~All About Me~

 

I’d like to start with a BIG hello to whoever is taking time out of their crazily busy day to read my blog!  I’m a brand-spankin’ new blogger and my name is Natalie Benton.  As you can tell from my handle, Gorgeous and Geeky, I am inspired by all things beauty and geeky.  I am absolutely obsessed with beauty boxes, makeup, skincare, Star Wars, Marvel, and Harley Quinn.  I will be posting about beauty products via announcements and reviews, upcoming geeky goodness, but also about 3 of my other passions: mental health, travel, and food/drink.  This is a lifestyle blog which will be filled with my interests and passions.

For a few years I’ve followed my absolute favourite blogger, Which Beauty Box, and without trying to sound cliché, Jaina’s posts truly helped me with my mental health.  Reading about beauty products and how to use them inspired me to take better care of myself and this past year I’ve truly flourished!  I believe that this new-found love for beauty along with some life-changing events have moulded me into this confident, passionate, and truly happy lady who wants to find her niche in this fabulous blogging world!

Since I am brand new to the blogging world, I’d like my *first* post to enable you to get to know me a bit better.  Here are 10 facts about me!  Please be sure to leave your responses/feedback in the comments section so I can get to know you better, too!  

~ I am originally from Florida and have lived in 4 other states (Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Mississippi). I have been living in Wales since June 2012.  I moved to Wales to start a life with my partner, Martyn, who is Welsh.

~ Martyn and I originally met online in 2010; we then met in Ireland in 2011 when I was studying at the Waterford Institute of Technology. We decided to enter into a committed relationship in July 2011 and have been together ever since, despite spending roughly 2 years apart. 

Me and my bestest, Keith, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

 

 

 

~ I completed my Bachelors of Science degree at Georgia Southern University in Psychology; I minored in Sociology and developed an interest in Criminology. I spent 4 years in Statesboro, Georgia while working on this degree and the amazing memories from this experience will last a lifetime.  I made friends who I still connect with daily!

 

 

 

~ I earned by MSc in Clinical and Applied Psychology at Swansea University. My masters dissertation focused on pedophilia, hebephilia, and sexual attraction.

~ After I finished by masters, I went through a quarter-life crisis (YES THEY ARE REAL!) and it took me about a year and a half to get my shit together. Thanks to my amazing friends/family and some shitty life experiences that were out of my control, I made it through and have found peace, health, and happiness once again.

My Welsh bestie, Nat, and I in Cardiff in March 2016

~ My biggest passion in life is mental health. I am currently employed as a Support Worker in a residential care facility which houses adults with mental health difficulties such as schizophrenia, personality disorder, and hydrocephalus.  I am chuffed at the fact that after years of struggling with my own mental health and years of studying it, I am finally working to help those who need assistance.

~ I am so obsessed with ♥Harley Quinn♣ that my cats are in fact named Harley and Quinn. I picked them up from a lady in Pontypridd in May 2015 and they are basically my children.  I absolutely adore them and prefer their company to most people’s 😉 haha

My babies, Harley and Quinn, when they were kittens in June 2015

~ I am literally fanatical about Star Wars.  I own handbags, coin purses, scarves, pencil holders, cordless speakers, art, cat toys, jewellery, replicas, photos with characters and autographs, plush toys, and so much more.  This was not always the case, though, as I’d never seen Star Wars until I was 21.  In December 2011, Martyn and I had a duvet day while he was visiting Statesboro, Georgia and we watched every single film.  My world forever changed.  I cried when Yoda died, fell in love with R2, and grew an immense disdain for Jar Jar Binks.

My best Boba Fett impersonation at the For the Love of the Force convention in Manchester