Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Life advice

Hello there, buddies.

Well I was thinking about what sort of thing to write today and I got slightly distracted by pondering life...like you do. Then I thought maybe I could make my ponderings into something on here. So that is exactly what I am going to do!

I thought that it might be fun, and good to read for you guys if I take some things I think and chuck them on to you. Sort of like an advice column...but in one place. 

After chatting to the lovely Sam about this post, it was suggested that I make this a sort of weekly segment. I don't know about you, but I quite like this idea. So, next week I will be doing an advice post on relationships. As this is a blog based on you guys, I want you to send me in questions or things you want advice on. You can do this either by Tweeting me @LovelyChubly or commenting on this post. I will use every question, and include some of my own advice snippets, so get them in! The closing date for that will be Friday September 6 at midnight so get your questions in by then!

Anyways, ramble over.

As always I will just rant and ramble and hope it ends up in one block that makes sense.

DISCLAIMER: everything in the following is of the opinion of the author and is under no circumstance applicable to every reader.

Here we go!

Things always get better
I know this is something that people say all the time, but it is seriously true. You have to remember that no matter how low you feel, there is always time for things to get better. Nothing is instant, and most the time you have to work at it yourself, but things will always be brighter at the end of it. I can pretty much guarantee that you either tutted at me or rolled your eyes at this first one. If you are then I can probably also say you have never been in the position where you are just rock bottom...so you are one lucky person. Just always remember to keep strong and chin up. Improving things can only be done if you want them to happen, so doing anything can literally help that. Anything from writing (like I do) to taking up a new hobby could make you feel ten times better in minutes. Give it a try - what have you got to lose?

Don't be a fucking idiot
This sounds harsh, I know. But sometimes you think something might be a good idea then you look back several years later and the whole "what the fuck was I thinking?" thing comes up. Well here is a secret life hint from me to you: don't be fucking stupid, moron. I wish someone told me that like 4 years ago, so you might thank me for this in a few years. There are some things in life that you will just thing "yes" straight away, well just think before you do something.

Appreciate what you have when it's there
This can apply from anything from material things to people. Nothing last forever, no matter what you think - it really doesn't. You never want to look back on something and think "why the fuck did I not treat them/it better". Material things, and especially people, should be appreciated for what they are. Time flies by and sometimes some things can be over before they have even really started, so don't be an asshole. 

Listen to yourself
Most people will tell you to listen to your heart, but I am saying your heart is an asshole, so don't do that. Listen to your instincts, and always go with the things you think of. Go full pelt in to something, if it doesn't work then hey ho. My thoughts are: if you decide something else, then you clearly didn't want the first thing at all. If you are making decisions then use this tip: flip a coin - you will be able to see what you want that way. I am not being vague, that is literally how it works. Only you can know what you truly want - don't listen to anyone else because they are probably idiots. Sorry.

Embrace every new opportunity
I think this is just a given really. Just learn to say "yes" more. As someone who doesn't like to move from her comfort zone much, I can tell you that you will probably regret not saying yes to things. I am not talking stupid and illegal things, I am saying things that you wouldn't get offered normally. An example of this for me is this blog you are reading. I was terrified of starting this and it is so out of my comfort zone to write my thoughts down for people to see. But I did it, and now look! But then again I have you guys to thank for that, not myself. Basically, don't turn down things that could really help you out.

Don't be afraid
This links in with the point above - don't be scared to do different things, and just don't be afraid of life in general. There isn't a lot of time to be scared in life. You don't get anywhere in life by being scared.

Be cheeky
I think I am slightly labelled as cheeky by my friends, but you don't get anything without being a little bit cheeky! This stands for anything I guess from people to little things like writing and whatnot. I am just cheeky in general, so be a little bit cheeky - it might get you somewhere.

Stand up for yourself
Don't get someone else dictate to you about something you believe in. If you think you are right, or you really believe in something, don't let people tell you that you should think or do something else. I get told all the time that I shouldn't be a writer or even have a blog, and yeah it gets me down for a while, then I think "fuck them" and get straight back to it. If you love doing something then screw what everyone else thinks! 

Save money
As someone who is quite bad at saving money, try and find something to save for and go from there. I am currently saving up to go travelling in Australia, so I am generally quite good at it. I wish I had saved more money from my old job, but I didn't because I am stupid. So this is probably the most important snippet in my entire post, and you should really listen to me here, folks! Money does make the world go round, and you can't do anything without it. 

Do something
Do something with your life. Don't just sit around and think that things will get handed to you, because they don't. To be honest, it doesn't even matter what it is - whether you start a blog, do some arty stuff or even something else, just do something. You never know where it could end you up.

Be confident
I feel like a bit of a hypocrite telling you this as I am not exactly a confident person myself, but in the last few years I think I have got slightly better. Being confident is quite a good trait to have, I think. This is all about being confident in yourself and then other people can see it. I am ten times more confident in myself than I ever was, I think I just came out my shell a bit after a long time of feeling shit about myself. So just tell yourself little things and soon enough you will feel better.

Don't be cocky
This goes hand in hand with being confident - don't get overconfident and get cocky. It is just unattractive and unappealing.

Don't be a doormat
I am guilty of doing this sometimes, but don't let people walk all over you. This works with the stand up for yourself thing. Stick to your morals, don't give in to peer pressure, and stay true to yourself.

Use common sense
I think this is self explanatory?

Don't over-think things
Like your heart, your brain is also an asshole. You can tend to ponder on things for long periods of time (like I do) then you can be all like "what the fuck" about something that seemed perfectly normal and fine 10 minutes ago. Try not to do this because otherwise life will just get so overly complicated and then you'll panic about everything and trust no one. Which sucks.

Accept advice
This is still something I am learning to do. But take advice from people who know better than you, and accept what people have to say.

Listen in school
This is something I continuously tell everyone I know who is still in compulsory education - I would be nowhere if I didn't get good grades at school. You might not think it is "cool" to be smart (if you think this then you are just fucking ridiculous) but it seriously is. I cannot have a conversation with someone who thinks they are above education. In an economy like this one, you need the best grades you can to get a job - so don't fuck your education up.

Not everyone is going to like you
You can't please everyone in life, and some people are just going to be bitchy. You will probably encounter some serious asshole in life, so remember to not get pissed off or upset by them if they give you shit. Chances are you are a million times better than them in the first place.

Don't try to understand people
This I think is another given that people are just ridiculously confusing? Do any of you think this, too? Maybe it is just me. But my ultimate life tip is to not try to understand everything about everyone because you could probably turn this in to some big mathematical theory and then just go crazy doing it.

You can't be good at everything
As a bit of a perfectionist, I sort of find this a bit of a daily struggle. Something I am trying to come to terms with is that there is no way I can be good at everything. This was more in school where I was really good at English and whatnot, but pretty shit at maths. So if you can learn to accept that there will be some things you will need help or extra work with then you probably will be a much better person than I am.

Don't be afraid to ask for help
I am bad at this. But if you take one thing from this post then take this - asking for help doesn't make you weak! This can literally be about anything. It will probably help you out more than just struggling on your own.


Ok so I am going to stop because this is probably not what any of you want to read.

Please remember that these things are taken from aspects of my life, or of the lives of the people around me. They may not apply to you so don't go nuts at me!

If you enjoyed this post then don't forget to click "Join This Site" to see more of me!

As always thank you for reading, and I shall see your lovely faces tomorrow!

Toodle-oo!


Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Big announcements!

Hello there, buddies!

So I have just cracked 8000 viewers which is absolutely mental! So thank you so so so much to everyone who has ever read, shared or talked about my blog. I have you guys to thank for everything!

I thought that this would be a good time to make this announcement instead of chucking it in the middle of a normal post and having it go right in one ear and out the other.

I have decided that since my blog is going down so well that if I get over 10 000 viewers by the end of the year, I will purchase the rights and copyrights to my name and become my own website!

I have spoken to one of my amazing friends who is going to work on some graphics with me so I will be having a massive overhaul on here and everything will have a brand new look! 

I will be keeping with my general idea of the fact that my blog is based on me ranting and that it is all personal and whatnot, so the content itself will probably not change. I will be sticking to my core pages of "rants", "raves" and "rambles" and also my new series "how it should have ended" will be there too (read more about that below) but possibly adding a few new things, so read about that below.

Rants
My rants seem to be the favourite of you guys so I will just stick to them as they are I think. I have made a recent list of things I want to talk about in this segment, so there are loads of different things I have planned for you. I will also be able to add more styles of rants when I get back to uni, so stay tuned for all that!

Raves
My raves page seems to be just full of random posts that don't classify as rants or rambles. They are mainly consisting of "how to" posts or random chatter about things. So I want to know what you guys want to see on this page. So let me know in the comments!

Rambles
My rambles page is quite popular with you all, too! I think I will be keeping this how it is and whatnot, but let me know if you want any changes to it!

How It Should Have Ended - original series
If you are a regular reader to my blog you will know that I am starting my own original writing series based on traditional fairy tales. This series is me re-writing them in different genres - probably horror - just simply as something for a creative outlet for me. I am planning on starting this series in September, with the first one being published on September 30. I cannot promise I can stick to that date as the first few weeks of uni are hectic, but I will be working on it for at least half an hour every day. You can read the synopsis of my series here. I am definitely taking suggestions on this series, or if any of you would like to feature in it, illustrate it or co-write then get in touch! All my links are at the end of the post, or on the right.

Potential new segments
I am hoping to launch a few new segments on here in the new year. I am unsure of the final list, but they will be weekly segments about anything. I am thinking the first one will be readers choice where you guys take control. This can be either by making videos, sending me segments to put in, or telling me what to write. Comment below with your opinions.

University segment
I am considering doing a segment on my blog of university survival, student tips, and a life of a student sort of thing. Although this will be aimed largely at students, it will be a good read for anyone who just wants a general giggle. So let me know your opinions on that.

News
After the incredible success of my ask.fm post (which you can read here) I am thinking that a few posts about things like this - aka areas of concern and news headlines - might go down well with you all. Not sure what you will think, but I might trial some as and when the time is right so I can see how well it goes down.

YouTube
You all know I have a YouTube channel but I don't use it because I am lazy. I am going to get this completely up and running in the new year and have it fully functioning with new uploads every week. I will be working with a friend of mine in September to make a rather amusing video, so stay tuned for that! 

Social media
All my media links are to the right and at the end of every post, but I want to know if there are any sites that you guys use and want me to add myself on? Let me know.

Challenges
I do have a challenges section on my blog at the moment which have a few things that people have tagged me in or asked me to do. I am thinking of getting rid of that segment completely and introducing them as normal posts, but I am still thinking that through.

Layout
The layout of my website at the moment has been dubbed "messy and terrible looking" so I am thinking that this might be a general thought from you guys. I am quite annoyed at the manner this was put forward to me as I quite like the layout of my blog, but I will be changing it slightly with my new graphics. I am unsure of how I am going to do this yet, but I know my social media links will look different, and I will do a new header. The pages may change position, too, but we shall see what the designs look like!

Suggestions - what you want to see
Last but not least, I want to hear from you about what you guys want to see. So contact me by any of my links or even by commenting.


So I think that is everything I needed to tell you for now....

Vikki is also back from her holiday so I am sure I can rope her in to do some stuff with me for my blog - so stay tuned for those in October!

If you enjoyed some of the things I have mentioned in this then let me know, and click "Join This Site" to know when I post new articles.

As always thank you for reading and I will speak to you tomorrow!

Toodle-oo!

Sunday, August 25, 2013

My life in letters

Hello there, buddies.

Well I was browsing YouTube last night, like ya' do, and came across a video by Alex Day called Life in Letters and thought that it might be a good idea for me to do a post based on this video!

I had a similar post planned to do in November, but I may as well do it now - once I have got the idea in my head, it just has to happen.

The life in letters thing is basically going through the alphabet and picking one or two (I have three for one) words beginning with that letter that represent your life.

Some of the ones I picked will probably make you roll your eyes as you know them pretty well already, but I am sorry...I am a simple person.

Oh, hand update: the burn is still painful today. I have a lovely purple shade of skin now which is cool...not. The mark where my ring was burned to my hand is also very obvious now. Luckily (not so lucky) my shift at work was cancelled today because of the weather so it is likely that my hand will be considerably better for tomorrow. 

Weird ramble over, here we go!

A is for...Anime
As you might already know, I love anime. I have always loved things like "Howl's Moving Castle" (which you should watch if you haven't) but I have had friends that have introduced me to television series and other films, too. They are generally pretty good, if not slightly weird, but you should definitely watch some. I might do an anime related post soon.

B is for...Blogging
You probably all know that my blog is basically my life. I share everything with you guys, and I love to do it. I spend hours planning and organising posts, then writing them up and promoting them to the right people. Just hope you guys love reading it as much as I love writing it. 

C is for...Crazy
My life is pretty crazy and hectic at the moment. I have a lot of things going on all at once and it is difficult to keep up with them all! I am also a slightly crazy person as many people might tell you, so I think this applies.

C is also for...CrimSoc
CrimSoc is the society related to my university course, and something I was heavily involved in last year at uni. I am lucky enough to be the Social Secretary this year so I get to plan loads of nights out and events which is so awesome. 

D is for...Dog
I love my dog, Macey. She is a Tibetan Terrier and is the funniest thing in the entire world. You can read more about her in my Things My Dog Thinks post.

E is for...Excellent
I would say that my life is pretty excellent right now. I don't think I can really think of anything I could say is bad with it at the moment. If you would have asked me this last year I probably would have used a different word for 'E' and I think I have uni and my friends to thank for that.

F is for...Friends
I have got the most amazing little group of friends I think anyone could ask for. Most of them are from uni, but there are a couple from home who have stuck by me for so long, especially Laura who I have known pretty much all my life. My uni friends are just awesome, and put up with my drunken ass (although I have to deal with theirs, too), and we have made some cool plans for after uni and whatnot! So thank you, guys.

F is also for...Finding Nemo
I am probably the biggest Finding Nemo fan you will ever meet in your entire life. I have so many Nemo plush toys on my bed that there is no room left for me. I just think it is the best film in existence. My parents went on holiday and got me several little Nemo related things. I know the entire film off by heart, and I have seen Finding Nemo - The Musical in Walt Disney World so many times I know all the songs.

G is for...Ghibli
Studui Ghibli is an anime company who make awesome films such as "My Neighbour Totoro", "Howl's Moving Castle", "Spirited Away" and "Princess Mononoke" to name my favourites! If you follow me on Twitter you will see that I am ever so slightly obsessed with them, especially Totoro who is the cutest thing ever. So hop on over to the Studio Ghibli Wikipedia page where you can find a list of all their films and series shows and get watching!

H is for...Harry Potter
I am, and forever will be, a Potterhead. +James had the pleasure of watching a Harry Potter film with myself and Vikki and enjoyed the fact that we can quote the entire thing. I think my dedication shows in my post I did about Harry Potter...Slightly obsessed.

I is for...Internet
I think it is safe to say my entire life is on the internet, or revolves around it. My blog, Twitter, Tumblr, YouTube, everything is on here.

J is for...Jacksgap.com
Jacksgap.com is a website made by Jack and Finn Harries, otherwise known as Jacksgap on YouTube, and is a fairly recent development. It is so awesome and I think I must go on it every single day. There is something on there for absolutely everyone. If you haven't yet visited the site, click on the link in the top line and you can head on over there and check it out.

K is for...Kiss fm
Kiss fm is a radio channel with such a large variety of music on it, and I just love it. It is the only channel I have programmed in to the radio app on my phone and I listen to it everywhere. The only problem is, I can't tune it in to my car.

L is for...Little things
Shockingly I am not talking about the One Direction song, although that could count...I mean, I love the little things in life. An example of this is postcards. I have a small (large) collection of postcards that I just pick up from any place I go. I even have postcards from Plymouth and I live there. Other little things in life can just cheer me up pretty much instantly.

M is for...Movies
I love movies and films, and my DVD collection is over 200 strong. I could sit and watch films pretty much all day if you ask me. Especially if I find a film that has a bit of everything in it. I am not a big romance person, and much prefer a comedy or animated film compared to those slushy fucking annoying films.

M is also for...Marvel
I am a bit of a Marvel freak...My all time favourite is Spiderman. I sort of freaked out when I went to Universal Studios in Florida for the first time about 8 years ago and met Spiderman. He is my favourite. Spiderman forever. I also saw the Avengers film in the cinema about 5 times...oops.

N is for...Notes
I like to make notes on everything. I like post it notes, reminder notes, planning notes, the lot. I have so many notebooks I could open a shop and sell them all. I have gone through like two notebooks now just for this blog, which has only been open for 2 months. How sad is that?

N is also for...Nandos
Bet you thought I wasn't going to put it in there....nope. I am such a Nandos addict. I drove 40 minutes to get to a Nandos once because there isn't one in my home town. I have also made dinner plans on the day I get back to uni to go to Nandos. I have about 3 different Nandos products in my fridge, and I put the sauce with almost everything. Nandos, give me a job.

O is for...Open
I think as a rule I am very open about my opinions on things, and if I have a problem with someone or something then I will make sure that I don't bitch about it behind their back. I genuinely hate it when people write bitchy or snide comments about someone or something on things like Twitter or Facebook instead of telling the person. Now I know we have all done it, but it is just sad I think.

P is for Plymouth
Plymouth is where I consider home at the moment. I go to uni there and love it. It's such a lush city and everything is within walking distance from everything else. The sea is like a 5 minute walk from the city center and gah it is just lush. I love living there!

Q is for...Quirky
I think I get described as quirky quite a lot simply because of my mannerisms. I am a very strange person, basically.

R is for...Radio 1
Oh look, another radio channel. Radio One is also pretty cool, especially on a Sunday at 7-9pm....hint hint. I also love Nick Grimshaw!

S is for...Sarcasm
I am pretty sarcastic and I think I am more fluent in sarcasm than any other language I speak.

T is for...Travelling
I love travelling and being on the road or in a plane, basically just going anywhere. I don't travel as much as I would like to at the moment because of money restrictions and whatnot, but I have so many travelling plans after I graduate so I can't wait for those!

U is for...University
The main bulk of my life at the moment revolves around university, so this had to be in there.

V is for...Vikki
Vikki has been mentioned in several of my posts over the last couple of months. If you are a new reader, Vikki is my best buddy! She is currently in Italy on holiday with her family so I am sending her constant email updates (although haven't done one in so long) about the happenings of the Internet. Love her lots.

W is for...Weird
I am weird. That is all.

W is also for...Walt Disney
I am a die hard Disney fan, and have so much love for Walt Disney himself. He is the main creator of everything that has made me who I am, from Disney movies to TV shows, to the theme parks. I think I have him to thank for a lot of things.

X is for...X's
These aren't kisses before you think that. I do something called "don't break the chain" which is basically a time management and motivational thing basically. I know a lot of people use this technique to get things done that they work on. Basically it is where you dedicate a certain amount of time per day to doing the thing you need to do, in my case blogging, and then cross of the day on a calendar or chart. The idea is that you do something every day so you don't break the chain of crosses. It is so effective, so when you think I am being lazy and not posting, I am still working on blog things!

Y is for...YouTube
I think this is an obvious one, but I have always loved YouTube and the YouTubers I watch just make me feel so much better. That sounds sad...but they are like friends!

Z is for...Zigzags
I have a bit of a thing about zigzags and I find myself doodling them all the time or decorating things with them.


Ok so that is my life in letters. Now you know a little bit more about me, too!

If you enjoyed this post, let me know by clicking "Join This Site" on the top left to subscribe to me and know when I post new things.

As always thank you for reading and I will speak to you tomorrow!

Toodle-oo!



Saturday, August 24, 2013

Makeup overload - beauty haul

Hello there, buddies!

Well I apologise that I haven't been very active recently. I had several posts planned for today, but I badly burned my hand yesterday at work and was confined to sitting still and not moving it so blogging was off the cards. I am managing a little better today but it is still very painful - it took over 24 hours for it to finally stop burning through my hand, so that was fun. But I am here now and on the mend!

Anyways, today I went shopping after I came in to a little bit of money the other day so I thought I should treat myself to some makeup considering I haven't really got myself anything in over a year. So I spent £60. Yep, £60. 

I thought it would be nice for me to share my purchases with you guys as some of them I would seriously recommend to you! I am taking inspiration from Tanya Burr and Sprinkelofglitter for this one, so go check out their blogs and YouTube channels to see more of them!

I literally went to three stores - Boots, Superdrug and Body Care (a small cheap shop for beauty products). I dislike shopping so like to get in to town, then get out ASAP.

Some of these products are normal bog-standard brands, but then I treated myself and got a couple of high-end bits, too!

First of all we shall start with Body Care, I think. I went in to this shop looking simply for some new brushes as several of mine have basically died over the last few days. But I came out £15 down.

The first thing I got was a new set of eyelash curlers. Mine fell apart on me this morning *sniff sniff* so I was in dire need of some new ones. This is the one problem with having really long eyelashes is that if they don't get curled, they'll end up in your eyes like mine do. So I have no choice but to use them! These were the best ones that I found, and they are quite cheap so definitely affordable for any of you guys with no money! I saw some in Boots that ranged from £5 to £15, but I don't need crazy expensive ones, so I went for these.
Technic eyelash curlers, £1.25


Next I got some new hairspray! I haven't used hairspray for years really, but it is always nice to have some. Especially when I go back down to university and am out all the time - it would be nice to have good looking hair at the end of the night, too! This hairspray claims to hold for 24 hours which is exactly what I needed. I haven't used this one before as I tend to just buy a cheap one in the hope it will work, so fingers crossed!
Schwarzkopf got2be happy hour hairspray, £2.79


I picked up one of these mini powder brush things just so that I can quickly chuck some powder on my face before I pop out so I can keep my foundation in place! It was really cheap as I don't need a proper brush for this so was definitely a good find.
Body collection dumpy brush, £1.09


I have been after some salt spray for ages so took the chance to grab this one! Salt spray is good for hair to get that beach waves sort of thing - which is a look I love - and my hair doesn't curl very well with straighteners or curlers, so I am going to give this a go and see how it ends up. This is only a cheap one, too. 

Derma V10 salt spray, £1.49

The last things I got in Body Care were my trusty two favourite products in the entire world - I literally struggle to live without these two. They are makeup remover and moisturiser by Simple. Their products are amazing so if you don't use them you definitely should. They are perfect for sensitive skin, which I don't have but their products leave my skin almost perfect at the end. Definitely give these a go if you don't already and I can pretty much promise you that you will love them.

Simple eye makeup remover, £2.19

Simple hydrating light moisturiser, £2.19


After this I headed on over to Boots. For all of you who live outside the UK, boots is the typical drugstore style shop in the UK and has pretty much anything in it. 

The first thing I got was this mascara by 17. This is a brand by Boots and is generally really good! My last mascara was by 17 and I loved it. The brushes are really good too. I don't like those plastic ones, but this one has a normal wand on it which is really good. They also last a long time and don't dry up, so go check them out.

17 blow out volumising mascara, £6.29

I then picked up this lipstick by Kate Moss spring collection for Rimmel. This one is in the shade 16 (not sure it has a name...). I absolutely love it! It is a pinky colour which looks gorgeous on and really goes well with my skin tone, I think. It comes in 4 other shades which you can see by clicking on the link above. The Kate Moss lipsticks are all lush, and go on really well too. They aren't like other lipsticks which can get really sticky and not as nice when you put them on, but this glides on well.

Kate Moss lipstick, £5.49


I also needed some new foundation, and the likes of Tanya Burr and Zoella always seem to be recommending the Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation. So I took advice from the pros and got some! I am yet to try this but I got it in the shade Soft Beige and it matches by skin tone almost perfectly (I have a weird skin tone and never seem to get a foundation that matches it). I am very trusting of Rimmel, and would love to buy the whole collection, so I am thinking it will be good!

Rimmel wake me up foundation, £8.99

This is where I went slightly nuts and made a major makeup purchase. As a rule I don't buy high-end stuff as it is far too expensive for my budget, but today I made an exception. I spent about 40 minutes hunting for a highlighter as I stole my mum's one recently. It would appear that no one in Boots sells one - I know NARS does one but I couldn't find a NARS stand anywhere. I then looked at Benefit which has a sort of highlighter-style thing, but then came across this one by Too Faced. They are quite an expensive brand, but I had to. The beads in it blend together so well to create such a nice colour.

Too Faced sweetheart beads glow powder, £26.


Finally, I went to Superdrug which is like Boots for all of my non-UK readers!

The first thing I picked up was this eye shadow palette by Beauty UK. This one caught my eye because I love the natural colours in it (this is in Eden) and the fact that some of them are in a matt finish, whereas others are shimmery. They are quite cheap, too, and brand new out! Take a look at the various colours they have!
Beauty UK posh palette, £5.99


Then I picked up my trusty powder that I use to set my foundation. This one is by Collection and is a budget makeup brand, but the quality is still really good. Every girl should have some of their products in their handbag. Not sure what shade this is in, but it blends well with my foundation!
Collection pressed powder, £1.99


I also picked up this concealer by Makeup Academy. It has several different shades in it so I can make the perfect shade for my skin tone! Also I have quite dark circles under my eyes so the lighter colour can cover those up so easily. This comes in several different shades, too, so you can get them to match your skin colour! 

Makeup Academy concealer palette, £3.50

The final thing I picked up was also from Makeup Academy and is this new gel liner! I have always used a liquid one, so I am quite looking forward to trying this gel one. They have had some good reviews so I can't wait to give it a go!

Makeup Academy gel liner, £3.00



 So that is everything I picked up today on my little shopping trip. I am now back to having no money.

If you can recommend any other products that you use and think I might like, then leave them in the comments below as I am always looking to expand my makeup bag!

If you enjoyed today's post then let me know by clicking "Join This Site" on the top left to see more from me!

As always, thank you for reading and I will see you tomorrow!

Toodle-oo!



Sunday, August 18, 2013

Big life decisions

Hello there, buddies!

As per usual I am suffering with writer’s block…typical for a Sunday – it never seems to happen any time else. I dislike Sundays…maybe I should have been writing about the fact I hate Sundays? Hmm…

Anyways, crazy person ramble over (sssh) I thought that today I could just ramble on about big decisions I have going on in my messy brain for after I finish university.

Yes, I know I still have two years left, but this is the sort of time when I feel like I need to figure out where I going in life, what I want to achieve, and where I want to be. So naturally, my blogger brain took control and thought that talking to actual people would be a bad idea, and telling you guys is a much more logical mechanism… I am not actually sure whether me typing away to myself is going to solve any of the problems and help me come to any conclusions faster, but we shall see.

I have had these thoughts going round in my head for a couple of months now, so they are considerably clearer than what they were. But basically I have no fucking clue where I am going in my life. I am probably going to get frustrated and not end up publishing this for a while so bear with me.

I know that the last couple of weeks have been slow and not my normal type of posts, so I do apologise for that, but I am hoping to get an all-round feel for my blog, and see how well certain things go down with you guys. I don’t want to give out the image that I am just a person who complains all the time, because I am not, so adding extra posts in like these ones seemed like a good idea. At the moment I am just trialling them to see what the success rate is going to be like, and so far so good! You guys also managed to get me to the front page of Google search results for my post regarding Ask.fm the other day, so thank you so much; that meant the world to me!

I am also going to give a little shout out right now to one of my lovelies who I have been speaking to on Twitter recently! This lovely is Sunny Williams (@notthatsunny) who replied to a Tweet I put out about Harry Potter last night! She is so cute and brand new to Twitter so get following! I also got a reply from Matthew Lewis (the gorgeous man who plays Neville Longbottom in the Harry Potter films) on Twitter last night, so I went fangirl mad.

I have gone completely off topic now….

Ah yes, life decisions.

In September I am going to be starting my second year at uni, as you probably know by now considering I bang on about it allllll the time, and I have been mulling things over about where I want to go after I finish. Literally everything from what job I want to do, to whether I want to take a year out after uni. Then I started thinking about things for the next two years, too. Gah, my mind is boggling.

So I am going to attempt to logically talk them through on here in the hope that they make some sense to you, and in the end to me too, and hopefully you guys can help me out a bit?
Just a warning, these are going to be so here there and everywhere and in absolutely no order at all. I am going to try to be chronological here so that I am not jumping from what I want to do next week, to 2015, then back to this year. That could get confusing…I have written a list and I hope to try to follow it, but you guys know what I am like…

The first thing on my mind is about getting a job for this year and next year when I am in Plymouth. I mean I seriously need the money, like badly. There are so many places I could apply, but most of them are shops and my 4 years’ worth of experience is all in hospitality, so I am fucked there. If someone could pay me to write I would literally be in heaven. I don’t even care what I would be writing about, as long as I get paid. Gah, I sound desperate…Long story short, someone give me a job down in Plymouth. I will be spending the 11th handing out CVs to every single place with an open door. Prepare your shit, Plym.

Then I am trying to decide whether I am going to do the same thing that I did last year and not go back to Swindon until Christmas then come back to Plymouth for new year, or go home in my reading week for my birthday. To be honest, I would much rather stay in Plymouth, especially because I think I have International Relations lectures that week…and I can be in Plymouth for longer with my friends. Hmm, decisions. I am hoping some of my friends would be up for being back in Plymouth for new year too, so that I am not alone. That would be so sad – getting drunk on my own… +James Martin  new year in Plym-Plym?

Ok, now seriously thinking ahead like two years, I am starting to wonder what the fuck I want to do with my degree like job-wise. When I first joined university I was dead set on joining the police as a full police officer. I have done quite a bit of work with the police over the last year and I have to admit, I am a teeny bit put off from joining it! Which sounds reaaaaally bad, it is nothing to do with the job itself but I think that it isn’t overly suited for me. I don’t know – I am not going to completely rule it out, but it isn’t my first choice anymore. I then thought that I could get the good bit of being in the police by joining as a PCSO so I am not a full officer…still not entirely sure how I feel about doing that, but you know. I have always been interested in youth justice and whatnot, and I have good connections with the Youth Offending Service down in Plymouth and also down here and I would love to work in that area of the criminal justice system, so hopefully they are going to be looking to employ new people in 2015 so that I can go straight in to a job (that will never happen). I am also looking at pursuing this writing this, but writing about my field of study…damn you, blog, making me reconsider everything. 

Now we come to the conundrum that is literally on my mind a lot – where I want to live after I graduate. Now I know I am not going to be able to afford to pick and choose, but everything I am about to say is me thinking in an ideal world. None of it will probably happen because I will be skint. I am, and have been for a while, considering a massive move over to Australia. I have been doing research and there are quite a few job opportunities for me over there, and I have friends and family there who would be able to keep me on my feet for a bit. Gah the temptation. The only thing really holding me back is money to be honest. Then me being more logical and thinking realistically, I am looking at either staying in Plymouth or moving over to somewhere like London. But we shall see where I end up – I will go wherever I can get a job really.

Then I have the whole “do I want to take a year out after uni to go travelling” situation. I was looking at taking a gap year before university, but chose not to as I knew I wouldn’t go to uni after. So now I am thinking of taking some time after uni to get some experiences under my belt by travelling and working abroad for a year or two. Only problem here is that it is crazy expensive to take time out when you don’t have money behind you. I am lucky enough to have finally got myself a job here, so I could easily save the money over the next year, so I will make the decision at the end of university I think. It will depend on job prospects I think. What do you guys think? Should I take time out?

In slight relation to this, I have come to the sudden realisation that I can now afford a major holiday when I graduate – which will be awesome. I was looking at going to Disney World in Florida with my friends, but then we looked at travelling Europe and whatnot. But after seeing the events of Comic Con and Vidcon in San Diego and LA, I think we might he heading over there instead. Would be awesome to actually get to meet the YouTubers I watch and get to go to Comic Con – so many things could be ticked off my Bucket List because of that.

I have so many more decisions that I want to tell you about, but this post is nearing 2000 words already so I should probably stop.

If you have any advice you wanna chuck my way that would be awesome!

If you enjoyed this post and want to see more of me then click “Join This Site” to subscribe to me and see more of my posts!

I am also taking suggestions for future posts so get them in!

As always, that is all for today, Lovelies.


Toodle-oo!

Saturday, August 17, 2013

The life of an internet addict

Hello there, buddies!

So I am a bit behind with writing this post...I actually planned it this morning, then I got carried away with doing everything under the sun apart from blogging. So here I am now, watching Harry Potter and writing...this could go terribly wrong - you could get the odd HP character reference or quote chucked in here and there.

I also need to apologise for the lack of my normal daily posts that I do. I started my new job a week or so back, so I don't have as much time to work on these as I used to, but we will be back to normal daily posts by September,  I promise. So stick in there!

As you all probably know by now, I am a teeny tiny bit of an internet addict...OK, a massive internet addict. 

Jim Chapman did a video yesterday (or today, I can't remember) about the fact he is addicted to the internet, and I have had this post planned for about two months, so I thought it might be about time I sat down and actually wrote it.

We will be talking about the things I do, and I expect you do, that sort of prove the addiction to the internet. 

If you do any of these things, then you are addicted. 

I saw on Tumblr this morning that in 2015 they are making internet addiction a classified mental illness...so see you in rehab, guys.

And without further ado, here we go!

My list of things that prove you are an internet addict:



  • Google is the answer to everything
    This is my answer to any question I ever get asked. I look at them like "just Google it" and they are like "ok, freak". 
  • Wikipedia is a reliable source of information
    I don't understand why people think that is isn't reliable, I mean like it isn't as if anyone can hack in and write what they want. What did you say?...They can?....Oh...
  • You use Tumblr GIFs in general conversation and as reactions
    "Raise your hand if you do this" *slyly raises hand*. This happens. Mainly with Danisnotonfire GIFs 'cause they definitely apply to every day situations most the time...
  • The word "hashtag" has become general vocabulary for you
    Guilty again....I use the word hashtag in general conversation and I am shocked someone has not stabbed me because of it yet.
  • YouTubers you have never met seem like your best friends
    I feel like all the YouTubers I watch would be such good friends in real life. Is that sad? Yes, probably. Oh well.
  • Twitter is constantly on in the background
    Yep, I always have my Twitter open somewhere where I can access it. I have even stopped midway through doing something important to check it. I even have it on in the background right now...and I am stopping every now and again to reply to a conversation with one of my readers!
  • "Enough internet for today" *turns laptop off then resorts to iPhone 5 minutes later*
    I am guilty of this every single night. Turn off my laptop, and jump straight on my phone.
  • Fanfic no longer scares you
    If there comes a point where you are no longer shocked by smut fanfics, then come join me in rehab!
  • You start to wonder what the fuck that big yellow ball of light is in the sky
    What is outside? It buuurrnnnssssss!
  • Home is where the wifi connects automatically
    Although this is strictly true, my wifi connects automatically at a few of my friends houses, too...
  • You struggle to live without the internet
    Well.....duh.
  • When the internet is down, you consider the idea your life is over
    I had no internet for like a day and I used up all of my month's worth of 3G by using it as a hot spot for my laptop....
  • What are humans?
    There are apparently things in the world called people? I am not sure what that means? Like people actually meet up? Weird.
  • You start off watching normal things on YouTube, then find yourself watching videos of talking porcupines and parrots singing Gangnam Style
    This was me the other night.....I now love porcupines. 
  • You have a Tumblr account
    Guilty as charged.
  • You frequently use said Tumblr account
    Pleading guilty for a second time.
  • You have started to absolutely adore cats
    If you do not look at, reblog or frequently see images of cats then you do not spend long enough on the internet.
  • You take your laptop/phone to the bathroom
    Yep, this happens. More frequently than I like to admit.
  • You have developed more of an emotional attachment to fictional people than the people you actually have in your life
    SEVERUS SNAPE FOREVER.
  • You get told to "get a life" but respond by pointing to your laptop and stating that it is there
    This happened the other day. My dad told me I should get off the internet and go get a life, so I pointed to my laptop and proceeded to explain that I have a life...My mum also told me to get some sunlight, so I just opened the curtains. Trolling.
  • You have a blog
    Hell yes!
  • Losing a Twitter follower seems like the end of the world
    I lost a follower the other day and I got really upset. I am so lame.
  • Gaining a new Twitter follower deserves a bottle of champagne
    No joke, this should be a thing.
  • You schedule your life around live internet shows and streaming opportunities
    My examples...YouNow live shows and Dan and Phil's Radio One show on Sunday night at 7pm....
  • You know the name of every meme
    I shit you not, this is so beyond true.
  • You're aware that internet addiction disorder is a real thing - and you don't care
    I will be an active member of rehab if this does get recognised as a mental disorder. See you there, lovelies.
  • You are an active member of several fandoms
    My Tumblr dashboard basically shows I am a member of about 294937402 fandoms...
  • Tumblr-isms are second nature to you
    Too right. The epic feels when I read a smutty fanfic about my OTP....I can't.
  • Your browsing position has been completely perfected
    Although my browsing position looks uncomfortable, it is considerably comfier than anything else.
  • Sometimes you start sentences with "I saw this on Tumblr/Twitter the other day..."
    This happens more when I am talking to Vikki, who is a fellow internet addict like myself, as she will know what I am on about....I am trying to teach my Grandma about Tumblr and whatnot, but it isn't working....
  • 3am means dinner time
    Although this is also a result of the student lifestyle....
  • Slow internet makes you freak out
    If my internet is slow for more than like half an hour, I will be in a bad mood for the rest of the day...
  • Your bookmarks page takes hours to scroll through
    I currently have like over 100 bookmarks on my laptop...I really need to sort that shit out...
  • "1% battery" causes you to have a heart attack and makes you run faster than an Olympic sprinter
    This is the worst feeling ever. If you have ever got to the point where it says that then you will know the crazy mad dash you do from your browsing position to your charger to plug it in before everything dies and you are stuck with no internet for like 5 minutes....



If you are thinking "I do that" then congratulations, you are as addicted to the internet as I am! High five!

To be honest, whether internet addiction becomes a mental disorder or not, I still won't change....and I will not be getting sent to rehab (queue Amy Winehouse music).

I hope you enjoyed reading this! Tell me in the comments below if you do any of the things I mentioned, or even add your own if there are any you do that I don't! I want to hear aaallll about it!

If you enjoyed this post and want to see more of me then click "Join This Site" on the top left of the page!

Also, if you have any suggestions for things you would like me to write about, then do tell me! You can either tweet me, or comment with them below!

As always, thank you for reading and I will speak to you lovelies tomorrow!

Toodle-oo!