please share them in the comments! 

Here we go! 

And finally, a few funnies that made me smile! No doubt there is some truth in these too!

And finally.... Always remember to believe!

Lessons I've learned in life

Sometimes I look back at my life and think 'if only i knew then what I know now' or I wish I could talk to my younger self and tell her things, so that's where the inspiration for this blog post came from. Hopefully you can learn from some of my lessons and hopefully you can leave me some new lessons to learn! These span from love to crushes to lifestyle to money, hopefully at least some of them apply to everyone!

1. If you're not his princess, he's not the prince you've been looking for.

2. If you can't afford it, you can't have it. Debt isn't a good idea. Ever. 

3. Sometimes the chase is more fun than the getting.

4. Worrying doesn't change anything, some things are just beyond your control.

5. Sometimes you have to be selfish and put yourself first, no matter how wrong that seems.

6. Something that's the end of the world to you today will quite likely be insignificant to you in a few years.

7. It's worth taking that chance. Always.

8. You are good enough, you just have to believe it.

9. Crying isn't a sign of weakness, it's a sign of strength.

10. Fear is good, it's what keeps us on our toes and tests us.

11. Skinny doesn't mean beautiful and chubby doesn't mean ugly. Embrace what you've got and learn to love it.

12. You probably won't marry your favourite boyband member (but you will marry someone equally as amazing)

13. Thirteen is unlucky. Avoid it!

14. Pets are always a good idea. Get one you'll see! 

15. You're a lot lot lot lot lot stronger than you think.

16. Boys will only hurt you as much as you'll let them. 

17. Bullies aren't just around when you're at school, there's bullies in every walk of life, so learn to deal with them and never be bullied again.

18. Ask him out. Stop being such a whimp!

19. Misbehave, it's much more fun than sticking to the rules.

20. Follow your dream, if you don't try you'll never know.

21. It's ok to change your mind. Several times. About anything and everything. 

22. If you don't make mistakes you're not living life right.

23. Respect yourself and others will respect you.

24. Confidence will come, in time.

25. There's always someone thinner, prettier and richer but they're not YOU! You are you, and you are the best you that there is! 

Jealousy

I always wonder about other people, when they do or say certain things, good or bad, I wonder why they did or said it. 

When someone's really nice, selfless or polite I wonder what led to them being that way, similarly when someone's nasty, hateful or rude I wonder why.

The truth is we've all got a background story that few if any people know about. Often there's underlying reasons for a person being the way they are and it's human nature to psychoanalyse eachother and to try and understand, so I guess my musings are normal?

Some people I can read straight away and see that they're being moody because they're highly strung and easily stressed out, or they're always down because they lack self confidence, they're not engaging because they're shy and socially anxious etc... But a couple of things I just can't abide and I can't get my head around so easily. 

Things like jealousy and bullying, hating and faking, I don't really know the answers as to why people are like this, I have my own opinion and I'd like to share it to see if anyone else thinks differently and can help me to understand more.

Jealousy is being envious of something someone else has. Hello are we back in primary school and our best friend has better colouring pencils than us? Well no, not quite but you see my point. 

I think the trouble with jealousy is whereas some of us resign ourselves to the fact that material things aren't the be all and and all of life and the we will survive even if we can't afford them gorgeous shoes, some people never get to that stage of thinking. They want. If they can't have they hate!

I think it takes a more sinister turn again when it's not a material object that they are jealous of; 

If someone is jealous or your relationship, your family, your lifestyle, your popularity etc... That's something that's impossible for them to replicate and that's when it turns nasty. That's where I've discovered that jealous people are people I really don't want in my life! 

The other day something happened to me where I literally experienced someone get so jealous of me having a laugh and smiling that they made it their personal mission to stop me! I'm not over reacting or anything I watched as this person calculated a way to interrupt my fun! Then I watched them walk away feeling happy with themselves for doing it!

There's not a person in this world that I would want to do that to! Obviously there are people I dislike, people that have hurt me and people that I don't get along with but none if that would make me want to literally wipe the smile off their face! Maybe I'm just a lover not a hater but I cannot understand it at all! 

Are you the jealous type? Can you really hate someone because they've got something you want? Do you have any good ways or dealing with jealous friends? Do you understand what makes these people tick? 

Random blog post I know but it's something I can't get my head around! 

Much love,

Helen xx

My Hot and NOT list for August!

I thought it would be a good idea to share with you some of the things I'm loving and hating right now! Everything from apps to beauty, household stuff to places and people! Here's my hot and not list for august! 

HOT LIST

1. Keek: I'm loving this app of 30 second video clips, I prefer it to vine! 

2. The ice bucket challenge! Personal favourites at the moment are Christiano Ronaldo (hello tiny purple pants) and Bill Gates (hello custom built bucket tipper!)

3. Primark: ok so I always love primark but hey! What's not to love? I got a cute new makeup bag this week plus a handbag for work and a new purse! 

4. Cadbury strawberry dreams! That's right! You no longer need to buy a box of Roses to get these bad boys - they're selling them in bags on their own! Amen Cadbury! 

5. Yankee candles: the one I'm currently burning is called 'A child's Wish' and it smells of soft summer florals, it's fresh and not overpowering. I believe in America it's called A summer wish. 

6. Pearl drops smokers toothpaste: amazing for getting rid of nicotine staining. Seriously works better than bleach tooth whitening pens! Quitting smoking would be the other option here but nobody's perfect - stop judging meeeee! 

7. Pizza: BBQ chicken pizza to be precise. I'm addicted! Send help!

8. Catfish the TV Show: omg what an eye opener! You really don't know who you're talking to online! 

9. Fake Reaction: genius tv show that makes me lol a lot!

10. Summer sales: yayyy finally they're upon us! 

NOT LIST

1. Fling app: basically anonymous snapchat with strangers. Great idea but omg I received some creepy stuff! Deleted!

2. The inbetweeners USA: why?? Why? Whyyyyy??? Just watch the uk version it's wayyyyy better! The characters have the same names and get up to the same stuff more or less! Why did someone waste money remaking something that's already awesome?

3. The weather: helloooo it's supposed to be august yet here I am freezing in my winter onesie! We've had storms and tail ends of hurricanes, none stop rain and wind that could knock you off your feet! How are we supposed to look our best with windswept hair and rain soaked makeup! Please behave weather!

4. Nights drawing in: it seems to be getting dark earlier every single night! Autumn is coming and soon it will be dark when we get home from work! Boooo! 

5. The kardashian Hollywood app: I deleted it after it took over my life for 2 weeks because it became really boring and repetitive! Plus you can't possibly complete what you need to without spending a small fortune buying stars and energy! 

What's HOT and NOT in your world right now? Let me know in the comments!

Love ya xx

Introduction!

Hey! welcome to my new blog! 

I wanted somewhere to talk about life, experiences and opinions rather than just beauty! So I decided to create this blog as my place for chattering about anything and everything! I'd love it if you guys sent requests of subjects and things to address!

Allow me to tell you a little bit more about me. 

I'm Helen Hill, I'm 30 years old and I'm from England, Great Britain. I have a husband and 3 cats who I love unconditionally. 

I have my own youtube channel which I love more than life itself and I am currently signed to Stylehaul network www.youtube.com/beautyandhelen 

I also have a dedicated beautyblog www.beautyandhelen.blogspot.com where I post reviews etc...

I am an optimistic and positive person, I like to live life and have fun and I love to make new friends, my youtube channel has lead me to some amazing people! 

I love chocolate, coffee, writing and my guilty pleasure is boybands in general and one direction in particular! 

I hope you enjoy my blog and find we have things in common! 

Please do comment and suggest things! I'd love my blog to be a conversation not just me talking at you!

Much love!

Helen xx