So for the last couple of weeks, I've been testing out a new conditioner. I didn't get it for Christmas or anything like that, but it was randomly placed in my office and I'm going to assume my grandmother found it. So basically, this is something I would have never found on my own and when I started reading the bottle, I got very interested in it. Because who doesn't like something that's one hundred percent natural?

Tate's the Natural Miracle Conditioner boasts quite a few things. Not only does it condition the hair and claim to minimize split ends and help repair damage, it's also a multi-purpose product. You can use this as hand and body lotion! You can use it as a body wash. This stuff pretty much does everything except remove your makeup. Though that hasn't been tested. So maybe it does!

When you open this up and start using it, you'll notice that it doesn't really have a smell to it. It's white and actually quite liquid-y. Unlike most conditioners that are kind of thick, this one will move around in your hand. I will admit that sometimes it didn't even feel like it was doing anything when I put it onto my head and massaged it in, but the end results are pretty worth it. My hair has been shiny and pliable after drying. I can't say that it has been doing anything to my split ends, because I have so many of them (whelp!), but it probably has been preventing me from getting more.

Like I mentioned above, I don't know where my grandmother got this or if it's even sold anywhere around me, but I did happen to find it on Amazon. I think it's fairly priced for what it says it's supposed to do. And I believe it will work better with the shampoo. I suggest you give it a try!

Tate's the Natural Miracle Conditioner

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So this is pretty exciting for me! Over the holidays, I was lucky enough to receive a signed copy of blogger Zoella's second novel, Girl Online: On Tour. But since it came out in October, I already had a signed copy. So I guess that means I just need to share this lovely book with one of you!





This will be a great gift for someone who is a big fan of hers or just for an addition on your shelf! Please enter below, gain all those points, and share on twitter so we can make this a really great giveaway! As it is my first personal giveaway, I'm really super excited and hope it goes well.

This giveaway will start on January 12th, 2016 and ends on January 21st, 2016 at 8:30! Winner will be announced on January 22nd!

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hello everyone!

 I think it's safe to say that I am not the most savvy person when it comes to Bloglovin'. I haven't really promoted it very much and I honestly don't think about it at all. That's all fine and well if you're only using it to follow and watch your favorite bloggers for when they make a post, but if you want your blog to get somewhere, or just to solidify the fact that what you're posting is getting to the people that could use and enjoy the information, Bloglovin' can be a really good tool. And I'm (hopefully) going to help you navigate it and use it for the good of your blog.


1. USE YOUR WIDGETS
Seriously. Even if you don't draw attention to it in your posts, having it on the side or somewhere easily and quickly visible is probably a good thing. Actually, in my goal to be more active and functional, I've found that having the widget brings in readers faster! FYI, mine is right there. See, on the side? Under my face? Yes, click it. ; )

2. Use good headlines
In this kind of day and age, words should mean a lot more than they do. People are really just looking for something quick and easy, so your headline should be just that. It shouldn't stress you out when it comes to coming up with a post headline. Asking questions, talking to the reader, and using positive and negative words are supposed to work really well. Give it a try with me!

3. Connecting your blog with Bloglovin'
Connecting your blog to Bloglovin' not only helps the readers see who you are, if they haven't seen you already, but this will give you access to analytics and insights that will help you understand more of the activity going around on your blog. Nice.

4. PICTURES!
Everyone likes visuals. I like visuals. I wish I had more and better visuals. I'm getting there. This can sometimes be a working progress for bloggers, like myself, but the important thing here is that you use your own images. If you can't, or what you want to show is something that looks better online, just make a note in the post about where the image came from. I don't know about you, but I want my readers to be able to trust me, so not dancing around the truth is a good start. In the meantime, work your way on up to getting better pictures!

5. Follow other blogs
I think this one really speaks for itself. Following other blogs not only shows that you are active, but that you're supporting your fellow bloggers. Things are a lot more crazy these days in the blogging world. Some people are in it for how many endorsements they can grab or how much money they can make. There is nothing wrong with that as long as the trust is there. Bloglovin' is a good tool to help support other bloggers and get support in return! You can also get some pretty great inspiration for future posts as well!

6. Uh yeah, hi, free marketing?
I know as bloggers, or me, we (I) tend to think very narrowly about the whole thing. Sometimes it's hard writing up a post because in my head I'm thinking 'What if nobody reads this? What if they hate it? How can I get people interacting with what I put out?' The truth is, and I've only been doing this for a little over a year, but it's just not that simple and definitely not that easy. If you're looking to get into blogging for the money or for gaining lots of followers right off the bat, you're going to be pretty disappointed. It is rough sometimes, wondering if what I'm posting is getting to people and if they're even listening. Everyone wants someone to listen, to talk with, to learn. Twitter has been a good stepping stone for me when it comes to getting my posts out. Every time I hit publish, I'm also linking it up on Twitter.

Social media is a great thing because all of these platforms are free and at our disposal. I suppose it's really just getting used to using them that determines how well they work. Bloglovin' might not seem like it, but it is a social platform, and it definitely will help you on whatever blogging journey that you're on.

So, quick discussion time, if you please. Comment below with what you've done that has worked for you or any advice that you might have for new/all bloggers.
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Hello, 2016! 

Who knew that the first post of the new year would be a book post? I haven't done one of these in so long and here's why: the book I'm about to go over took me two months to read. And it was only five hundred something pages! I've read books with a thousand pages faster then this! I believe the main problem for me was because this was a very detailed, slow moving book. But let me introduce it first.

For those of you that have never heard about or seen this book, peak your head out of the blankets, my friend. It has been everywhere the last couple of months. Winning awards left and right. So with all those awards and recognition, it has to be good, yes? Naturally, when my local library gets something like this in, I snatch it. I want to know why it's so good! This thing is packed with intimate details and goes off on tangents about snails and locks. Le sigh. Let's move on.

This book is set in the forties, the era of Hitler. It focuses on two main characters, Marie-Laure and Werner. Marie-Laure is French, of course, and blind. I actually liked this bit because it really helped the author go over and above with detail. I joke, it was super annoying. Not that she was blind, but that when he was having her examine something, he would go completely off topic. I think this was why I had to put down the book and come back to it so many times. I can read and move through detail as easily as the next person. But when you start talking about science when you were just talking about how she counted the drains in the streets to find her way around, you've lost me.

Werner is German and an orphan. But an incredibly smart kid. This is where the science really comes in and was acceptable. Thankfully, he didn't stray here when he went into detail. Werner was the MC that I really fell in love with because the poor kid just wanted to make radios and transmitters and do great things, but the war had other things in mind for him. Another character that we meet with Werner is Volkheimer. A giant of a guy, a fierce solider that loves classical music, you really appreciate this guy. Really. There is nothing more I'm going to say about him, because if for nothing else, you should read it for him.

Moving on, I gave this book three stars on Goodreads and was pretty disappointed with the Hollywood ending it seemed to receive. Not everything was sunshine and puppies at the end for all the characters involved, but you would think that it would be just a little bit less cloudy. Ah, well. Now I can move on down the list of books that will hopefully move a bit more smoothly when it comes to the plot. I didn't reach my goal of forty books read for the year, thanks to this thing, ugh, but I set myself the same goal for this year and I'm hoping to overcome it.

What are you reading right now? Any recommendations?
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