May 31st

Well hello there!

I'd firstly like to apologize for the lack of blog posts these past couple of weeks, I have quite simply been so overly busy that I'm beyond tired! We've had a scare with my little sister who was in hospital with pneumonia and pleurisy so obviously that is a huge worry and just all-round stressful... But I'm not going into detail about that!

Something I will go into detail about was the epic experience I discussed in my previous blog post about going to see One Direction in Manchester! 31st May 2014 was the absolute best night of my entire life! We started the day off at the Trafford Center getting a little bit of shopping done, although the building is stunning I was a little disappointed because its not as as big as I thought... But still I got a few items that I have fallen in love with :) We called in nearly every shop to make sure we didn't miss anything good! I got an eye shadow palette from H&M which I was excited to try because I think high street make up can often be just as good as the high end options that break the bank. I also got a new skirt to wear for the concert because I thought it looked a little more dressed up than just jeans! I also was treat to a new pair of pink converse by my dad :)

When we'd finished shopping we decided to head to the hotel we would be staying in after the concert, when we got there we realized we'd maybe planned to set off to late as we were under the impression 5SOS would be on at 6... We were wrong... 

So we all got ready, I of course did my own hair and make up and my sisters! I used my new eye shadow palette and my Estee Lauder bronzer for the occasion! I originally did my hair in a half up half down fashion but it just wasn't staying in, so in the end I put it up in a ponytail just to get it out of the way! I got dressed into my 'Crazy Mofos' t-shirt and black skirt with my new pink converse and leather jacket! Then we set off for the stadium at 3.30 knowing the gates opened at 5.00. We got there and already the crowds were crazy! It was surreal to see that many people queuing just on one side of the arena! We head over to the merch stand, which would put a dent in my bank account even more! I got two t-shirts, one for the one direction boys and another for 5SOS, then I got a Midnight Memories flag and a flashing light. I think I got a little caught up in the excitement and spent more than I would have if I was in a normal situation...

Not looking my best but I was excited haha

The gates opened at 5.00 and we got to our seat, we couldn't have had better seats really we were facing the stage and had an excellent view without being crushed by crowds! Once we found out seats we were sat there counting down until 5 seconds of summer came on at 6.00 but then we found out that actually they were coming on at 7.45 and that One Direction didn't come on until 8.30! So we went and got some food, but the sun had gone so it was more than a little chilly!

Finally 5SOS came on and absolutely rocked it! Their set was amazing, the talent this band has is incredible in fact I think they're a little under appreciated and deserve a lot more credit and recognition.

Courtesy of the lovely lady behind us!

5SOS killin it

    By this point I was more than warmed up and so ready for the boys to come on! There was a crazy Mexican wave that went all the way around the stadium, of course being my clumsy self I fell and cut my knee (typical). The screams that erupted when the boys came on stage were deafening, it was so surreal it filled me with a sense of pride and a sore throat haha. I was so distracted by my favorite song 'Little Black Dress' and its complete perfection that I forgot to record it or take picture. A mistake I am now kicking myself for! Not going to lie I am a total Narry girl (Niall and Harry for those who don't know), mainly Niall because that Irish accent and cheeky personality slays me! They're all so damn talented and I got a little choked up at songs like Little Things, Strong and Diana because they're those type of songs that just boost your confidence and make you feel good about yourself, like you're not alone.

This was one of the best nights of my life and I truly cannot put into words how fabulous it was!

What are some of your favorite experiences? 
Let me know in the comments!
    And as always thanks for reading :)   

Well hello there!

So I wasn't really sure what to write about this week, so I thought I might just give you a little update about up coming things I'm excited about :)

Firstly, exams are almost over! Woohoo! My last exam is on the 2nd June and then I can finally get cracking on my reading list. I haven't had the time to pick up a book since December, and that is one of the hardest things about exams for me... Reading is my down time, the way I relax and cope with the stresses of everyday life. Once my sisters are in bed and my homework is done I can grab my book and just got lost in the beautiful fiction of it all. I firstly need to finish the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy and then whatever takes my fancy I'm gonna get cracking on it! My excitement for this is ridiculous.

Secondly, there are some amazing movies coming out that I cannot wait to see. X-Men days of future past is one of them, I freaking love X-Men although I was a little disappointed about the inconsistency between X-Men First Class and the previous X-Men films. But it was still amazing and I loved every minute. Another film I'm freaking out for is The Fault In Our Stars, when I read the book I cried for a good few days. John Green is one of my favorite writers, I feel he writes about realistic situations and that comforts me. I'm anxious about this film because the book is such a standard that if they miss things out it might ruin it for me... But they couldn't have had better castings, Shailene Woodley is quickly becoming one of my favorite actresses so I trust her with the part of Hazel-Grace and Ansel Elgort is also amazing and I may or may not have a crush on him.. (I so do he's beautiful). 

Also, City of Heavenly Fire comes out within a couple of days! I've been waiting for this book for I don't even know how long anymore! It's the sixth book in the Mortal Instruments series which I've been reading since I was eleven (six years) and I've never once fallen out of love with them! Although it's highly fictional based on Shadowhunters and demons I fell in love with the characters and Cassandra Clare's writing style! Jace Wayland is my favorite character and I swoon every time I read them. I have a terrible condition of falling in love with fictional character's... Anywho, I need this book to be ridiculously thick so everything is explained! But I'm nervous because apparently a few of the main characters die! Which will destroy me emotionally forever. 

Last but most certainly not least is that on the 31st of May, one week from today I finally get to see One Direction at the Ethiad Stadium in Manchester! The tickets were a surprise for my birthday from my dad and older sister (who are both coming with) I'm so beyond excited! I'm so happy I cant even put it into words!!! Its going to be such an amazing day, so many videos and pictures will be taken! I wish I could make this paragraph longer but I genuinely cannot put it into words how excited I am!

So there you go, just a few little things I'm looking forward to in the upcoming weeks!

        

Let me know below if there is anything you're excited for this month!

Thank you for reading :)

Miss Swift

Well hey there!

So I thought it was time to let you in on a major part of my life, and that is Taylor Swift! I've been a Swiftie now for a number of years and was beyond guttered when I couldn't go and see her shows in London for the RED tour. I know a lot of people have negative opinions on Taylor Swift but I'm here to try and combat those! Not only is she an amazing person when it comes to her fans and charity, but she is probably one of the best female role models around today. 

You won't find any pictures of Taylor smoking or doing drug or excessively drunk and making a spectacle of herself. And because she doesn't do anything of this kind, the only way the media can bring her down is through the people she has dated. Now let me tell you, Taylor is 24 years old and has dated six people... SIX PEOPLE not thirteen or thirty (some people need lessons is realistic exaggeration). A woman dating people should not be massive news or a reason to try and drag down their confidence, I'm sure there are girls in my school aged between twelve and eighteen who have had more boyfriends than that. But the point is, why does it matter? Taylor is a music artist! Seven time Grammy winner who paints guitars for the sick children she visits in hospitals, so why does the fact she dated a few people suddenly make her a monster?

  

Image from perezhilton.com  

I know her music isn't every bodies type, but if you really listen to the lyrics I'm sure anyone could find AT LEAST one of her songs that they can relate to! She receives hate for calling out the people who have hurt her in her songs, so what? When you've been hurt by someone you have to find a way of coping with it, and this is her way. Her songs act as a diary for her and this is how she communicates with fans what has happened in her life. Surely writing about things that are difficult for you to do with should be a thing to admire? Not mock. She has said in interviews if the people she writes about choose to write about her that's fine! But can I say, not all of her songs are about relationships and break ups and not all of the break up songs slate the boy. In fact, I challenge you to watch her perform Ronan at the Stand up 2 cancer event last year and not get emotional. Ronan's mother did not ask Taylor to do this, Taylor chose to after finding her blog.

After performing at StandUp2Cancer 

How anyone can find anything wrong with that I do not know...

At the Grammies this year Taylor performed one of the most emotional songs on her album RED, 'All Too Well' is one of the songs that gets me every time I listen to it. You can see the emotion during every performance of it, and because her performance at the Grammies was so amazing the only thing people could find to complain about was her dancing (insert eye roll here). Which I'm sorry guys but come on! That is bordering on petty. 

I just really don't see the appeal to 'Taylor' bashing... Why is it so popular? 

I don't know i just love her... And at the moment her wardrobe is to die for!

  

So tell me your opinion on this issue!

And if you have one whats your favorite Taylor song?

Let me know in the comments :)

A little life advice

I know this is my second post of the day, have I lost my marbles you might be asking yourself? But I feel like this is something I really want to address, as many of you may know exams are dawning upon those of us who are still in school. I myself have completed one of my seven AS level exams, and the pressure is just building and building. I would be lying if I said these exams mean nothing like a lot of people seem to... Which I don't understand, sure in the long run they aren't as important as a degree or a higher education qualification but you can't access one of those without getting good grades at AS and A2! 

But the thing is getting worked up and stressed doesn't help you get a good grade, to be honest I'm sick of hearing people say "If you aren't stressed you're probably going to fail." No that isn't true! Being so stressed you can't eat or sleep is the reason you may fail! A little stress and worry is good because it acts as motivation to get into gear and really focus on revision, but too much can be damaging. Myself and a few of my friends have gotten so stressed at times we've actually been ill. Sacrificing your health for these exams is not a good thing or something to be proud of, suffering depression and anxiety like I did during my year 11 exams isn't something to brag about. 

My advice for dealing with exams would be to follow these steps:

1. Set a schedule, I got an amazing app on my iPhone called 'Alarmed' and its perfect for people like me who procrastinate and put off revising as much as possible! It has 'NagMe' setting so the alarm goes off every minute until you get it done. 

2. Take regular breaks, after every hour of revision reward yourself with 20-30 minutes of free time before you start again. Keep to one hour at a time, your brain doesn't focus as much during long hours of studying with no breaks! Have a drink during your break, I personally enjoy a coffee because I seriously need the energy! 

3. Try and relax! I find a hot bubbly bath with music to be the perfect relaxation technique, also yoga. Exercise is a fabulous way of relaxing but for those of us too lazy for anything strenuous yoga is just perfect!

4. And finally breathe! Take a step back and reflect on what you imagine your life being like once all this is over! Do something you know you're going to enjoy and won't find hard to focus on. Find something to focus on, a prize for yourself! Mine is finally being able to read again!

I hope all this helped in someway possible!  

Have you got any relaxation techniques to help with stress?

And good luck to those with exams!

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May Favorites!

Well hello there!
I know it's probably a little early in the month for a favorite's post but what the heck! I'm going to be crazy today! (I apologize for the length of this post)

Some of the things I'm putting into this post I've had for a while now but have only just realized how much I love it! The first thing I'm putting in this post is something I got from my sister, it was a present for my birthday and it's my Tanya Burr nail varnish and lip gloss! The nail varnish I got is in the colour 'Vampire Kiss' and oh my gosh I love it! Its such an amazing colour and texture, normally I'm not a huge fan of lip gloss I much prefer a lipstick, but this product really changed that opinion! It doesn't have that sticky quality that lip glosses normally have, it goes on really smoothly and easily with a wand applicator. The wand is kind of flat which allows you to really get a good outline before you fill the whole lip in. I really want to get more of these lip glosses and at £6.99 a pop they're quite affordable! They're available from most Superdrug stores now and also feelunique. The one I have is such an amazing colour, normally I reserve bright red lips for an evening occasion, but this one I find I can wear quite comfortably in the day (with minimal eye make up of course). My lips feels really hydrated when I take it off, which is a welcomed change form the usual stickiness that come with other glosses. I would really recommend this product, and also if you haven't already check out Tanya's YouTube channel and blog (I'll leave a link to both below.) 

The Tanya Burr nail varnish I have is in the colour 'Midnight Sparkles', I'm a nail varnish nut to be quite honest and this one takes the biscuit! Its such a beautiful colour when on, it looks like just a plain dark purple but as soon as any light hits it the sparkles pop out and look amazing! There is just one quarrel I have with this product and that is the fact that application is quite messy, its quite a runny nail varnish so you have to make sure you only have a little bit on the brush before you apply it. And then because you can only put a little bit on at a time you have to do quite a few coats which can be time consuming, not the best product for if you're in a rush! However, the gorgeous finish and stunning colour far out weigh this little flaw! 

The next thing isn't actually a product, but something my friend did for me, she takes Art at A-Level and asked if I would mind being a hair model for one of her pieces, she chose an artist and gave me a picture to replicate, not to sound vain but I've always been quite proud of my hair and how long it has gotten so I was flattered when she asked and agreed straight away! I didn't actually know how good she was when I agreed to do this so I was a little skeptical it wouldn't turn out right... But I have to say she really came through! I was sooooo happy with this piece! I really wanted to keep it but sadly it had to be kept by the teachers for assessment :( 

The next thing is something I literally just got today and I'm really excited! I've been making do with really cheap rubbish make up brushes that I must have gotten when I was twelve and had no idea how to use them! Well today I got these 'So Eco' brushes while I was shopping at TESCO, I've wanted good quality makeup brushes for a while now but they're just so darn expensive to buy! I know make up isn't cheap but over £8 is just not feasible for a 17 year old student who only earns minimum wage on one or two shifts a week! I'm really tight with my money because I just hate the idea of not having any and have to borrow it from my parents! So £14 for four brushes seemed like such a good buy! The fact that they're Eco friendly as well was an added bonus for me, and in comparison to my old brushes they feel like silk on my skin! I'm hoping once I've been using them for a couple of weeks to do a blog post on them :)

As always thank you so much if you're reading this! 

What are your favorite things this month?

Feel free to comment and subscribe!

Tanya's blog: http://www.tanyaburr.co.uk/ 

Tanya's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/pixi2woo 

Calvin Klein Sheer Creme Eye Shadow

Well hello there!

I thought it would be nice this week to do a cheeky review of one of my favorite eye shadows at the moment! I got the CK sheer creme eye shadow in the colour 'snakeskin silver' around three years ago now so I was 13/14 years old and didn't really know how to use it, so its been in my make up bag not being loved! I came across it again a few weeks ago and thought while I was feeling confident I'd give it a bash! The colour doesn't show particularly well because of the low pigmentation, its more of a soft glitter on the lid than a strong colour. It does come in a variety of colours so the results could vary with different products. However I found it blended really well and didn't crease throughout the day, it's a great product to wear on an everyday basis because it just matches with everything. You could use a thicker coat to make your make up look a little more dressy especially if teamed with a gorgeous lipstick! Or if like me you're going for a casual day to day look a light coat with a lightly coloured lip balm would go with any outfit! I'd recommend Maybeline Baby Lips in the colour 'Pink Punch'.  

I do however have one tiny issue with this product... And that is, you have to be careful not to touch your eye once you've put it on. I've found from an unfortunate experience where I unconsciously rubbed my eye and had to find a place to wipe a glittery finger whilst out shopping in York! Most unfortunate I assure you. But apart from that I can find no other quarrel with it! The texture of this creme eye shadow is beautiful, its so light, it doesn't weigh down the eye lid like I've found other eye shadows do! I found the product great to wear and really easy to applicate, it can be done with the finger or an eye shadow applicator. 

 I don't know if this product is still available from Calvin Klein stores, online or in shops as I got it in a set a long time ago. So I can't give you a price as it varies between sellers.
A few links to online stores are:
http://uk.strawberrynet.com/makeup/calvin-klein/tempting-glimmer-sheer-creme-eyeshadow/119456/?langBox=uk  
http://www.thebeautyclub.com.au/make-up/calvin-klein/eye-color/tempting-glimmer-sheer-creme-eyeshadow/tempting-glimmer-sheer-creme-eyeshadow-305-snakeskin-silver/10733084002

If you decide to try this product do let me know in the comments! 

And if you found this review useful again let me know in the comments!

As always thank you for reading :)