Hello you beauties!

I now officially live in Brighton! I've been here since Saturday (23rd) and if I'm honest, I've not found it easy to settle in here and I still feel quite homesick, but I'm just trying to get stuck in with university work (which will be easier next week when my course actually starts).

Today's post is different to usual. As I am studying an English Literature and Creative Writing course at the University of Brighton, I thought it would be a good idea to share with you some of the creative writing I produce occassionally on this blog.

This piece of creative writing I want to share with you was written collaboratively - I wrote this alongside two other people on my course called Lauren McDonald and Stanley Westbrook (needed to give them credit too). We were given two pages of script about the London Riots of 2011. We had to write a poem using only the words on the extract that told an accurate story of the events.

Here it is:

Huge Blaze they were coughing
This huge blaze
Building a trophy fire
Fuel this smiling lad
The wind’s taking up an immense flame
“it was supposed to be us”
Euphoria up in flames
Rioting a-alight restrain him
(breathe)

(Breathe) ‘It weren’t supposed to be like this’
Ash raining down, an immense, flame, children there.
‘It weren’t supposed to be like this?’
Coughing, they couldn’t get out, throwing tires into
The fires to make it fuel even more.
‘It was supposed to be us and the police and the government’
But this is not Aldis, this is not McDonalds, this is not JD Sports.
(Exhales)

Huge Blaze! Immense Flame
Ash being blown; raining down
Cover our mouths; They’re ash clouds
Throwing tyres in the fire
The shop was ablaze

On Tottenham Road.

I can't wait to share some more of my creative writing with you in the future!

I'll be back next week with another post for you all.

Byeeee!

Hello you beauties!

I can't believe we're over half way through August already! Not long now until everyone is off back to school. On that subject, I have some great news. I am off to university!

Last Thursday in England was A Level results day and I was so nervous for so long beforehand. I have had difficulty with my A Levels in the past and was really hoping that on the 17th August I could wake up finally knowing I didn't have to carry on with them after 3 years and that I could finally move on with my life.

I had dreams of attending university for as long as I can remember. I like to aim high in life and I knew from the beginning that university would be the right choice for me. However the hard part was deciding which degree to do.

For a very long time, I've always wanted to be a nurse or physiotherapist, intent on helping people in pain, helping them feel better. So I decided to study Biology in my first year of my A Levels. Big mistake. It made me realise just how much I struggled with science. And how much I loved English.

So in my second and third year of A Levels, I decided to focus on English. And I loved every minute of it. I had finally found what I loved. And I knew this is what I wanted to study at university.

I applied to study English Literature or English Literature and Creative Writing at 5 different universities; York, Nottingham, East Anglia, Chester and Brighton. I received offers from all 5 of them, although 2 universities gave me offers to study a different subject from what I originally applied for (although still English related).

By Christmas 2016 I had received all of my offers and so in January I made my choice - Brighton as my firm choice (asking for CCC or 96 UCAS points) and Chester as my insurance choice (asking for BCC). I was so excited but also so nervous, worried that I would not get the results I needed.

I spent months and months studying hard so that I could follow my dreams and finally, last Thursday, I was going to find out my fate. I was so relieved and happy to find out that I had been accepted to study English Literature and Creative Writing at the University of Brighton. I got to do exactly what I wanted to do; finally!

Yes, I'm terrified but I'm also really excited. I've never been away from my parents properly so it'll be strange having to get used to not seeing them every day but I'm sure I'll be fine with it soon enough. And not getting to see my boyfriend much... yes I'm worried about the long distance but he is studying in London so we can both easily travel to the others flat and visit each other regularly.

I can't wait to start my new adventure.

I'll be back next week with another post for you all.
Byeeee!

Hello you beauties!

Can you believe it's March already! I can still remember Christmas like it was just yesterday and now 2 months of 2017 have already passed. So of course because it is the 1st of March, it means that today's post is all about what I was loving in February.

Let's start with the non-beauty items.

Something that hardly any of you know is that on the 3rd of February, I finally passed my driving test! It was actually my 5th time doing my test as nerves seemed to get the better of me and made the most stupid little things happen which meant that I would fail. So I knew this time I needed to do something to try and calm myself down. So I tried using Kalms tablets and these are honestly amazing! People said to me that these tablets are basically just a placebo and maybe they are but they really did work for me and even my driving instructor commented on how much calmer I seemed this time. And of course I passed so I plan to tell anyone who will listen about how amazing these tablets are! They're great to use if you suffer from mild anxiety with anything.

The next non-beauty favourite for me this month definitely has to be Youtube. Who doesn't love Youtube!? I was ill for a week or so in February and so didn't really have much energy to do much, so I chose to just watch Youtube videos instead. My favourite Youtubers at the moment are obviously people who upload beauty videos, and a few of my favourites at the moment are sophdoesnails, Sophie Louise, Emily Canham and Just Jodes.

Any English Literature student will know that when you study novels, you kind of get put off of reading for pleasure outside of your course. But recently I've been trying to read a lot more to help me settle down properly before I go to sleep and I've been leaning towards the author D H Lawrence as he was born in the same city as me and his writing style is just amazing.

My last non-beauty favourite of February is a city, and this city is the beautiful Brighton! Everyone who knows me well knows how obsessed with Brighton and I have actually chosen to go and study there in September. So this month I went to visit the university and I also decided to look around the city while I was there. And I immediately fell in love and I really can't wait to move there in a few months time.

Now onto the beauty favourites.

I've mentioned this product in quite a few posts before, but I have recently starting using the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish again. I used to use it all the time and then for some unknown reason didn't really use it at all. I've started using it a lot more recently and I use it now mainly to remove my makeup, as it just makes my makeup melt off of my face. And it leaves my skin feeling really smooth and fresh too. It's definitely worth the money.

The next is a recent discovery. I was in desperate need of dry shampoo and I usually use Batiste dry shampoo but couldn't find any. So when I was out at the shops one day I picked up the Girlz Only Dry Shampoo which is considerably cheaper than the Batiste dry shampoo that I usually use. I love the scent and it really does it's job. I would definitely recommend trying this out for yourself.

I was surprised when I realised I loved the Primark Velvet Matte lip crayons as I honestly was worried that they just wouldn't work for me because they're matte and so cheap at only £2 each. I have the shades 'Ballerina' and 'Mushroom' and they're the easiest shades for me to wear. Sometimes they do feel quite drying but if I get to that point then I will just apply a clear lipgloss over the top and then it feels perfect.

My final favourite for this month is again another rediscovered favourite. It is the Rimmel Stay Matte powder which I stopped using when I bought the NYX finishing powder. Not using it so much has made me realise how much I do love it and now I've started using it even more and I will honestly repurchase this in the future as it is perfect and so cheap. I have actually hit pan on it now, almost a year after purchasing it!

So these were my favourites for February! What were your favourites this month?

I'll be back on Saturday with another post for you all.

I hope you all liked this post. If you did, be sure to subscribe/follow, comment and share with friends!
Byeeee!

Hello you beauties!

When you read this blog post I will actually be in Brighton! I am so excited as I've always wanted to go and now I finally get to. So I thought it was only right to tell you what makeup items I will be taking in my travel bag to Brighton with me.

1. My Illamasqua primer
This is the best face primer I have ever used and is the perfect travel size so can easily fit in my bag.

2. Garnier BB cream
While I still want a nice base for my makeup, I am only in Brighton for a couple of days so do not want to worry about using a heavy foundation. So I've decided to bring this BB cream with me as it offers great coverage.

3. Collection Lasting Perfection concealer
I think this is a staple product in most people's makeup collections! It offers amazing coverage and blends really well and is especially great paired with a BB cream.

4. Rimmel Stay Matte powder
I have always loved this powder and because it is compact rather than lose it means it is perfect to use while travelling and doesn't (hopefully!) make a mess.

5. Seventeen Define and Conquer contour kit
While away, I only want my contour to be very subtle, which is not really what I get with my beloved Benefit Hoola bronzer. So I chose to take this little contour kit with me as it really does contour your face well without being over the top.

6. MUA blush in 'Cupcake'
I love nude blushers and this is such a small, compact blush and so fits perfectly into any look and my makeup bag!

7. Makeup Revolution Baked Highlighter
This is the one I got from their advent calendar and I have honestly fallen in love with this highlighter so much over the past month or so! Plus it's quite small so easy to fit in my makeup bag.

8. GOSH eye primer
I always use this primer and have done for a very long time. It's really nice and moisturising and really makes your eyeshadow pop!

9. NYX nude quad
This is one of those that you can make yourself and I have some really nice nude shades in this palette as who doesn't love nude shades!? I want to keep my eye look as simple and easy as possible while away so this palette is perfect.

10. Soap and Glory Lid Stuff palette
Of course I'll take some shimmer shades too! I love shimmer eyeshadows as you all will know by now. And this palette has some of the most gorgeous nude shimmer shades I have ever used in my life, and is the perfect size (it is very small with only 6 shades) to slot into my makeup bag.

11. No7 Intense Volume mascara
This is my go-to everyday mascara at the moment. It's not the best for volume (despite the name) but it is perfect for that simple natural look I am intending to do many times over my trip.

12. Freedom brow pomade in 'Blonde' 
This is honestly one of the best eyebrow products I have ever used. I can't go anywhere without filling in my eyebrows, and because this product is the perfect colour for me and so easy to use, it was obvious that I would be taking it on my trip with me!

13. Seventeen clear definition mascara in 'Clear'
Of course I can't forget to set my brows once I filled them in and this clear mascara is the best product I have found for this.

14. NYX butter gloss in the shade 'Madeleine'
I don't want my lips to be too bold or a difficult colour to use while I'm away so a lipgloss is the perfect product to take with me. This nude lipgloss from NYX is honestly one of the best lipglosses I have ever used as it has an amazing colour pay off for a lipgloss but also is not too sticky,

So those are the very limited amount of makeup items I have taken on my trip with me but as you can see I chose them specifically so that I could create a lovely nude 'no makeup' makeup look. What makeup do you usually take on a trip with you?

I'll be bringing you another post on Saturday (I'll be back from Brighton by then)!

I hope you all liked this post. If you did, be sure to subscribe/follow, comment and share with friends.
Byeee!

Hello you beauties!

Today, the final day of 2016, is going to be a very different post to what I'm used to writing. It's going to be happy, but possibly sad too, as I reflect on the past year in terms of what has happened to me. I would love to hear about your 2016 and I hope it has been an amazing year for you all.

I would love to say that 2016 has been an amazing year for me, and while it has been better for me than 2015 was, I have to say 2016 still wasn't brilliant. I started the year feeling great.

For those of you who didn't know, I'm not in my third year of doing A Levels. Yes, I should've been in university now. But from September 2014 to July 2015 I attended a college that I absolutely hated. It made me feel so depressed being there. So I moved to a different college in September 2016 and being there has made me a lot happier. So in that sense, I have felt a lot happier in 2016 at college (despite the usual A Level stress).

My personal life is not really something that I usually talk about (I prefer to keep it all private) but now that I'm spending time looking back on my year, I don't see the harm in mentioning it for just this one post.

At the beginning of the year, I was in a relationship and a genuinely was very happy. But then we broke up and I was quite upset about it. I never really mentioned it before because we broke up quite early on in the year, before I started this blog. Me and the guy are still pretty good friends but it's a memory that I try my best to not remember.

I have also lost my best friend this year, but in losing that friend, I have made many new friends. Losing friends is never easy but sometimes they turn into the sort of person you hoped they would never become. And you realise you are better off without them in your life. I have learnt to be happy with the friends that I do have rather than focus too much on the past.

I have also been very ill this year, which is something I dread every day. I have a really really bad immune system, so when I get ill, I get really ill. What started off as a cold early this year turned into really bad tonsilitis... so bad that I ended up in hospital to have tests. So that definitely was NOT a highlight of my year.

However, despite all this negativity in my life, some great things have happened to. I am happy in my job, my family manage to make me smile everyday and I have so much to look forward to in 2017.

I have finally been offered places at 5 different universities to study English, which I am extremely excited for. I just now have to accept the offers at 2 of the universities, which is going to be so difficult as all of the universities I have offers from are amazing (Brighton, Chester, Nottingham, York and East Anglia). However, I am leaning towards Brighton and Chester as my firm and insurance choice at the moment (Brighton has always had a special place in my heart). I am looking forward to visiting Brighton in a couple of months with my mum.

Moving out is going to be a very strange experience but I know it is going to be the right thing for me. By the time I move out and go to university, I will be 20 and that definitely shows that it is time to move on and live in the big wide world on my own. I can't wait to explore a new city and be able to show people that I can look after myself.

I hope you all have a great new year and I can't wait to see what 2017 brings to us all.

Have an amazing night with whatever way you're celebrating and I will see you all in 2017!

I'll be back tomorrow with the first post of 2017 for you all.

If you liked this post, be sure to subscribe/follow, comment and share with friends.
Byeeee!