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Selfridges Summer Beauty Box!

After trying Glossybox and being disappointed with the goods sent to me - (a face mask for mature skin?! I am seventeen not seventy) I swore off beauty box subscriptions as lets be honest if you go up to a make-up counter in Debenhams etc. you can get samples of the exact same products for free. (maybe it is worth it for the cult HD brows set but £12.95 a month hoping for a product that outright costs around £20 seems a waste.) 

Anyway Selfridges have answered my beauty prayers! A beauty box designed for summer that has pre-specified contents, and comes in at £25 for products that bought separately would cost £70. 


Another bonus is that most of the products in the box are products I have almost bought 20 times before, so I will finally get a chance to try them!

The box contains -

• Aqua Splash Tangle Teezer
• Models Own Neon Nail Varnish
• Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray 50ml
• Molton Brown Aqua Shower Gel 100ml
• Caudalie Beauty Elixir 30ml
• St. Tropez Instant Glow Face Lotion 50ml
• Jane Tran Hair Clips
• Erborian BB Cream 12ml
• Lancaster After Sun 40ml
• St. Tropez exclusive in-store offer card 

You can buy the Selfridges summer beauty box here [x] be quick, as you can imagine they are in high demand!

The exam period is here! - How to revise.

Everyone's favourite time of year is back and it doesn't feel like we ever said goodbye. I don't know anyone that gets excited at the prospect of revising hard to help them battle through whatever the exams throw at them but I am writing this today to help make the task a but more manageable by sharing some hints and tips! 

Firstly it is very important to manage your time carefully, no matter how little time you think you have, you can always salvage and make the best of the situation. Try using microsoft word like I did in my timetable (below) to open a monthly calendar which will help to keep track of time. Try counting the topics you have to do and dividing them by the days you have until your exam, this way you can work out how many topics you should try to do a day. 

A whiteboard helps to keep track too!

The next most important thing is knowing how you learn, it is not worth sitting there trying to read through a ruck of notes when your learning style is not reading. Most people have a combination of learning styles, you can find out yours by using a VARK questionnaire. (x) 

After you have worked out your revision type come up with tasks you can do and try to keep your revision active. Personally I write notes and keep a separate notebook for each subject to keep my notes neat.

Notebooks from Tesco 

After completing a topic I ensure I consolidate my knowledge by answering possible exam questions. This shows up any information I need to go over again and avoids me discovering the night before the exam that I actually haven't taken in the topic. 

Questions for each topic.

Use a variety of different techniques to make notes, I use my notebooks as mentioned before to  copy notes from my classwork and revision guides. I also write notes on record cards in a condensed form as they help to organise information into bitesize chunks. Making tables has also helped me learn the research studies for my psychology exam as it set the studies out clearly so made them easier to learn.

Psychology studies table

Flash Cards

I always buy revision books to help me revise, I find that they are very helpful to explain things in another way if I still can't grasp it. I also get the revision books that are tailored to the syllabus and exam board I am on because they organise the information into topics and help to fill in any gaps in my notes (no one wants a shock in their exam).

Universal study guides for the subjects

Board and syllabus specific guides.

Once I finish revising the topics and answering the topic specific questions I move on to completing past exam papers. This highlights anything I need to revise again. I use sticky tabs to keep track of topics or questions I need to revisit.

Past papers.

Colour coded sticky tabs

If you need some extra motivation try placing university prospectuses or apprenticeship guides around the house as subtle reminders that you have reasons to give your best, and don't forget that good grades leave the doors open to any career. Don't forget to use colour too!!

Prospectuses!

Colours

One Direction and 5 SOS

Wow time flies! 

Well this post has been in the pipeline for..ahem, 2 months tomorrow. So without further ado here is the 'highly anticipated' post.

On the 16th of March 2013 I went to see One Direction in concert for my sisters birthday, and it was amazing!!

Oh so tanned ;)

Now admittedly I do rather like One Direction so I was never not going to enjoy it, but I was a bit reserved about their vocal abilities being up to the standard on their album. Being the hardcore fan I am I had listened to acoustic tracks they had recorded before but hey you never know what tweaking has been done before it has been put on the world wide web. Let me assure you no tweaking was needed - the vocals were spot on. (x) 

The secondary stage

The concert was very slickly put together with a wall of screens behind the main stage that changed the set in seconds, very aesthetically pleasing. The move to the secondary stage was well thought out, they moved over the crowd on a platform which was definitely exciting for the crowd below.

I had the most brilliant time and we were so lucky with our seats! I had been apprehensive about our seating because we ordered tickets through a coach company because they had sold out from ticketmaster etc. (x) We were guaranteed lower tier seats and we were very lucky to be seated opposite the second stage that they moved across on to for a few songs.

Another gigantic bonus was the support act 5 Seconds of Summer, an Australian boyband consisting of Luke Hemmings, Michael Clifford, Calum Hood and Ashton Irwin. I predict the next boyband phenomenon! They are very talented and heartbreak girl is definitely chart material. I would go and see them in concert again.

5 Seconds of Summer

So in conclusion - when can I go again?! 2014 tour here I come!! 

Where Iive - Wales

I have lived in Wales all my life and I thought today I would share my thoughts on my experiences with a simple pros and cons list. To clarify, I do not live in a large town or city so my views are based on rural life in Wales. I will start with the cons so that I can end on a high note.

CONS
Rains quite often,
Nearest shopping centre is about 45 minutes away,
Welsh long course and welsh baccalaureate is compulsory (in my high school),
Not much to do (too many cafés and charity shops in town),
Very close knit (everyone knows every bodies business),
People that are first language welsh get more opportunities.

PROS
Beautiful scenery (area of outstanding natural beauty)
Quiet,
Farms (not everyone's cup of tea but I love them),
Great country walks,
Stops me spending money?,

Beautiful Views

Walking Yay!

My uncles farm

Cutest lamb!!

Barry M nail gelly polish

I have heard a lot recently about the new hi shine gelly polishes by Barry M and I have been intrigued by the many positive reviews I have read. So I decided to buy some and try them out for myself. I picked up three colours prickly pear, a pastel purple colour that fits right in with the current pastel trend. Lychee, a nude, very light beige, very chic and subtle. Finally papaya a bright pastel orange which will look amazing with a tan!

You need about 2 coats of polish and personally I do not use a topcoat as the finish is shiny enough for me (and I am lazy) I have been wearing lychee for four days and I am yet to experience any chipping. There are nine original shades and four have been released for spring/summer.

They are priced at  £3.99 and are currently 3 for 2 at Superdrug, go grab yourselves a bargain.

From L-R: Papaya, Lychee, Prickly Pear.

I passed my driving test!!!

On May 1st 2013 I passed my driving test first time with only 3 minors in Rhyl!

I had been learning to drive since the 19th of September 2012 and had been having driving lessons mostly once a week.

As I was one of the first in my school year to turn 17 I just chose a driving instructor I had seen teaching other people in my school, after others in my year started driving I noticed that the prices I was paying for lessons were in some cases considerably steeper than other instructors were charging, and I was progressing slower in some circumstances.

I am not saying my instructor was a bad instructor because I passed and I am confident in my ability to drive safely however if I was looking to choose an instructor now I would like to see a clear lesson plan (which I am sure my instructor had but I would have liked him to share it with me) so that I could gauge my progress and estimate when I would be ready to take my test.

Whilst I was learning I got insurance on my Mum's car for a month (after I had learned all my manoeuvres etc. and all that was need was my skills to be refined) during this time I made leaps and bounds as I was being supervised by my Dad who was not going to let me have an easy ride.(being a policeman didn't help matters) Yes I did cry once but putting me under the pressure that he did has made me more confident that I can handle challenging situations myself now.

For 2 weeks before my test I didn't sleep but for some reason on the day I was really calm (total opposite of how I usually am) I think I had accepted that the only outcome was going to be a pass or fail and it was not the same as exams. Just be positive and don't listen to the horror stories. My friends had both had tests the week before mine (with the same examiner) and failed, as soon as I realised the examiner I had was the same one I panicked but it turned out he was lovely and obviously they had just had a negative experience.

Hopefully soon I will be put back on the insurance on my Mum's car so that I can gain some freedom and enjoy the adventures that will follow.

Update: My Ombre Hair

As I posted a few months ago, I got my hair ombred (Is that the grammatically correct word?) and I did promise to follow up with a blog post - whoops! Well here it finally is. 

I went to the hairdressers with no idea what to expect as I had never dyed my hair before, let alone bleached it. I was wanting my hair to be bleached so it was gradually getting lighter in a gradient until the ends were blonde. My hairdresser suggested that an idea to make my style less hassle would be to dye the underneath of my hair blonde to the roots so that I wouldn't have to have the bleaching perfectly symmetrical. As I wear my hair straight most of the time it would look silly if the ombre started at different points on each side of my hair. I agreed and decided that dying the underneath of my hair would be the best option. The underneath of my hair from the top of my ears and below is bleached blonde.

Not good lighting so looks greeny - I promise it isn't.

I use the Lee Stafford Bleach Blondes shampoo and conditioner once a week to stop the blonde going brassy, it works by washing a purple tone through the hair to counteract any yellowness- but be careful leaving it on too long as it can stain. The shampoo and conditioner cost £6.39 and are available here [x]

I love the effect and I am planning on getting my hair bleached again just before summer to brighten it up again. 

I have found my Holy Grail Foundation - (and it isn't even foundation) Dr Jart Regenerating BB cream (Silver)

I am now going to talk about another chance encounter that has become my make-up bag staple. I was in boots a few months ago wandering the aisles when I stumbled across the Dr Jart stand, I have only ever tried one BB cream and I was not impressed- it didn't match my skin tone to start with! I had been suffering with a terrible break out and was at my wits end trying different foundations and concealers to cover up my blemishes, I was desperate as my skin type had also been thrown off with me getting some unsightly dry patches too. So when I read the blurb of the Dr Jart Regenerating BB cream I was easily bowled over and it was £7 off so I trotted off to the till with my purchase.

The cream claims to be an alcohol free moisturiser with sunscreen (SPF 30) that promotes cell regeneration and covers redness and spots. Boots says 'This Dr Jart+ BB Cream provides strong coverage for redness and spots which won't rub off as easily as traditional cosmetics. Skin will look brighter, whilst still suitable for problem and sensitive skin.' 

The formula is very thick so you do not need much, however when blended skin shows through and a natural finish is obtained. Redness is neutralised and imperfections appear blurred rather than covered which reminds me of the saying 'less is more' spots look much worse caked in make-up as you just draw attention to them. I feel like my skin can breathe and that the BB cream is actually doing some good for my skin instead of just clogging pores to cover blemishes (a vicious circle). I have noticed a huge improvement in my skins appearance and have for the first time in my life received compliments for my skin!

The only downsides to this product I can think of is the shade range which is limited to one colour that is pale enough for my lighter than most foundations skin (The product was designed for the Korean market originally) and the price which is £21 normally from boots.  

As I write this post the price on the Boots website is down to £14 (£7 off) so excuse me whilst I go and stock up!! Buy it here [x]

My Kitty, Soxie (Photo heavy post)

You may or may not be interested - and if cats are not your thing this is not the post for you but I thought I would share with you some pictures of my cutie Soxie. She is 7 years old and I have had her since she was about 2 months. I chose her from a litter of new kittens at my uncles farm as she reminded me of my old cat.

When she was little she was very timid and used to hid behind the cupboards and come out in the dead of night for food when the coast was clear but slowly she has become the most outgoing member of our family. She is still timid with strangers but has not once to this day scratched or bitten anyone. 

You can see her eye here

Posing

Can see her eye here too

Christmas!

Revising with me

In her short life she has already had a few calamities, at our old house she was unfortunately run over. Her back leg was crushed and she now has no feeling in it also her hip was dislocated, the vet said that looking at her injuries she was dragged along by the car as her claws were worn down and she had shattered her jaw from knocking it on the ground! When she was born her ball and joint sockets were not deep enough so after this accident she had to have an operation to prevent her from easily dislocating her hips again.

She has also somehow managed to pierce her eyeball - either through fighting or catching it on a branch. She had to have another operation and had two buttons sewn above her eye to keep her third eyelid sewn over whilst it healed. Thankfully she can still see sufficiently with the eye although the pupil is distorted.

She means so much to me, she always seems to know when I am feeling low and need some company and she seems to understand (I am not mental okay!!) Anyway I just wanted to make this post to share how much she means to me and for my own memories!