Wednesday 6 August 2014

Soap & Glory || Pressed Powder, Concealer & Liquid Eyeliner


Very recently I decided that I was going to venture down a few makeup brand paths that I've never really tried out before. First on the list was of course Soap & Glory, I always thought of that brand having its strengths in its bath and body products but I was pleasantly surprised to see its success in makeup. My usual makeup routine was very minimal and basic, so I decided to pick up a few products that I've hardly bothered with in the past such as powder, concealer and liquid eyeliner. I've had all of these products for roughly two weeks now and used them more or less every day, so I think now is the time to go into reviewing them!

Tuesday 5 August 2014

How To Reduce A-Level Result Nerves

If, like myself you finished your A2 year at college this summer and are anticipating collecting your results next week, to move onto the next stage of your life this post might help those nerves. Whether or not you're going onto university in September, I'd like to think everyone finishing their A-Levels is quite anxious to find out how well they did. I'll admit now, I'm rather anxious myself purely because I'm hoping to go onto a rather prestigious university for the subject I'm studying. I thought I'd put together a little list of tips that can help you calm down that stress, as the days get closer and closer more people are gonna be feeling the pressure.  




1. Don't look back at your class notes now

I'm guilty of this. As a precaution of having to redo any of my exams from this year (hopefully not!) I've stored away all of my class notes for each topic and put them into a huge box until it's actually results day. As the day comes closer, more people start to go over the exam questions and if you've got your notes to hand, it's tempting to notice things you've missed out or not explained fully. This is a one way ticket to unnecessary stress, there's no way for you to change your answers now so please don't start uprooting your notes.

2. Surround yourself with your college friends

By now most people have finished their holiday breaks, due to the fact that results day is so close. Now is the time to start rekindling with your college friends, the likelihood is after results people are going to be extremely busy sorting out university bits and bobs. I've already started the process of throwing away old things and slowly started to make mental notes of things I'll be taking for my halls room, but some people wouldn't of started this yet which can be quite lengthly. Try and squeeze in a few days with various friends you've made from the two years (and your high school friends)  and do exciting activities together, to ensure you've got some good memories left together before you all depart. 

3. Finish that book you've had for months

After being a huge English Literature nerd throughout high school and especially during my two years of college, I've naturally adapted myself into a book worm. For that same fact, I think it's going to be quite a shock to my system when I transition into university and won't be studying/reading period texts anymore. I have quite a few physical books to hand as well as on my kindle, that I've never had time to fully enjoy so why not read them now. We all know the abilities a good story line can hold over people and if the pressures are too much you can always distract yourself with a new book. So far this summer I've managed to read two books completely, I'm half way through another and just last night started one other too.

4. Figure out who you want to be

I'd like to clear up first, that I'm not talking about completely abandoning everything your stand for and embody to become fake but instead try and fine tune yourself. I am a strong believer in figuring out who you want to be, in aid to better your life and those who you meet. Obviously the older you get, the more opportunities you're faced with that help you grow and develop as a person. But I think the transition from living in your hometown to a new town/city is the perfect time to start asking yourself who you are. Personally over the last two years I've changed not only in appearance but how I portray myself to others along with my personality and I tend to push myself to perfect this 'new way' the best I can. The easiest and most distracting way to start this off is to clear your wardrobe and room out, figure out what best represents you and run with it.

I hope these little tips can help you all distract yourself for a couple of hours in the build up to the biggest day in your lives so far. I'd like to remind anybody reading that no matter what grades you get on the day, that they do not define you as a person and there is plenty of time to experience the student lifestyle at university. If you've got any other tips then don't hesitate to leave them down below in the comments, good luck everybody!