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!