Happy New Year!

Just a few new year resolutions to stick by. I'll do a proper update in the new year, but for now I have work until 6am, woop woop.

1. Quit smoking

2. Cut down on drinking

3. Exercise more

4. Get out of this country

5. Be happy

Things I Find at Work

So I decided to start a photography project based on the weird and wonderful things I find at work and decide to bring home with me. Here's just a few I've collected so far:

Reflect

I forgot to mention that I entered a photography competition called Reflect in October. The brief was to enter up to four photographs of places, people or the environment in the North East. I went to an old colliery nearby my home in Wardley, and these are the photos I came out with:

Unfortunately I didn't win, but it's no wonder when you look at the finalists. It was a lot of fun taking part though!

Its been a while...

I didn't realise it has been two whole months to the day since I last blogged. Its fair to say that having three jobs has totally drowned any sort of life I ever had beforehand. Basically all I do when I'm not at work is sleep, which isn't nearly enough of the time. On Saturday I handed my one week notice in at Primark as I really can't handle the hours they are giving me. Considering my contract runs out on the 24th of December and I only work on menswear tills eight hours a week for £5.93 an hour, I think it was probably the best job to drop. Digital pays me £6.08 an hour for between 15 and 25 hours a week, and I get on with everyone better there. Its like a massive family, and I love it.

I recently dip dyed my hair all by myself. I ordered two bottles of Crazy Color semi-permanent hair dye in Peacock Blue and Aubergine (£3.99 each or 2 for £7.49). I went for Peacock Blue to begin with, and put about an inch on my tips then left it to set for an hour. It has to be said it lasts a lot longer than Directions semi-permanent hair dye does; a whole week to be exact. However, my mum insisted I'd made a state of it, even though I was quite proud of the job I'd done, and insisted I let her do it for me again. Well, she's gone about four inches up my tips and one side is really patchy, and I really don't like it at all! Definitely doing it myself from now on. Next time I think I will do Peacock Blue tips with Aubergine above it. One of my friend's at work has asked me to dip dye her hair for her too because she likes mine so much.

Workaholic

I recently went for an interview for the new Primark store opening in the Metro Centre. On Monday I found out that I got the job and start working two 4 hour shifts on Saturday's and Sunday's from 15th October. Then yesterday I went for an interview at a club in Newcastle called Digital. They asked me to work last night as a trial shift, so I did. I already know quite a few people who work at Digital as one of my friends currently works there and two recently left. If I do both of these jobs, and keep volunteering at Oxfam, my life will look something like this:

Monday: Oxfam 0900 - 1300, Digital 2300 - 0400

Tuesday: Free Day!

Wednesday: Oxfam 0900 - 1300

Thursday: Digital 2300 - 0400

Friday: Digital 2300 - 0400

Saturday: Primark 1600 - 2000, Digital 2300 - 0400

Sunday: Primark 0900 - 1300

I am going to be dead on my feet after those weekends, but I enjoy working, so wish me luck!

Autumn Shopping

Over the past couple of weeks I've became a little bit obsessed with accessories on ASOS. I recently bought an ASOS Floppy Hat with Flower Cut Out Detail for £6. I really only bought it because it was in the summer sale, reduced from £25, and I've wanted a big floppy hat for a while now. I'm sure it will come in handy next summer.

Today I saw the double of a grey coat I bought from Topshop two years ago in Oasis. The only difference was that it had a faux fur collar, but it was beautiful. So I got to thinking, faux fur collars are on sale in most places, and I could just buy one to jazz up my old coat a bit. I couldn't find any in any of the regular high street stores I popped into, so my first stop when I got home was obviously ASOS! I have ended up buying an ASOS Faux Fur Pointed Collar in Chocolate for £12, reduced from £15, and a pair of ASOS Faux Fur Short Cuffs in Chocolate to match for £9.50, reduced from £12. I would also like an ASOS Turban Knot Headband in Tobacco, but I'm going to see if there's any cheaper similar ones in Primark first.

Within the time its taken me to write this blog, I have ordered another two items from ASOS. This includes an ASOS Boudoir Ruched Front Chiffon Petticoat Slip in Cream for £11, reduced from £20, and an ASOS Pleated Open Back Jumpsuit in Firebrick for £25, reduced from £60. I have a serious shopping issue!

ASOS Floppy Hat with Flower Cut Out Detail

Oasis Peggy 60s Faux Fur Collar Coat for £100

ASOS Faux Fur Pointed Collar

ASOS Faux Fur Short Cuffs

ASOS Turban Knot Headband

ASOS Boudoir Ruched Front Chiffon Petticoat Slip

ASOS Pleated Open Back Jumpsuit

Elegance

I wore the ASOS Shift Dress with Knot Waist in Tobacco for the first time on Friday night when I went out in Newcastle for a friend's party, and it's fair to say that it is now my favourite dress I own. I wore it with a long black blazer, black opaque tights and black peeptoe ankle boot wedges from Primark, and the Brushed Gold-Tone Pendant Watch with Gold Flower Charm that I also bought from ASOS. The whole outfit itself looked beautiful. So beautiful in fact, that my mother encouraged me to order another dress in a different colour. I settled on rose, mainly because it was the only one the had left in my size, but I'm so glad it was! The dress itself, although a little hard to iron, is really easy to wash. It does state that it needs to be hand washed due to the fabric, but it dries really quickly. I was a little worried as I spilt some drink on it on Friday night, but even though the drink was dark, it came right out. It's perfect for nights out as well as smart occasions and job interviews, a complete multifunctional dress.

Now, onto the shoes. To the left are a pair of shoes I bought a little while back from Primark. I have a very similar pair of wedges from Miss Selfridge in brown that I love so much, but they started to get a bit scruffy after only a couple of wears in nightclubs, so I decided to keep them for nicer occasions. I noticed that one of my friends from university would always wear the same wedge ankle boots whenever we went to nightclubs. They were very nice boots and looked quite expensive, but she didn't seem to mind if they got ruined. I eventually asked her about them, and she said she'd bought them from Primark for £15 and they were the most comfortable shoes she owned. I didn't believe her at all, because it seems that almost all shoes damage my feet in some way, my Dr Martens, pumps, Keds, Vans, and especially heels of any kind. However, I found this pair of beauties in Primark in Manchester for £20, and as soon as I tried them on, I felt that familiar fluffy feeling in my stomach, which usually means I've fallen in love with something and must have it. I pretty much where these shoes with everything, everywhere I go now. They're so comfortable and easy to walk in, I can even run in them! I just hope they don't fall apart any time soon otherwise I will be heartbroken!

Salt & Pepper

Yesterday I got back from Leeds Festival. It was possibly the best one  I've been to in the past three years. I saw an incredible amount of amazing bands, and here's the list:

1. Taking Back Sunday
2. Frank Turner
3. Panic! At The Disco
4. Nirvana '92 Live at Reading (Film)
5. Ed Sheeran
6. Muse
7. Does It Offend You, Yeah?
8. New Found Glory
9. Bring Me The Horizon (against my will)
10. Rise Against
11. Tim Minchin
12. The Offspring
13. Thirty Seconds To Mars (yet again, against my will)
14. Noah and The Whale
15. White Lies
16. My Chemical Romance
17. Seasick Steve
18. Two Door Cinema Club
19. Madness
20. Jimmy Eat World
21. The Strokes
22. Pulp

It was such an amazing weekend!

I did however have to take a break from my face care regime. I noticed as soon as I stopped using the Clean & Clear products my skin broke out and became worse than it was before I started using them. So although they are good products, and tend to do the trick, you can't stop using them. 

I also decided it would be a fantastic idea to dye my hair violet again before I went to Leeds Festival, just like I did before Beach Break Live. And yet again, it has managed to fade an unbelievable amount over the space of five days. All in all, my judgement of Directions temporary hair dye is that it is very poor quality, and isn't even worth using. Nevertheless, it looked very nice to begin with!

Clean & Clear Results

So it's been a whole week since I started my facial regime. And here are the photographic results!

Before

After

 As you can see my skin looks brighter. Not by much, but you can definitely see a change. I can certainly feel a difference. My skin feels softer and cleaner, so all in all I would recommend Clean & Clear Morning Energy Energising Face Wash and Clean & Clear Morning Energy Brightening Daily Face Scrub.

Shopping Addict

Whenever I'm feeling out of sorts or generally having a bad time I, like everyone else, act different. Usually I tend to just try to keep myself busy to distract myself, such as painting, cooking, exercising, etc., but when that doesn't work I turn to small pick-me-ups. These might be drinking with my friends, eating lots of ice cream and chocolate or shopping. Apparently this time it is shopping. Most of my friends don't really have time to go on a night out any more as they have full-time jobs, and I've been advised to try and stay as healthy as possible by my doctor, so binging on junk food isn't really in my best interests. I had a bit of a splurge on ASOS. I love ASOS, the whole company is spectacular, and they always manage to sell me something. This time it was an Angel Wing Body Harness for £4.50 reduced from £15, a Brushed Gold-Tone Pendant Watch with Gold Flower Charm for £5 reduced from £30, a Shift Dress with Knot Waist in Tobacco for £15 reduced from £35, and a Sleeveless Boyfriend Shirt in Brown for £8 reduced from £25. There was also a 10% off offer available at checkout, so in total I saved £75.75!

Clean & Clear

Today I started my new face care regime and I can already feel it working! My skin feels fresher, softer and looks brighter, and the Clean & Clear products smell so good too! I really can't believe it. I only have a few problems with my plan. One is that steps 2 and 3 should be swapped around. This is because even after rinsing the scrub off thoroughly, the little beads tend to stick to your eyebrows. If the wash is used after this will clear away the beads. Also, Superdrug didn't have any Natural High Brightening Eye Cream left, so I bought Natural High Anti-Aging Eye Cream instead for the time being. It was a little more expensive but it should still do the trick! So here is the edited regime:

1. Wash any leftover make-up off with a face wipe (I use Boots Essentials Cucumber Cleansing Wipes for all skin types because they are really good at taking make-up off with and smell really good).

2. Scrub my face with Clean & Clear Morning Energy Brightening Daily Face Scrub.

3. Wash my face with Clean & Clear Morning Energy Energising Face Wash.

4. Moisturise my face with Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Deep Moisture Comfort Balm.

5. Finally brighten under my eyes with Natural High Anti-Aging Eye Cream.

6. Then on a night time wash my make-up off with a face wipe and moisturise after.

I took a photo of my face before I started the regime this morning, and will take another in one week time to compare the change in my skin. I would have liked to have compared the change over two weeks, however, I'm going to Leeds Festival on the 25th of August, and won't be able to carry all of the products with me or have fresh water to use.

Flawless Beauty

I hate to use this page for expressing my personal emotions rather than my opinions on all things fashion, but a pretty huge change happened in my life and I feel it is effecting my life in a massive way. Me and my boyfriend of two years broke up on Wednesday. I've done lots of winging and moaning about it since then, and probably will for a while longer, but from past experience know I cope better with heartache if I'm concentrating on something else. So here is the part where I focus my energy on something more constrictive. I've started drawing and painting again, and although its not all bunnies and rainbows, its good to actually do something creative. I've also decided that I'm going to try my hand at modelling. In case you didn't know I'm a towering 5' 11" and although I might not have the right looks, there's no harm in trying is there?

So I'm going to start by regenerating my skin. All my life I've had terrible skin. I've always been allergic to face paints, skin creams and any type of soap on my face, even the slightest change in water makes my skin break out. But I've noticed my skin has became a lot less sensitive recently. This might be because in the past few years sensitive skin products have become a lot cheaper and most skin products now are more natural based and gentle for your skin. The one thing I am good with when it comes to my skin is that I always wear face cream with an SPF factor, which, even in the winter, is important. I am going to try out some cheap products from Superdrug and build up a daily skin care routine. Usually I just wake up and clean my face with a make-up wipe, then moisturise after. I never clean my face on a night time, mostly because I forget, but I think its time I start trying to remember. So here is my new routine plan:

1. Wash any leftover make-up off with a face wipe (I use Boots Essentials Cucumber Cleansing Wipes for all skin types because they are really good at taking make-up off with and smell really good).

2. Wash my face with Clean & Clear Morning Energy Energising Face Wash.

3. Scrub my face with Clean & Clear Morning Energy Brightening Daily Face Scrub.

4. Moisturise my face with Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Deep Moisture Comfort Balm.

5. Finally brighten under my eyes with Natural High Brightening Eye Cream.

6. Then on a night time wash my make-up off with a face wipe and moisturise after.

I was also contemplating using Neutrogena Visibly Clear Pink Grapefruit Facial Wash because I love the smell of pink grapefruit, however because the Clean & Clear Morning Energy products are on offer as buy 2 for £4.99, I'm going to save my money for the time being.

This is all so I can have more flawless, clear, glowing skin and will look better in photos without any editing or make-up on. I'm going to send some photos to a couple of agencies and audition for Britain's next top model next year too.

Wii Get Fit

I realise that it has been a while since I last blogged. This is because the weekend after Beach Break Live I went camping with my parents, then my boyfriend had to move out of his flat so I had to move my stuff out too, then I went camping with my university ski club in Northampton for the weekend, then finally, I moved back home to Newcastle yesterday.

Anyway, now that I'm home I have decided to get fit. This is mainly due to having a general check-up at the doctors a few weeks ago and finding that I have high blood pressure. So, since I'm home now I can use the Wii Fit to get healthier. I've decided to do twenty minutes of yoga and a ten minute jog everyday. When the weather is good and I've managed to track down my jogging shoes, I'll venture outside to jog with my dog. 

All of this healthy talk is making me crave an orange, but we don't have any unfortunately. Now I have the fantastic job of unpacking all of my belongings into a room half the size, which is now filled with my mum's clothes.

Back from BBL

So I got back from Beach Break Live on Monday and have been too exhausted to do anything pretty much. It was a fantastic festival, so much better than the two times I've been to Leeds festival. I think this is because its much smaller, and there's a lot more things to do through the day and night. Everything was a lot more decorative too, whereas Leeds is solely dedicated to the music, not the atmosphere. The weather wasn't fantastic unfortunately, although I did manage to get sunburnt hands, knees and nose. As disgusting as it sounds I didn't shower or wash my hair for four days, but my purple hair dye managed to vanish completely. It lasted a total of ten days, so now I am torn between bleaching my hair again or dying it brown. All in all, I recommend Beach Break Live as a festival, but I do not recommend Directions hair dye as long lasting.

Directions

So I recently dyed my hair bright purple specifically for Beach Break Live, which is approaching quickly! I bleached it first using Jerome Russell Bblonde powder bleach and cream peroxide. This was the first time I'd ever bleached my hair and I was a bit worried it would damage my hair really badly, but in fact it didn't harm it at all. I did use Aussie Reconstructor and Colour Treatment Minute Miracle hair masks before and after to keep it soft, which may have helped. A few days later I dyed it 'Violet' with Directions semi-permanent hair dye. It takes 15 to 30 minutes to set, but I'm starting to have a few problems with it. Once my hair was dry my boyfriend pointed out that some patches of my hair had turned back to my natural colour, which seemed really strange. I have now washed my hair three times with cold water since dying it, and it's faded a lot since then, and now resembles a grey purple colour. I don't know what I've done wrong, I'm just glad it doesn't look too awful!

Coat Hangers

I forgot to mention that over the Easter holidays I got a new tattoo! I have specific morals when it comes to tattoos; always get something that means something to you, something that you're passionate about and have wanted for a while; and always get something that is easy to cover up when you get old and it becomes mis-shaped and faded. So I already have two other tattoos; one is a tiny outline of a heart on my wrist, and a large red rose on my right hip. I had wanted these tattoo's since I was about 14, and although I got them a few years ago now, I am still very happy with them both. Although my heart tattoo is noticeable on my wrist, it's only small and can still be hidden easily. I really love my rose tattoo, as it is really beautiful and only goes on show when I'm sunbathing or with my boyfriend.

So in the Easter holidays I decided to get a third tattoo, which is also well hidden. A coat hanger on the back of my neck! I got the inspiration from a photograph I saw when I was 17. I was researching fashion photography for my exam for AS Level photography, and came across the photograph you can see to the right. I forget the photographer's name, and unfortunately my Photography workbooks are back in Newcastle, but when I come across it, I will be sure to mention it. To me it symbolises two things; the first being that I study Fashion Marketing at university, and it shows my dedication and appreciation to the industry; the second being that I am blessed (however, it is sometimes a curse) with the ability to look good in almost anything, therefore, I myself am the personification of a coat hanger. I tried to put that in a way that wouldn't show me as vain. I am not a vain person, in the sense that I am not full of myself. I'm as self-conscious as the next person. I don't flourish with confidence all the time, but I have my moments where I feel particularly good about myself. The personification of me being a coat hanger came from my best friend, and urged me to go ahead with the tattoo.

It's Been a While

It's been over a month since I blogged. This is mainly because of my exams at uni. Although there was only three exams spread over two weeks, I spent those two weeks completely devoted to revision. When my exams were over, I pretty much moved into my boyfriend's flat for a bit of relaxation. We aren't together tonight, however, due to it being a scorching 24C in Manchester, and I don't think I can trek to his in this sweltering heat.

A lot has happened in the past month. My exams obviously, which I think went pretty well (hopefully). There was also the AU Ball, which was so good! Apart from when someone stole my mask from my table and ripped the feathers off it (students, pfft!).

I have also been catching up on my reading, and recently bought a book entitled Emotions Revealed: Understanding Faces and Feelings by Paul Ekman. Paul Ekman is a psychologist who studies emotions and facial expressions. His studies are the basis of Lie to Me, the TV show featuring Tim Roth. It's a fantastic TV show, which has sadly now been cancelled, and is what inspired me to buy Paul Ekman's book. So far, from what I've read, it's a really intriguing book, and would recommend it.

I discovered a Youtube channel called MarbleHornets, which is based around the tale of Slender Man. I don't really want to go into too much detail, because it will stop you sleeping at night, but although the videos posted on MarbleHornets's Youtube channel are supposedly tapes his friend gave him, it's fair to say that they are fake. The acting is poor, and this is the only clear evidence that the videos are faked. It's a good idea though, especially as the channel owner and his friend who filmed the tapes are supposedly film students at university in the USA. The channel itself has been about for over a year now, and the most recent video was uploaded only one week ago. It's a good watch, amusing in some parts, and intriguing in others, but be warned, it might make you a little paranoid, and I had to sleep with my lamp on for two nights running after I started watching.

I also went to see Avenue Q at The Lowry in Manchester with my boyfriend this week. I've never seen it before, even though I have heard and loved the songs from it since I was about 14. It was fantastic! It was my gift for Matt's 28th birthday, and he thoroughly enjoyed it. I was so happy that I'd finally got him a present he really enjoyed.

Today I bought a box of bleach and some violet hair dye in preparation for Beach Break Live, which begins on the 16th of June. I've wanted to dye my hair violet for over a year now and I've finally built up the courage to do it! I also got some new aubergine Hunter wellies and a tent for the festival. I'm starting to get really excited!

Masquerade Ball

So my Vivienne Smith dress from Oxfam never arrived, so I have ordered a new dress I found on ASOS for the same price. It's stunning, and hopefully I'll look stunning in it too! It was only £15 in the sale so no big spend, however my loan did just come in. So I ordered a pair of rather expensive boots in the sale too, view below: