Thoughts on a Thursday #1 // 'Growing up'

Growing Up

Today I had my last exam and officially finished my A-Levels, therefore technically I've finished school completely. I know that we are still classed as students until the end of the academic year blah blah, but nonetheless I'm free. I could have potentially finished education forever, depending how well I turn out to do in my exams. This is the beginning of the rest of my life, without sounding dramatic, it really is true. I am no longer in the scheme of having to be educated, it is now my choice - I could go to Uni, I could travel, I could get a job. The world is my oyster. 

Half of me feels accomplished, happy, stress-free, the other half, anxious and apprehensive. This summer is going to be so very good, I have so many good things lined up and I am so excited. However depending on what happens on the 14th August(Results Day) could shape my whole life. I feel very excited for the future, obviously it is daunting. There are many decisions that will have to made, huge watts of responsibility on my shoulders but I am surrounded by very positive people and I have a huge support system in place. Therefore as scary as the future is, I embrace it with open arms. 

Growing up is a confusing idea for me, as at 18 years old, I am considered 'Grown up'. I'm mature, I have a job, I have a car, I can vote, I can get married and therefore I am an adult. I think I am quite mature, and I can understand why 18 is the age of adolescence. I know my own mind and I know what is right and wrong, I know what is fair and unfair. However I do still sometimes get it wrong, sometimes I do feel as though I could have done better, I've maybe gone about something the wrong way. As a child, I assumed adults and grown ups were all very clued up, always knew what to do and would always be kind and helpful. I would look at girls in the years above me at school, and couldn't wait to be like them, couldn't wait to know myself and have it all figured out. I've now realised that this is not the case at all, everybody is human. It doesn't matter what age we are, we all make mistakes, we all have different views and we all have different ideas.

Life is a scary thing, but it is an amazing thing. It is the most incredible journey, and to think we are still in the first stages of life, still teenagers, thats even better. We really do have our whole lives ahead of us and we still have the chance to be whatever we want to be. When I think about how much i've learnt in the past 2 years, it's so exciting to think what i'll learn in the next 2 years, and the 2 years after that. We are all still growing, at no age do we stop growing, at no age do we stop learning. Life is full of growing up and of realising who we are and who we're supposed to be and I cannot wait for the rest of my life!

Update, Apologies and New Blog Series!

Recently i've been very inactive on the blogging front, Blondiei has been at the bottom of my to do as I am currently sitting my A-Levels. I only have one more week of revising and I will be free and then I intend to blog lots and lots. So huge apologies for the lack of posts! I promise I will make up for it!

Here's a few photos of what i've been up-to since we last spoke!  

Safari Park with the girlies, it was a really hot and sunny day so we had took a picnic and headed to the safari park! We did the safari, had our picnic and then went on the rides, which was absolutely hilarious, oh and I almost got my hand bitten off by that nasty little buggar down there ! 

  

After 7 years at my secondary school I was very sad to leave. As much as i've slagged school off and moaned about work, exams etc etc. I really will miss it! Emosh! On the penultimate day me and my friends had a watertight which was funny and on the last day we had our leavers Eucharist which was so cute as all pictures from the younger years were put up (embarrassing but funny) I really will miss seeing my friends every day although I know i'll stay in contact with my close friends ! 

 

My friend Alex celebrated her 18th birthday the week we left school and she had a big party at a hotel and the theme was 'The Great Gatsby' which I just absolutely loved, I LOVE the book (if you haven't read it you should) and the film is pretty good too! Alex's party was so so good and everybody really enjoyed themselves. Everybody dressed up to the theme and it was such a good atmosphere in there! I wore a little blue dress with all embellishments and tassels on which my mom found in TKMaxx for £30 (I was well chuffed) as the dresses I was originally looking at were much more expensive! I paired it with a purple fur wrap around for effect but it didn't take me long to take it of as it was extremely hot in there, my friend Hannah did my hair (I've mentioned her before - she's a hairdresser) and I just wore plain nude heels! Wish I could relive that night as it was honestly so good, Well Done Alex (I know you're reading this and smiling to yourself) ! 

    

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NEW BLOG SERIES!

Next week (hopefully if all goes to plan) I will be starting a new blog series called 'Thoughts on a Thursday'. Every thursday a new post will go up with a different topic/different opinions. I have quite a few ideas but if there is anything you really want to know my opinion on then definitely comment and I will try and use it :) I'd love to go more in-depth on here into what I think about things, what I agree/disagree with (to an extent of course). I think it will be really interesting and fun for me, and fun for you all to read too! And I can't keep writing about my favourite lipstick every week, therefore thoughts on a thursday will hopefully be a bit more interesting for some readers who read lots of beauty blogs and are a bit bored of this stuff! But for those of you who like the beauty and lifestyle posts, fear not as I will still be featuring those too!


So make sure you check back next thursday and hopefully the first instalment of 'Thoughts on a Thursday' will be up!

The Fishtail Braid

I used to think this look was so pretty and so different, yet really complicated and difficult. How wrong I was. Pretty? Yes. Difficult? Definitely not. Admittedly, the first few attempts could go a little wrong, but once you've mastered it 'The Fishtail Braid' is as easy as putting your hair up into a pony tail, its quick and easy and perfect for school or work.

1) I always brush my hair through before beginning to plait as I find it easier to use smooth, knot-free hair, however it will also work with unbrushed hair and day old hair as the plait also looks nice with a messier look to it. This choice is completely up to you and it may be worth trying both options out to see for yourself what you prefer

2) Put all your hair to one side of your head, I use my left side (that is just personal preference because of the way my parting and hair falls)

3) Split the hair into two even sections

4) Take a part from the back of the one section and bring it into the middle of the two, giving it to the other section. Repeat this using the other side. So take a section of hair from the other side and bring it into the middle and give it to the opposite section

5) Keep doing this until you run out of hair to use

6) Try and use a clear hairband if you have one or a thin one as it will look nicer and secure the band around the bottom of the braid to keep it together.

7) I like my fishtail braids to look more messy than neat. To achieve this I pull on the sides of the braid once it is in the hairband to make it messier and bigger.

It literally is as easy as that!

Good Luck :)

Makeover & Photoshoot!

For my 18th Birthday present my friend Hannah took me for a day out to Birmingham where we had our hair and make-up done by make-up artists and then afterwards had a photoshoot, being as it was an exciting day and very much focused around make-up and beauty I thought it would be a lovely idea to share it with you all :)

Firstly, we met for lunch before catching the tram into Birmingham, once we'd arrived at the Jewellery Quarter which is just outside Birmingham we tried to find the studio's. After struggling to figure out the way out of the actual tram station we thought we might need a little help getting to the venue. So we got up the postcode on Hannah's phone and used google maps to direct us, this was a little embarrassing as the voice on maps was very loud and people were looking at us strangely. Oh well. Eventually we found where we needed to be.

When we arrived a very friendly man took us upstairs to the styling rooms. Here we had to fill out some forms on how we wanted our hair done for the shoot (I opted for curls) and how we wanted our makeup done (I opted for smokey eyes), I played it very safe as you can tell. The makeup artists and hair stylists were very nice, and did a fab job of making us look beaaautifull. The lady also went over my nails for me as one had chipped a little on the way. I loved how she did my make-up she used a lovely peachy orange on my lips, which I absolutely loved but didn't get the name of the colour, so I am going to have to go into Mac to have a little nosey and see if I can find it.

After our makeup and hair was done we went back downstairs to meet the photographer, again this lady was really, really nice. She put us at ease and made us feel really comfortable, we talked with her for about 5 minutes about what we wanted out of the shoot, explaining that we'd never done anything like this before and it was just a bit of fun, so no serious 'modelling' needed to happen haha. She then took us into the photography studio, which was a massive room with lots of different background's and props. We got changed into our first outfit and got started.

After the shoot we had to wait a little while, around about 20 minutes. This was because the photos had to download onto the computer before a viewing session. The same man who greeted us at the start of the day turned out to be the digital artist. He took us up to the viewing room where we went through all 82 of the photos that we had taken. We had to narrow this down to a sensible number and discuss prices and packages for us to takeaway the photos we wanted. This took a little longer than we thought.

I had a really, really fun day and it was something I probably won't do again, and if I do, not for a very long time. Therefore I am very thankful to Hannah for buying me such a cool and unique present! If you're thinking about doing one of these photoshoot days then I would definitely recommend it's really lighthearted and fun. A really good day out, that is something different to do!

My 3 Outfits

• Blue Jumpsuit from Topshop and Red Heels which I borrowed from Hannah. 
• Navy blue skinny jeans from H&M, Peachy coloured Patterned Shirt from Haute Society at TK Max and Beige heeled boots from Truffle.
• Blue patterned collared dress from Ged London at TK Max with black tights and black boots from New Look.

A selection of the photos from the day! 

(These are the professional photos, for more 'behind the scenes' photos follow me on Instagram)

Book Review!

This is the first time i've ever attempted to review a book on here so bear with me ! 

The Edge of Never by J A Redmerski

The main character Cam has had lots of unfortunate events happen in her life that immediately make us sympathise for her. At the beginning of the book she is in a bit of a crappy stage in her life, a bit of a bubble, she feels she is just doing everything that she should be doing, with nothing that makes her overly happy. I think this really relates to people of my age as there are big decisions to be made regarding whether to get jobs, go to college, go to university, go travelling etc etc. In the book something happened which makes Cam to decide she needs to get away, so she just gets on a bus and goes, with no plans. For this, I admire her. It is extremely brave. On this bus, Cam meets Andrew he is also travelling, however he does have a destination. Andrew and Cam eventually become friends and he makes her see things in different ways. Over the course of the book they begin opening up to each other and it is really lovely to see their friendship blossom and their relationship grow. The relationship between them is funny and innocent and typical of a young couple. They both help each other through some really tough times. Ultimately the book is about two young people learning what life is really about, and how to live life to the full. But it isn't a cheesy 'yolo' book. It's very well written, it's emotional, it makes you smile, it makes you laugh, it makes you cry. It also makes you think a lot about your own life. Towards the end of the book there is a huge twist which I obviously can't tell you as it would completely ruin the whole book. This twist is really shocking, well it was for me, and I wasn't expecting it at all. I think though, this made the whole story more realistic as at times it does seem 'same same' at times with them travelling on a road trip and falling in love at the same time.  The book is written in first person from the points of both Cam and Andrew, each chapter switches between the two narratives. I absolutely love this as we see things from both characters point of view, really allowing us to understand them both more in-depth. There is some sexual scenes and quite mature content throughout the book, however it isn't frequently in your face. It's subtle and it just adds to the relationship of the characters. However, if you aren't of age I wouldn't recommend the book. However, to everyone else I would definitely recommend the book. It is an absolutely fantastic read, and I couldn't put it down.  

What's On My Face?

Every Day Make-Up 

What I wear for Sixth Form and for work 

Face

1) No 7 Concealer in 'Cool Vanilla' 

2) No 7 Stay Perfect Superlight Foundation in 'Cool Vanilla' 

3) No 7 Perfect Light Pressed Powder in 'Translucent' 

4) Ted Baker Bronzer 

5) Rimmel London Blusher in 'Pink Rose' 

Eyes

1) Models Own Eye Lash Curlers

2) Studio London Pencil Eye-Liner in Black

3) Rimmel Liquid Eye-Liner in Black 

4) Maybelline New-York Illegal Length Mascara 

5) No 7 Fanomenal Lashes Mascara

6) Rimmel London Scandal Eyes Mascara

Lips

1) Rimmel London Royal Gloss 

2) Mac Lipstick in the colour 'Creme Cup'

'Technic' Nail Varnish Review

Technic Nail Varnish Review! 

This nail varnish has been on my nails so much recently that I felt it would be rude not to share my love for it with all of you. The nail varnish I am talking about is called 'Technic' which you can get at boots. The colour is 'Tango Red' and it is absolutely beaauuuttifuuulllll! As you can see from the pictures below, it is a darkish red and quite bright. It certainly isn't a dull red, it is more of a vibrant red. The consistency of the nail varnish is fab, it goes on really well, it isn't stringy or too thick. It's just right. The picture below is two coats of the product, and I think you probably do need two coats to keep the colour strong. As it is a dark colour, I would recommend using a base coat first of clear nail varnish, to prevent the varnish staining your nails. There is already a shine to the varnish which you notice after applying. When your nails catch the light, there is a lovely reflection which makes your nails shimmer and stand out. I think this product is a must in any nail varnish collection! :)