Emily Leonard Beauty

I've wanted to write this for a long time now. I think a lot of people have gone through losing a best friend. I've certainly lost my fair share. This one was different. This was the first time I ended a friendship. With my previous friendships, I had been mistreated and forgotten like I didn't matter. I was the one who was hurt and spent a lot of time wondering what I did wrong and why I wasn't a good enough friend anymore. In retrospect, the loss of those friendships made me the person I am now. I've had some really great friendships and some really crappy ones. I would like to believe that I am a pretty good friend. If you're important to me then I will do absolutely anything for you. I'm known to be a pretty 'extra' person and that is pretty accurate in all aspects of my life. Exhibit A being planning to surprise my BFF for her 17th birthday by showing up to her house at an insanely early hour in the morning with presents, cake, pizza (for b

On September 11th, 2001, I was four years old. I don't remember much. I'm not even sure if what I do remember even happened or if I've made it up over time. I have a faint memory of being in school and the teacher describing what happened. That there was a plane crash in New York City. I remember knowing my grandma worked in New York City. My most vivid memory of that day is me sitting on the couch at home with the news on, not really knowing what's going on. I can see my mom on her phone with her head down worried. I think she was crying. That's all that I remember. Despite that, it's a day I think about a lot. As I grew older, I found out that my grandma worked in a building right across the street from the World Trade Center... When I was twelve years old I asked her about how she survived and this is what (I remember) she told me: As far as I know, my grandma mostly worked in her office, in the building across from the World Trade Center. On this partic

Christmas shopping can already be difficult enough but it becomes so much more complicated when you're a cruelty free and vegan shopper! Whether or not the product is for me, I refuse to endorse products that torture innocent animals. I am very fortunate to have an understanding boyfriend and friends and family who will do their research before buying anything for me. To clarify, being a vegan shopper means I don't buy anything made from fur, leather, suede or any animal products. Some great websites such as  Asos  make life so much easier by giving you a filter for 'non-leather.' For other websites, it's just about being diligent and relying on a good product description. It's pretty difficult being a vegan shopper when you're a self confessed designer brand lover but I promise you if you do the research, you'll find something! Obviously, if you've been following my blog, being a cruelty free shopper means I do not buy from skincare and makeu

It has been a week since the launch of the Marks and Spencer Beauty Advent Calendar and it's been quite a week!!! 'Tis the season to treat your loved ones but we all get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of Christmas working extra hours, planning the perfect gifts and just getting ready in general! It's important we remind ourselves that we need a little TLC and it's okay to treat ourselves!! What better way than with a Beauty Advent Calendar!!! Gone are the days of opening the little cardboard door and seeing what shape little chocolate you got. It's the 21st century and we have certainly upped our advent calendar game!!  Imagine coming home from a long day of work or college, you got drenched in the rain, missed your bus, forgot your lunch and your phone died. It totally wasn't your day. But imagine how much better your day would be if you came home to a nice little treat whether it be skincare or beauty related!! You could give yourself a face