August Digest

August was a really exciting month for me, and now it's over I finally feel like I'm about to go back to uni again - especially after spending over an hour trying to navigate a new registration system and paying my tuition fees. Yes, that is my bank account you can hear crying.

Luckily for me, August is also the month I started my new job and this week saw the end of my volunteering placement, meaning I can start looking for something else to fill my time with and finally have a bit more of a structured routine. 

Unfortunately for this month's round up I've been so busy that I've barely taken any photos or even done anything particularly exciting but having a job has made me value my 'down time' a lot more than I did when I first started uni. So, instead of doing the usual categories for the month I'm going to do some recommendations and a few disappointments of things I've bought/seen/read this month! 

RECOMMENDATIONS

If you read my last post you'll know that I'm currently reading Vive la Revolution by Mark Steel; this is the second time I've read it and I couldn't recommend it highly enough for anyone who's interesting in the French Revolution but doesn't want a thousand pages of dates and the name of every man and woman who was a little bit annoyed in 1789. 

This week was also the week all of my make up collectively ran out, which was painful for my bank balance but quite a welcome opportunity to change (see next section). I was looking for a new foundation but then I saw the Rimmel Match Perfect foundation was on sale, along with the primer, so I decided I'd go back to my old favourite - although I have a sneaking suspicion I've picked up a different shade this time around. I also picked up the Collection Pressed Powder in Transparent to dust over the top and for £1.99 I couldn't be happier with the result.

This isn't really a recommendation but I am also loving that it's getting a little bit colder - layering has returned to my wardrobe of many many jumpers and it's made me very happy indeed.

DISAPPOINTMENTS

Considering I was so excited to try it out, the Maybelline Dream BB Cream has really let me down. Not only is Light way too pale for me, even though Medium was far too dark, but also the coverage was really bad. I know, I know it's a BB Cream but it just didn't do anything for my skin at all. I got a tiny sample of the Rimmel BB Matte Cream in a goody bag from Very.com last week so I'll try that out as soon as possible and get back to you. 

Another very sad disappointment  this month was Doctor Who...sorry Peter. I wanted to love it, I really really wanted to, but after seeing this week's episode along with last week's, I'm just not feeling it. It might be because I don't like Jenna Coleman as the assistant, it might be because the story lines aren't very exciting, it might be because it feels a bit repetitive, it might just be because I'm incredibly picky when it comes to TV. Whatever it is, I'm not enjoying it.

That's my round up of this month! Next month's should be much more interesting as I've got lots of stuff going on in September, including a little trip away and starting uni again! 

Lots of love! 

xx

When I'm having a 'grumpy' day

These last two months since coming home from university have been pretty mixed overall. Despite the fact I was really looking forward to coming home and leaving some things/people behind, I've found being home and being confronted with decisions about my future to be really challenging (there will be a more in-depth post on this soon). As a result I've found myself feeling a bit like I'd rather sleep than have to get up and do anything. I've just started a new job and whilst I'm still getting to grips with everything and making many mistakes along the way I'm also having a day every so often where I feel like it would have have been easier for everyone if I'd just stayed at home and I just want to lay, face down on my bed and not get up for a very long time.

Unfortunately, these days are rarely at a convenient time. At the moment I don't really have any days off, which means that if I want down time I need to condense it down into a couple of hours into the morning or evening. So here's a few things I've found really help when I'm in a bad mood and I need to get out of it and be a normal human being.

Have a cup of tea and watch some TV

It may seem like a cliché but I really do feel better sat in bed with a hot drink in hand and some mindless TV on. This time last week I felt like everything was getting on top of me and all it took to was an hour of Great British Bake Off and a cup of tea to make me feel better.

Have a good meal

My first instinct when I have a bad day is usually to treat myself to something filled with sugar. I know this isn't any good for me though, especially if I want to keep going for the rest of the day without having a blood sugar related crash later on. A good round meal not only gives me more energy, it also means I won't crave bad stuff for the rest of the day.

Read a book

Nothing helps me forget what was bothering me faster than reading about something else. It gives my mind a well-needed rest from thinking about me and lets me block everything out for a while. At the moment I'm ready Mark Steel's Vive la Revolution which has the added bonus of reminding me why I love history and helping me feel a little more confident in my decision to study it.

Have a bath

I don't always have time to do this on a morning, but when I do I find that it really prepares me for the day, like getting ready from scratch. Having a bath also makes me feel more awake and cures any aches and pains I might have when I wake up and I've slept weirdly. Sleeping so deeply is great but I can mean that I've spent 8 hours in a very uncomfortable position, which my neck and shoulders don't appreciate come the morning.

Put away the phone

The number of articles on the internet telling us to put away our phones and look around us/talk to people, is insane. Quite honestly I think I'm pretty good with my phone, I recognise it has its uses but I also really like real-life people. Putting my phone out of sight isn't about being able to pay attention to anything else, it's about not being disturbed when I'm by myself and I just want some space. It's about just focusing on relaxing myself and not dealing with anyone else for a hour or so.

I hope you enjoyed this list and found it useful, we all have bad days and I've found the best way to deal with them is to embrace them to give some time to yourself rather than stress yourself out trying to be perpetually positive.

xx

Weekly Digest

EXCITEMENT

This week I can also make the very exciting announcement that I will be a contributor for The Daily Touch ! Regular readers will know that I already contribute to Student Noodles and the Endsleigh Student Hub so I'm very excited to add another website to that list, despite the fact I'm absolutely freaking out about being able to come up with three different ideas for posts every week. That being said I know I won't get better (or anywhere at all in fact) if I don't push myself. So here goes.

So now I'll be attempting to be funny in four different places. What could go wrong? 

THIS WEEK'S OOTDS AND FACES

Kimono - H&M

T-shirt - New Look

Necklace - Next

Belt - American Apparel

Jeans - ASOS

Maybelline BB Cream

Sleek Powder

Maybelline Lip Liner

Rimmel Kate Moss Lipstick

Max Factor False Effect Mascara

Blazer - ASOS

Dress - Motel @ Ark

OTHER NICE THINGS

The Great British Bake Off is back! This means that the world's nicest programme graces our screens once again, the kind of programme where I love everyone involved in it; the contestants the judges, the hosts...they could make it 50 episodes long and I would love every single second. It's also perfect for when I wake up in a terrible mood like I did on Thursday morning - a cup of tea and ten people baking bread really sorted me out. Also Jo Brand's accompanying show on Friday nights is wonderful.

Also Doctor Who is back! I really lost interest after David Tenant left if I'm honest and I feel like the story lines were probably a bit complex to re-enter it at any point in the last few years, but now I'm ready to give it another chance. This is also helped by the fact that Peter Capaldi is definitely on my dream dinner party guest list.

Fianlly, I finished clearing out my room this week and the last bits to tackle were my memory boxes. I had to be ruthless because two shoe boxes and a half is too much to hang on to at age 22. Most of the stuff that stayed is Christmas and birthday cards, and reading through them made for a really lovely afternoon. I feel very lucky to have had people who could say such wonderful things about me - and especially lucky to still call those people my close friends. 

Hope everyone has had a great week! See you soon! 

xx

Since when were Birkenstocks 'ugly'? And other stories.

My only issue with Birkenstocks was that I could never find the back-strap version readily available on the high street, I'd always wanted some but a combination of impatience, frugality and a knowledge of how fickle my own shoe size could be prevented me from ever owning a pair. 

(FYI I have a similar style sandal from Topshop, similar here, back-strap and all)

So I was surprised and a little confused when they were proclaimed the 'coolest ugly shoe' of S/S 14, because um...are they really ugly? To me they're just shoes with bits cut out of the side and a lighter base (i.e. sandals). They're what sandals should look like, gladiators are fine if you're taking a day trip, but if you're doing some serious all-day every-day travel destination exploring then you need a decent pair of sandals. If you'd like a decent pair of sandals that you can also proudly wear when you get home, then Birkenstocks are a good bet for your shoe of choice. But apparently the fashion community had decided they were a statement shoe, only for the brave, a daring rebellion against sandals usually made of a thin piece of cardboard and some string.

But then the great decision-makers in fashion (whoever they are) make lots of statements like this. I feel like I've been told my whole life that wearing flat shoes with skinny jeans shouldn't be done unless you absolutely have to. Then magazines would declare one season that they'd done it, they'd worked out how to wear a flat shoe with the skinny jean without making you look like some sort of flat-footed troll; and there was much rejoicing.Then the next season would roll around and they would declare not only that skinny jeans were 'in' again but also that they absolutely must be worn with a heel. In fact, if you followed fashion too closely, you might be deceived into thinking that you should wear a heel every day, because your outfit is simply sub-standard without one.
To that I have to say only this:
Are you out of your tiny mind?
The flat shoe is not for people who fancy a more casual look every so often. The flat shoe is for people who like to be able to move their toes and don't want to spend their weekends massaging their feet back into shape only to bend them into some obscene shape again on Monday morning.

Flat shoes aren't a thing in the same way Birkenstocks aren't a thing. People that declare you can now be comfortable and stylish haven't discovered anything new. Clothes that fit and shoes that don't put your toes 180 degree angel from your knees exist, they've always existed and people have been making them look great for a while.

So either we're all really ahead of the fashion world or...they've run out of ideas so they've been reduced to making the flat shoe a revolutionary idea as if before it was akin to wearing a dead rat on your foot.

I hope you've all enjoyed this rant about shoes.
I'll be back with a Weekly Digest post in the next couple of days.

xx

Weekly Digest

There isn't a lot to report in this week's digest, mainly I've just been at the museum and starting out at my new job. The rest of the time I've spent looking for other volunteering opportunities, doing really badly in pub quizzes and writing.
My latest post on Student Noodles on how I reclaimed my childhood bedroom from clutter is here.

I've also been writing angry letters to bus companies because if there's only a bus from where I live once an hour and it doesn't turn up and my taxi fare is £12 to get to work I feel like I have a right to be angry about it. Needless to say they are refunding me so my advice would be, if you struggle with a constantly bad service, don't be scared to contact said company about it. I believe in giving the people who work in the service sector all the respect in the world, I don't believe in paying for something that doesn't work properly.

My lovely parents also bought me back a lovely Clinique skincare set from their travels abroad, so I'll be trying that out soon to let you know how it compares to my normal skincare routine.

I also got a very, very exciting notification on Friday that I'd been nominated for the Liebster Award by Amy who blogs here.
  There are some rules that go along with being nominated for the award so here goes:

1. Link back to the person(s) that nominated you for the award.

2. Write 11 facts about yourself so people can learn more about you.

3. Answer the 11 questions given by the person(s) who nominated you.

4. After completing this, nominate 11 other bloggers that have under 200 followers and then give them 11 questions of your choice.

5. Let your nominees know that they've been nominated and give them access to the link so they can find out more about the award.

11 facts

1. I'm female (I said there would be facts, I didn't say they would be interesting).
2. I'm 22.
3. In September I'll be starting an MA in Modern History at the University of Leeds.
4. Ever since I was in sixth form I wanted to be a university lecturer, this is still the plan somewhere along the way.
5. But for now the plan is to work in a museum/historical research.
6. I lived in Brussels for my third year of university doing a work placement.
7. The other three years I spent in Bath studying for a BSc in Politics and International Relations.
8. I've loved reading and writing since I was small, I really haven't changed that much in the last 22 years!
9. I currently volunteer at a museum in Leeds making crafts with children. 
10. I'm not very good at making crafts (examples available on other Weekly Digest posts. 

11 questions

1. When did you start blogging and is this your first blog? I started in September 2012 to document my year abroad, and yes, it is! 
2. What's your biggest fear? Spiders. Nothing should move like that.
3. How would you describe yourself in three words? Ambitious, friendly and loyal. 
4. Where do you see yourself in five years? This is such a difficult one. Let's see, I'll graduate in two, so maybe either still at university doing a PhD, or hopefully doing something I love. Having travelled and written plenty along the way of course! 
5. What makes you smile? At the moment, lots of things; hearing from and catching up with friends I don't see very often, meeting new people, my (very rare) days off, and my boyfriend, of course.
6. Who was your first best friend? I'm not sure if I ever had just one best friend when I was little, but my two oldest friends are Emma and Anastasia - I'm proud to be still in touch with both of them. 
7. Your three favourite songs of all time? Midnight Train to Georgia - Gladys Knight, You Only Live Once - The Strokes, and 1963 - Rachael Yamagata. 
8. What's your favourite perfume? I definitely haven't owned enough perfumes to have a favourite, but of the ones I've got on my dressing table, Flowerbomb by Viktor & Rolf is my current fave.
9. What's your pet peeve? People who don't reply to texts. Everyone knows this one. It makes me absolutely furious. 
10. Have you ever been to a concert? Yes, so many! My first being an S Club 7 one and my latest being Glastonbury if that counts as one weekend-long concert.
11. What countries have you been to and which is your favourite? Malaysia, China, Germany, Italy, Czech Republic, USA, France, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands and, of course, the UK. My favourite is easily Germany, especially Berlin.

My questions

1. Why did you decide to start your blog?
2. What is your dream job? 
3. What was the last film you saw and what did you think of it? 
4. What is your favourite song at the moment? 
5. What was the last country you visited?
6. Which country do you want to visit next? 
7. Besides blogging, how else do you spend your time? 
8. What do you enjoy most about running your own blog? 
9. If you could speak any language, which one would you choose?
10. When are you at your happiest?
11. What do you want to have achieved by this time next year?

I am nominating: Amy, GabriellllleRose, LydiaLulu, Jessica, Mattie, Katie, Charlotte, Lexie, Kristen, MerylM, and Larren Emily. 

Another massive thank you to Amy for my nomination and goodbye from this Weekly Digest!

xx

Book Wish List

The one thing I promised myself whilst I was in my final year of university, was that after it was over I would start reading for pleasure again. Something I hadn't managed to do since I was in Brussels. 

I actually promised myself two things; the second one was that I would never think about the UN again. That one was just a stressed promise though, I've already thought about the UN numerous times actually, because that's how I choose to enjoy myself.

So this is a wish list post of all the books I want to read, hopefully within the next year. 

Shenzhen: A Travelogue from China - Guy Delisle

Burma Chronicles - Guy Delisle

Jerusalem: Chronicles from the Holy City - Guy Delisle

Footnotes in Gaza - Joe Sacco

The Great War - Joe Sacco

Safe Area Goradze - Joe Sacco 

The Fixer: A Story from Sarajevo - Joe Sacco

Palestine - Joe Sacco

The books in the first section are graphic novels from two travelling journalists/cartoonists who document their travels in graphic novel form. They're part of my new found love affair with graphic novels which also feed my want to buy physical books because I can justify not buying them on my Kindle. However much I appreciate it as a space saver, illustrations deserve to be on paper.

Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte 

Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck

To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee 

These three are the books everyone else seemed to do at school and I've probably just pretended to have read because I've seen the film/TV adaptation or, in the case of To Kill a Mockingbird, the stage play. Basically the books that I know the entire plot to, but I still feel like I should read so I can properly understand why they're considered classics (also thank you to Jenny for recommending Jane Eyre so highly when I'd convinced myself I wouldn't like it).

Slaughterhouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut 

American Psycho - Bret Easton Ellis 

Fight Club - Chuck Palahniuk

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - Ken Kesey

Middlemarch - George Eliot

The Color Purple - Alice Walker

The Outsider - Albert Camus & Sandra Smith 

These are books that seem to be on every '100 books to read...' list I've ever seen and, after having a quick scan of the blurbs, I've decided I might quite enjoy.

Hard Choices - Hillary Rodham Clinton

A Short History of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson

A History of the World - Andrew Marr

Dear Leader - Jang Jin-Sung

How to be a Woman - Caitlin Moran

The Zhivago Affair - Peter Finn & Petra Couvee

The final section is non-fiction, the majority of which being history related as I look forward to my masters/worry that I don't know every event so far in history. 

Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn

The Goldfinch - Donna Tartt

These final two are because I feel like I don't read enough new literature and they've both had brilliant reviews whilst at the same time looking like exactly the sort of thing I would enjoy. 

I'll definitely do reviews on these as I read them so I'll post those either here or over on the Student Noodles site. Hope you've enjoyed my list! 

xx

July Digest

Here it is, the first of my monthly digest posts, complete with some favourites, a very wide smile, and some not-so-favourites of the month - enjoy!

FAVOURITES

My absolute favourite product of the month has to be the Hydrating Macadamia Oil Penetrating Oil that I mentioned in last week's Weekly Digest; it is amazing. As you will see below I don't rate a lot of hair or skin products. After a life time of struggling with both I've found that most hair treatments and face washes are about as useful as washing your face with some beans you traded for the family cow. So that I can put this stuff in my hair and blow dry and go and have my hair look like this: 

That's kind of a big deal. 

It's also on offer in Boots at the moment for £4 (ish), its normally only £6 though which I'm fully prepared to pay for something that actually works. 

Skincare-wise I've also managed to find a routine that is really working for me at the moment, it includes:

Lush Ultrabland Cleanser

Lush Eau Roma Toner Water 

Simple Light Daily Moisturiser

I'm always weary of giving actual recommendations for skincare because I know from my long battle that it's not only extremely personal but also that what works changes over time, especially as you move from being in your late teens to your early twenties. Ultrabland didn't really do anything for me the first time around but now I use it every night to take my make up off and follow it up with the toner and moisturiser. I'm pretty sure that 90% of the reason this works is because for the first time in my life I have the patience to stick to a routine for more than a week.

My advice would then actually be that products usually take around a month to have an effect, so stick with things for a while and they will be both more likely to work and it will stress your skin out less.

My other favourite of the month has been my volunteering placement, during which I made these crafts, all of which I am disproportionately proud of even despite constantly being asked 'which child made this' by parents.

NOT-SO-FAVOURITES

These products weren't bad so much as they were just ineffective. I don't think the Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Light was made for those of us with a full, and very heavy, head of hair; it did absolutely nothing for me from the first use but I kept going and it's nearly finished now so I think I've given it a fair chance. The same goes for the Naked Style Frizz Fighter Serum, I wanted to try something new after my Leo Bancroft Instantly Sleek Serum ran out but I wish I'd never strayed. I didn't know it was possible for a serum to have absolutely no effect on hair, but here we are. My third and final disappointment of the month is the Malin + Gotez travel kit that was free in last month's Elle Magazine. Yes, yes I know it was free, but that doesn't mean I can't expect at least something from three tiny tubes that are apparently worth £10. The cleanser and moisturiser weren't necessarily bad products, but again they were ineffective, the lip gel was just that, a 'gel' and a very weird consistency which didn't really feel like it ever sank in as much as make my lips a bit plastic-y. Which, weirdly enough, wasn't the look I was aiming for. 

UPDATES

And this is how these goals are going so far, as you can see, general writing is going SO WELL.

Overall though, I'm pretty happy.

Have a good July, from post #7 of 50.

xx