Haul!

On Saturday I went shopping with my mum, and thought I would show you what I got.

Clothes

All of  the clothes I brought were from H&M

This blouse was £14.99

 I've been wanting a skater skirt for ages but always found they were quite expensive for a skirt, so when I found these in H&M I just couldn't help myself.

These two skirts were £7.99

These two skirts were £7.99

The main reason I was looking for these items was because I was invited to a party with a smart casual dress code and thought this look would fit that perfectly. I wore the black skirt with the blouse tucked in with my hair up with a dark pink lipstick. 

There was a wait for trying on clothes and while waiting I saw this top (picture below) hanging up, and thought I would try it on. I'm so glad I did as it goes really well with leggings, jeans and shorts so it will be perfect for summer!

This top was £7.99

Deodorant, Tangle Teezer and Makeup

Sure - clear diamond

 This is my favourite deodorant, it smells amazing and reminds me of summer every time I put it on,  It's not too harsh on the armpits and lasts for a long time! What more do you want from a deodorant?

Tangle Teezer

My natural hair is wavy, so find it gets really tangled and knotted, so find brushing it really hurts and takes ages. I heard about the Tangle Teezer a while ago, but didn't want to buy it as I didn't really know how well it actually worked, but decided to buy it and it is amazing! It works so well with my hair and it does give me pain free brushing, would totally recommend it!

This was £10.99 from boots

Maybelline Falsies

 I've heard people rave about Maybelline Falsies mascara on YouTube, especially Tanya Burr, so thought I would see how amazing this mascara is. It really is one of the best mascaras I've ever used. The wand is amazing it picks up the right amount of mascara so your eyelashes don't feel heavy. The shape of the wand is perfect for eyelashes as it picks up everyone giving it volume and pushes them up.

The results from using the Maybelline Falsies

This was £7.99 from boots

Race for Life...

If you live in the UK I'm sure you know of Race for Life, but if you don't it's when you do a sponsored run for cancer research. I've wanted to do it for ages but never got round to do it so, this year I made sure I did. 

My Granddad suffered from cancer, I was about 10 so I didn't really know what was going on but my best friends mum has been diagnosed with cancer and I now know it doesn't just affect the person, it affects everyone close to them. So I did Race for Life for her, my Granddad and all others affected by cancer.

We will find a cure for cancer one day!

The atmosphere was amazing, I didn't really know what to expect but it really did feel like we were all working together to find a cure for cancer.

 Obviously I know cancer affected peoples lives but doing this has shown me how many and I'm glad  I was able to help, even if it was just a little!

Anyone who is suffering from cancer I admire you and your bravery, you're an inspiration to me and millions of people around the world, you may see your self as different but you're not, you're are putting up a fight, some defeat it and some put up a fight but the cancer knocks them down, RIP to those who have lost the battle, but you are truly amazing people & hope you are in a better place know. I admire you and your bravery <3

Some things I found helped me get through my exams

Today, I have just finished my exams! I'm not going to say too much about that as I know some people still haven't finished their exams. So I thought I would let some of you know some of the things I found useful and some of the revision techniques I wished I used.

The subjects I took at GCSE were:

• Performing Arts
• History
• PE
• French

Obviously, I also had to do Maths, English, Science, RE and Citizenship.

Some of these subjects I really regret taking, but at the time I made my choices, I didn't know what I wanted to be when I was older, so kept my options open.

Some things I found helped me cope during the exam period

Revising in the garden I found more bearable than looking at my bedroom wall




1. Make time for yourself - I know you spend most of your time revising in your bedroom, but I found making time for myself really helped me relax and, for a few minutes, forget about the approaching exams. A few things I did to help me relax and actually treat myself for a change was to have a bubble bath. I found that when I was in the bath I could pamper myself and I would feel better in myself. After I had my bubble bath I would sometimes put a face-mask on, as I found I was getting spots from stress and bad eating as I would eat sweets, chocolates and crisps as 'revision snacks.' This also helped me relax but it also helped clear my skin. The last thing I did was on the weekend when there was a little gap between exams I would go shopping in the morning, as I found this was another thing to help take my mind of the exams and it was a little treat to myself.
2. Make sure you have revision breaks -  When I was in year 10 I didn't really know much about how to revise, so I would sit at my desk for hours trying to learn a 1000 word English essay and then getting really annoyed if I forgot a line, this was purely because I didn't have a break and my brain just couldn't take it anymore. I was advised by my school to spend about 30 minutes revising and then to have a 10-15 minutes break, so not too long in case I would forget everything I just learnt.
3. Revise in a quiet area - There is nothing worse than revising in noisy surroundings as it's basically impossible to concentrate which can lead to getting distracted. So try find quiet, peaceful surroundings for example a park, library or even your garden.
4. Get a good night's sleep - This is one thing I wish I did more frequently as, when I did get to bed early, I would wake up feeling more refreshed and in a good mood and would find revision more bearable. Say, if I was to go to sleep late, I would wake up later, and usually with a headache, and it would make revision more of a task than it already was.

Things I wish I did more off

1. Make a revision timetable - A revision timetable allows you to help organise your revision. I tried making a revision timetable but found it hard to stick to it as I wasn't strict enough on myself. If I could go back I would ask my parents to check up on me to make sure I was sticking to the timetable and was actually revising.
2. Keep work in one place - I found that when I started my final GCSE exams (in year 11)  my school had given me loads of past papers and revision books to revise from. I didn't know what to do with it all so I kept it on my desk which made it look messy and really unorganised. So, I went to a stationary store to get a folder so I could keep all my revision notes and past papers in one place which made it easier and more organised as I knew were everything was.
3. Use revision cards - I found just reading a book didn't help me revise as I would forget it by the next day, so I was told to read the book and then write down key points  that  would help me remember what I needed to. I only started doing this at the end of year 11 and wish I did it sooner, during my year 10 exams, as I feel this really helped me remember key topics and dates, especially in history. Using revision cards stopped me from copying the book but made me actually read it and then take in information and make brief notes from it. I found using mind-maps great as it's easy to read and you have all your information in one map which you can revise from.

I'm not saying if you do all of this it is going to guarantee you pass your exams, I just hope it helps with the stress as I know how stressful they can be! I hope if you are doing exams or reading this while your exams are going on it may help a little, and good luck!