Who Inspires You?

Hello my lovelies!

After Amys lovely guest blog post it inspired me so much to do a similar blog, but with my inspirational people rather than Amys (although I agree that every person on Amys guest blog post is amazing, and super inspiring!). So here goes, here are the people that lighten my day and make me try my bestest! They're in no particular order either :)

Cheryl Cole

I loved Cheryl ever since she was on Popstars: The Rivals many moons ago, I was rooting for her all along! Her down to earthness and natural beauty just shone through, plus she's a Northerner which is always a bonus! I love how she is just normal, she has her flaws like falling for the wrong guy and punching people, but who doesn't have flaws? She always looks preened and polished and comes across with such warmth and care that it's hard not to like her, and I'm sure 99% of girls have a girl crush on her! ;) The way those Wolford Bondage tights and hair dye sold out after Cheryl had them is a testament to how much girls look up to her!

Katy Perry

Katy first off has the most amazing fashion sense ever, she wears the most fun cool stuff you could imagine and has super fun hair do's and always perfect polished makeup. I love her ridiculously addictive songs and fun lyrics and just how she seems to exude plain old fun but in such a sexy way. I also really like it that she believes in God, even though she has a sort of 21st century version of Christianity - but it's nice to see celebs standing up for what they believe in but still having fun and not being too upright about it! I also like it how loved up she is, fingers crossed her and Russell stay together for a long time! :)

Kelly Eden

Kelly's perhaps not as famous as most of the other people on this list but she sure is inspiring. She is a model, makeup artist, tattoo artist and painter, and she is amazing at all those trades, as well as just being a beautiful amazing person too! Her paintings are beautiful and really inspire me to pick up my paintbrush again. She is also super friendly and really speaks with warmth and care, she just seems to spread such happiness and love wherever she goes and that's something I really strive to do. Also, cos she's so amazingly pretty she really leaves a lasting mark on peoples minds, something all girls are after! :) Plus, she has pink hair which is always a winner! ;) She has the most super cool tattoos ever, even a MAC lipstick! :) I love how she just uses anything to let her creative spirits out - peoples skin, her own hair, a canvas, her own skin - it's all covered in beautiful things that she has dreamed up! :)

Marilyn Monroe

How could I not include dear old Norma Jeane in this list? She is and probably will be for the next few hundred years a real womens icon. Her sense of style is timeless, her makeup ever flawless, not a preened thing on her is ever out of place. Her words were always spoken softly and with a little hint of a twinkle and mischief in her voice, she's just so eternally classy and amazing, a woman all women look to for guidance! I also feel even more endeared to her as she suffered from an undiagnosed mental illness that led her to write lots of diaries and notes that I can really relate to, and in a way it's amazing to know such a beautiful woman held such dark secrets, yet people still look up to her as one of the real icons of the 20th century.

In every picture I have ever seen of her she has this amazing glint in her eye and she exudes beauty in every sense of the word. If only they could bottle and sell what she had! :)

Rihanna

Rihanna is insanely beautiful - her style is so fun to watch as she grows as a woman, and her style at the minute, both in music and fashion, are definitely my favourite she's ever had! She's pushing the boundaries and really seems to be embracing all her character traits whether good or bad, and that's something we should all take from her. She's especially inspiring to me after her famed case with Chris Brown and domestic abuse, for her to be at the forefront of many opinions and debates, as well as public scandal, and her own personal life, feelings and hurt must have taken an amount of courage only most of us can dream about. For her to come back more beautiful and strong than ever proves to me she is one of the most inspiring women of our time :)

Pink

Pinks music really speaks to me on some sort of deep level that sometimes seems subconscious! I can have her music on in the background and not even be concentrating on it or the words, then all of a sudden I'm welling up, and it's cos of her songs! Her music has followed me right from being about 11 years old, so has been with me all through me maturing into a woman, and boy has it been a ride! At the minute my favourite song of hers is 'F**kin Perfect' - it really really means a lot to me, and I'm sure it does to a lot of people out there and helps them get through :) She's always stood out from the crowd no matter what, but now she's starting to seem like a shrinking violet compared to the likes of Lady Gaga, but for me Pink will always be the original crazy girl! ;)

Kristen Cavallari

Maybe a strange one on this list and not a woman most people would include, but I am really inspired by her strength of character and resilience. She seems so strong and really stands up for herself no matter what. She takes no crap from anyone, and will tell you that while she's looking oh so beautiful! She seems a pillar of strength to her friends and those around her, and all those that aren't her friends in that ridiculously addictive programme The Hills just wanted to be her! Her outfits are always put together with utmost care, her makeup and hair perfect. I aspire to be super strong minded like her, and to do so with the sheer class she exudes every where she goes!

Betsey Johnson

If I was a designer, my designs would be pretty much exactly what Betsey Johnson does, everything she designs is just perfect! If I could only wear one brand of clothes ever again, it'd be Betsey Johnson. All her stuff is just so quirky and fun and just plain lovely! I'd love to be like her when I'm older, still inspiring us young un's, and still just breathing fun and womanhood into the world! She says no to the typical classy woman and speaks to those of us out there that want to be classy but still have fun with what we wear and do! She makes me want to be more individual and really push the fashion boundaries, I love her! And I loved spying on these pictures of her house! I want my house like this, eeeek!!! :)

“Girls do not dress for boys. They dress for themselves, and of course, each other. If girls dressed for boys, they’d just walk around naked at all times.”

Imagine having those dresses - all yours! And Betsey there to design more especially for you, eek! :)

Christina Aguilera

I've always loved Christina, through good and bad. She's another celebrity that has followed me through my entire teenage years and has helped me through, whether that be a good or bad influence! I remember in Y6 when I was 11 me, and my friends Alicia and Amy (who is our guest blogger :D ) entered a talent show and danced the full Moulin Rouge Lady Marmalade dance, I'd give so much to see that on video!!!! I loved Christina when she sand 'Genie in a bottle', she seemed so confident yet angelic and had the most beautiful voice, and then when she got to her 'Dirrty' days, that's it, I was hooked! She just pushes the boundaries and puts 1000% into everything she does. If she's going to sing 'Dirrty', she'll wear chaps, look like she's sweating all over and wear super short mini skirts, but if she's going to be the 1940s pin up - she'll rock that winged liner, set curls, red lips and heels like there's no tomorrow. I love how she speaks so openly about how empowering it is to be a woman and to have a beautiful body, and I completely agree with her when she said the womans body is so much more attractive than a mans! She is also a MAC Viva Glam representative, and I feel she's perfect for this role! She's just so beautiful and every project she does and magazine article she's in a devour and feel so inspired after reading, I love this woman! And would love a voice as amazing as hers! And she spoke to so many people in the world when she did the controversial and just quite simply amazing song 'Beautiful' - that's one that'll stay in peoples minds for a long time :)

Kurt Cobain

“they laugh at me because I’m different, I laugh at them because they are all the same”-Kurt Cobain.”

From my uneducated and embarrassing days as a mosher/goth/emo I really loved Nirvanas music. I had their Unplugged album on a little tape and would listen to the words over and over again. His words and the way he sang with so much expression in his voice really meant so much to me as such an angsty pre teen! I read his autobiography and really felt like his life somehow had a deep link with mine, even when I was young - and now I realise we both suffer from depression and it takes over most things we do, sometimes in good ways, sometimes in bad ways - but I really appreciate now how he embraced his mental health and let it help him along musically and in his own mind each day. It's such a shame he's still not here with us!

Angelina Jolie

Angelina is just so beautiful it's unreal. I remember being about 11 and thinking I'll never get a husband cos I'll never be as beautiful as her! I found her utterly exhilarating and still do now. The way she holds herself, her beliefs, her talent, everything about her is just breath taking. I love how amazing she is at acting, my favourite role she had by far is as Lisa in Girl, Interrupted - she is the highlight of that film. Her beauty and looks may get her a lot of press space and women may talk on and on about how amazing looking she is, but that hasn't stopped her from doing the most amazing charity work. I love that she really stands up for what she believes in, and makes changes in the world with the power of celebrity she has. She's just incredible!

Julia Roberts character Vivian in Pretty Woman

I love all Julia Roberts roles in films, but this particular one stood out to me (I also love Julia Roberts as herself to the ends of the Earth!). I find Vivians characters strength despite her obvious innocence to the world really endearing and Julia Roberts just portrays her character beautifully. The way she is actually only looking for love and someone to care for her while putting such a strong front on to get through a hard time in her life, it just really inspires me to think that not all hard seemingly horrible uncaring people are like that through and through. She has a shell that's super easy for Edward, her 'client', to break - just because she's so wonderful and lovable and just a beautiful person. She just sweats out beauty and looks amazing no matter what she wears, I wish I could be like that! I love her big long flowing red locks, deep brown eyes and huge plump lips - she is just such a classic beauty. I love her so much, and this film is perfect for rainy Sundays with a big cup of hot chocolate! :)

Kevyn Aucoin

I wasn't sure whether I was going to include Kevyn in this post as I want to do a whole separate post about 'Inspiring Makeup Artists' but after reading his book 'A Beautiful Life' I find him inspiring not only as a makeup artist but as a person. He had a hard upbringing, being adopted, and also being gay in a world that shunned him for being that. However he never hid his sexuality and instead embraced it. His in your face acceptance of his every character meant people quickly didn't seem to mind his sexuality for as long as they did with others, and everyone he met found him a beautiful character, and so endearing. Just reading about him really makes me remember him as being such a wonderful person, an amazing artist and someone I look up to for both his insanely incredible talent but also for the way he just exudes kindness.

Below is a picture of his makeup work - amazing!

Disney Films

Disney films inspire me no end. The way the seem to look at the world with such a simplistic view but then once you delve deeper you realise they're really pressing issues that are problematic in todays society. They show that everything can seem simple if you have no prejudices in your heart. For example Belle from Beauty and the Beast falls in love with someone despite his appearance, but because of his kind heart. Ariel from The Little Mermaid sacrifices the thing she loves about herself the most for love, and in the end gets all the things she wants. Jasmine falls for Aladdin despite the fact everyone thinks he's no good because he's poor and from a different social standing, so she stands up for herself and gets the man she wants :) All these stories are so beautiful and really inspire me to look at things how the Disney Princesses do! They're all such strong gorgeous woman who follow their heart and stand up for their beliefs, and they all get what they want in the end!

I've always especially loved Belle, she's my favorite Princess. She reminds me of me so much!

Pocahontas is such a wonderful film, I love how she sees through everything to see that all people are the same, and she stands up to everything her society says, and teaches people lessons they would have never learned otherwise, but are invaluable.

Lacey Turner's character Stacey Slater in Eastenders

Another perhaps strange addition to my 'inspirations' list, but Stacey Slater is a character that will long last in my mind even though she's not in Eastenders anymore! I loved her character right from when she joined, she was so feisty and fun and reminded me a little of myself! Again another person I love because of how she stands up for herself and what she believes in, she's not scared to get in a fight or say things people don't want to hear. She also shunned all the guys for the love of her life Bradley and despite how geeky he was she loved him to the ends of the Earth. When Stacey had the scenes of her bipolar disorder breaking out and then getting diagnosed the story really struck a chord with me, and was one of the main things that made me initially question my own mental health.. So see all you soap and trashy TV haters - stuff like that really does help us! I thought it was amazing how Lacey portrayed Staceys problems so well, and I'll forever be thankful to her character for helping me understand myself and making things not seem so scary. If a character like Stacey who I loved so much could have something like that it made it much easier to swallow that I might have too.

Alexandra Morton

Alexandra Morton is simply an amazing woman. She's dedicated her life to helping the Pacific West Coast and its wildlife, and has so far been an amazing help to it. She's constantly capaigning and fighting for those that can't speak for themselves - the whales, trees, fish, dolphins, porpoises... everything that thrives on that coastline she dedicates her life to fighting for. She's so strong willed and has such a beautiful mind that I find her just an amazing inspiring woman and one who's life I will think about time and time again and try and draw strength from her incredible character.

So that comes to an end of my list of inspirational people, but I'm sure there's loads of people I've forgot about and will remember sooner or later! I've enjoyed writing this list so much, it just shows how being kind about others can really brighten your heart. In fact today I was in Tesco and told the cashier how much I loved her Mehendi on her hands, and then she said back to me Oh I love your eyebrows! It put a huge smile on my face and showed me just how one act of kindness leads the way for lots more, so don't hold your compliments in! :)

xoxoxoxo