Growing up I’ve always appreciated fashion, music and lifestyles that differ from the ‘norm’. Fitting in with other people’s ideas of what’s beautiful and or perfect has never appealed to me and I encourage other people to adopt the same mindset as myself – the only person’s opinion who should matter to you is your own and if you want to modify your body and it will make you happy then listen to yourself and just go for it! The decision to stretch my ears hasn’t been one that I’ve taken overnight as it can be painful, sometimes permanent and expensive if you need medical treatment because things went ever so slightly wrong. It’s something I’ve been thinking long and hard about for years.
My fake taper.
When I was fourteen I bought my first fake taper to see if I liked the way it looked on myself before I went ahead and began the stretching process. I loved the way it looked in my ear but it’s only now, five years later, that I’m actually beginning to stretch my ears properly.
The reason it’s taken so long for me to do this was because I was worried I’d regret it as if I decided that I didn’t want stretched lobes in the future, there’s a possibility that they wouldn’t go back to original ear piercing size which is 1.2mm in diameter.
However, since starting university I’ve decided to just go for it. Each time I’ve visited Afflecks Palace with friends I’ve been drawn to looking at all the cool plugs and tapers with their funky patterns on them and thought well if I don’t do it now, I’m probably not going to end up doing it at all.
Both my ear's are at 2mm.
Around three weeks ago I bought my first set of 2mm tapers and although they are absolutely tiny, it hurt my ears a lot! I wasn’t prepared for the burning sensation it would create and the how much my ears would swell up and look and feel uncomfortable. It’s amazing how something so small can cause so much discomfort.
The clear and white tapers are my 3mm ones and the larger one is 8mm and is for my boyfriend.
Two weeks on and both my ears are doing a lot better. I’ve cleaned them every morning and night with warm salt water and in a couple of days I’m hoping to put in my 3mm tapers.
got told today that without stretched ears, I would look 'normal', but with them I look like (and I quote) 'I do lots of drugs'
Although there are larger numbers of people today with body modifications than ever before, there are still some people who struggle to accept that what someone else does to their body is really none of their business which in my opinion is really quite sad.
I felt more like myself from the moment that I looked in the mirror and saw my tiny 2mm tapers in my ears so if stretching your ears or wearing something that you don’t think other people will like or approve of is bothering you, please just do it anyway and be the happiest person you can possibly be.
A photo I took when Fall Out Boy were playing in Manchester 2015.
I'm one of those people who purposely doesn't check online for concert tickets. In fact I avoid ticket websites like the plague because I know what I'm like. I'd see that numerous bands were touring in my area, want to buy tickets to see all of them and end up disappointed when I couldn't afford even one ticket... *sighs*
Fall Out Boy were one of four bands that opened up an entire new world of music, fashion and culture to me. From the ripe old age of about nine or ten, ever since I first heard their Infinity on High album, I've been hooked on the band who also introduced me to the other rock bands that I listen to today.
When I was asked by a girl, who works for an online music publication, who also happens to be on my uni course, if I wanted to see Fall Out Boy, I died a tiny bit inside (okay, maybe a lot).
I met up with Melissa outside the Manchester Arena where the queue to get in was already huge and with the temperature already dropping, standing outside in the cold and dark was somewhere I really did not want to be. Luckily for us Melissa has special powers (she was on the guest list ;) ) which allowed us to skip the queue completely and get inside out of the cold. I could see a few people looking at us as when we were told to use a different entrance to everybody else. I think people thought we must have been related to the band members or something which made me feel weirdly important, even though I'm not.
After a toilet trip we paid a visit to the bar where Melissa bought a small bottle of wine and I bought a Strongbow, just to keep things classy... We then took our seats and much to my delight we were actually sat really close to the stage.
We sat down as Matt and Kim, an extremely lively, American duo were playing. In all honesty their music and levels of energy were too much for me but I can't lie and say I didn't find Kim's crowd-surf-twerk (I think she may have invented this) absolutely hilarious. I managed to capture it on camera so check out the video I'm going to link at the bottom of this post if you're interested in seeing that. Their energy is something I'm certainly envious of and could probably use on the days I have to get up really early in order to get to uni.
Up next was Professor Green and I know what you're all thinking - what was he doing at a Fall Out Boy concert? I thought the exact same thing when I saw he was playing. I was pleasantly surprised though; myself and the people around me seemingly knew all the lyrics to every song. It was bizarre to see so many scene kids singing along to Read All About It and everyone genuinely enjoying each and every song. I know it probably sounds really weird but I was expecting people to be totally disinterested and even kick up a fuss as Fall Out Boy and Professor Green couldn't be any more different from one another. Everyone sang along, waved their arms in the air and held their hands out to touch Professor Green's hand as he ran up and down the length of the stage at the barrier.
This is one of the things that I love about this community - how tolerant and welcoming people are even if people are totally different to you. I know almost indefinitely that if Fall Out Boy were to play in front of an audience who enjoyed more mainstream music, the reception would not be quite so loving and welcoming.
After another bar stop Fall Out Boy opened their set with with an absolute classic if I do say so myself, Sugar, We're Goin Down. I was so thankful that the band played songs from various albums, both old and new. It made the night even more special for me as although I've been a Fall Out Boy fan for many years, I'd never seen them live. It meant that I could experience hearing songs such as This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race and Thnks fr th Mmrs live as well as songs from their newer albums.
Pete Wentz playing with the band in Manchester 2015. Photo taken by me.
Half way through their performance, (I'm assuming it was about half way through as I was quite drunk at this point) the band moved to a stage in the centre of the arena to play a mini acoustic set consisting of two songs, Immortals and Young Volcanoes. Everyone held their phone torches and lighters up in the air, creating such a beautiful atmosphere. I'd even go as far as saying it was breath taking.
Fall Out Boy then moved back onto the main stage where they played the remainder of the concert and of course their encore.
I had such a fantastic night seeing the band perform live and I wouldn't hesitate in the slightest to go and see them again. From the music, to the people, to the overall atmosphere I felt such a strong sense of belonging (even though I don't have crazy coloured hair like a lot of the fans). Previous concerts had put me off going to see bands live because either the atmosphere had been atrocious, the music had been disappointing or the fans had just been downright rude but it's safe to say that this night has made me want to see bands live again.
Earlier today The 1975 released the music video for their new single, Love Me and I can barely control my excitement.
Both the song and music video present huge changes to the band's sound and overall appearance. Previously renowned for their black and white aesthetic and chill out tracks they've shaken things up and opted for a pop and seriously energetic vibe with Love Me.
The band created a name for themselves with their debut album which has seen them soar to fame over the last couple of years. With so many people visibly adoring the band's tunes, it's understandable that some fans were dubious of this dramatic shift in terms of sound and style especially since black and white with ambient lighting and sounds to match became their trademark. It's safe to say though that they did not disappoint as the majority of their fans absolutely love this most recent work.
i love the love me video (it's so different to their normal stuff) i can't wait to hear more:) @the1975
Originally put off by such a drastic change, I was almost certain that this would be it for the band - they'd start letting other people write their songs for them with meaningless lyrics, whilst they take all the credit and put in minimal effort. I'm so glad that I've been pleasantly surprised. Despite the pop vibes, The 1975 have made sure to keep a guitar (and a beautiful pastel pink one at that) a drum-kit and of course a bottle of wine prevalent in the new single and video and the lyrics aren't too shabby either.
In a recent interview with Annie Mac for BBC Radio One, Matty Healy was asked what Love Me is about. He said, 'It's all about the truth and everything now is in pursuit of the truth, so that's what Love Me's about.' It's evident from this interview and just listening to the lyrics that he really does have a passion for his music and for the band's supporters. He has a humble personality and even with The 1975's huge fan base, he hasn't let the fame get to his head.
When I sat down and attempted to interpret the lyrics line by line I found that there were definitely themes of narcissism in relation to the ways in which people use social media and how society acts today, along with how online everyone only seems to care about looks and popularity. I think the message they're sending to their fans through this song in particular is fantastic and I know they have the ability to change the way young minds perceive the world and think for the absolute better. I have such high hopes for the rest of the album which will be released in February 2016.
Give the song a listen for yourself, the video is at the top of this post, and let me know what you think in the comments.
Hello my lovelies, so as many of you will know, I had my uni induction week last week and the day before that I went on a night out for freshers. For those of you who aren't familiar with freshers, it's basically a period of time (usually about a week long) where everyone who's starting uni goes out and mixes with other new students who are also going to uni in the same city as them. I really hope that that made sense...
I'm slightly cheating with this blog post because the night I went out for freshers was Sunday 20th September but given that it was a really fun night and I'm only starting this 'My Week In Pictures' thing now, I figured I'd include it in this one.
Instagram: amy_96_
I'll start with what I wore for the night as I've had a few requests to do a blog post on my outfit. I chose to wear my cream crop-top from River Island which I bought absolutely ages ago so unfortunately I can't remember the price *cries*. I teamed this up with my black trousers which are also from River Island but again I bought these months ago and can't remember the price *sobs*. When I go out clubbing I like to feel comfortable and I like to be able to move around and dance in the clothes that I'm wearing. Although it appears to be quite tight, this crop top is super comfy and breathable. It's one of very few tops that I can wear and not sweat buckets in, even when I'm dancing in a sweaty club environment. The trousers I wore are made from a really light and again breathable material which makes for ultimate comfort. To bring the outfit together I wore my nude stilettos that you may remember from my prom blog post. I wasn't intending to wear heels but the other girls I went out with had said that they were wearing heels and I didn't want to look tiny next to them so I opted for a pair also. I'm fairly sure these shoes are still available on the Public Desire website and I'd definitely recommend getting your hands on a pair.
In terms of my makeup, I seem to be wearing for the same look on a daily basis now so you probably know exactly what I have on my face. I'm so uninventive. :( Here's a list of the products I used to do my makeup for my night out:
I also use a Model's Prefer bronzer to bronze my cheeks however I'm unable to find the palette online.
Now for the night out itself...
After I'd put all my makeup on, tied my hair back and picked my outfit, my dad gave me a lift into Manchester to meet a few people who would be studying on the same course as me. A small group of us had been talking on Facebook for a short while and we had agreed to meet at one of their flat's in the city. The night was eventful from the start. Upon being dropped off, I attracted the attention of a homeless man who attempted to bargain with me and wanted me to give him the bottle of wine that I had brought with me for pre-drinks at Dan's flat. For those of you that know how much I love my wine, you can only imagine the look of horror on my face as I was asked such a ridiculous question. It's safe to say that I did not part ways with my bottle of rosé.
The rest of the evening was spent talking to new people and meeting people who I'd be speaking to for a few weeks online. We played drinking games, listened to the Frozen soundtrack and Dan and I even learnt how to iron. Once we were all sufficiently drunk enough, we headed out to Tiger Tiger, a club which I'd never been to before, for our night out. I don't really remember much after getting there because a lot of alcohol was consumed. I do however have vague memories of dancing with people dressed in penguin onesies, getting a takeaway with a French guy, speaking in extremely slurred French to him and drinking Jägerbombs.
Dan rocking the layered spectacles look. I've got a feeling that this could be the next big trend in 2016. ;) Instagram: danspragg
Although extremely beautiful, my stilettos are far from being comfortable for long periods of time. Instagram: amy_96_
This takeaway was just heavenly.
The next day I had my first uni induction and to say I'd been out the night before, I didn't feel too bad, I was just tired. I'm one of the very lucky people who doesn't really get hungover - I just feel extremely dehydrated and a bit nauseous but it soon passes. I met my course lecturers, who gave talks and showed my group around the building where we'll be studying for the next three years. I had the chance to sample the food that the café has to offer and I was not disappointed. All I can say is, they sell pizza so as you can imagine, I'm a huge fan of the café there.
My OOTD for my first day at uni.
The outfit I chose to wear on my first day consisted of black skinny jeans, a Vans t-shirt, my Vans high tops and one of Chris' big hoodies for the ultimate feeling of security and comfort. I don't really have to time to do my hair and makeup in the mornings anymore so my hair is left down, I add a bit of eyeliner and foundation and some lipstick and I'm good to go.
Hopefully next week I'll get round to writing another week in pictures where I talk about my first proper week at uni because there isn't much to really say about the induction other than it just involved meeting and finding out more about all my lecturers and their careers in journalism.
After my two day induction, which took place on the Tuesday and Wednesday, I spent Thursday recovering from two early starts and on the Friday I slept over at Chris' house.
Sleepover selfieeee
We spent the evening listening to music and we even ventured out for a little walk to the shop (which is actually a really long walk because Chris lives so far away from the shop). He bought a can of Oranjeboom, extra strong beer and it tasted absolutely vile. When you think the sound of a can of beer being 8.5% alcohol sounds too good to be true, it most certainly is. If you like the taste of vodka mixed with beer then this drink is probably for you. Personally I'd give it a 0/10 as I couldn't even swallow it, it burnt my mouth that much.
On Saturday and Sunday Chris taught me how to skate again. It went better than I thought it was going to although Chris and I were chased by a pack of tiny wolves (terrier dogs) and one of them bit Chris' ankle. I'm a dog person and I'm never scared of dogs but I was genuinely terrified at that point because the dogs owners were no where to be seen on the caravan park next to where we were skating and there was so many dogs to contend with.
We both made it home alive, you'll be pleased to know - I hope.
Thank you so much if you took the time out of your day to read this post. I really hope that you enjoyed it. Leave me a comment below and tell me what you've been upto this week and I'll talk to you all in my next blog post.
Hello my lovelies, I've finally managed to find the time to sit down and write this blog post after what feels some of the most hectic weeks I've had for a while. If you're subscribed to my YouTube channel then you've probably already seen that a couple of weeks ago I picked up my A Level results and I could not be more happy relieved with what I got.
I spent the days leading up to results day feeling extremely anxious because I knew that if I didn't get the grades that the universities were asking for, then I wouldn't get a place on my course. Since I had my heart set on studying Multimedia Journalism, there was no way I could have chosen any other course had I not got the results the university was asking for.
Since I finished sitting my exams at some point in June... or July (I can't even remember, that's how much I've suppressed all of this), I gave pretty much next to no thought to results day. Over the summer I've kept myself immersed in blogging, YouTubing and seeing my friends which helped massively in taking my mind off the dreaded day.
I awoke on the morning of results day and I felt dreadful, not because I was scared of getting my results at this point but because I was awake for the first time before 12am for weeks. As I also knew I would be picking my results up in a couple of hours time I decided that the best course of action for my still, sleepy self at this point would be to stay tucked up in bed and browse through the internet as my duvet (I don't know about yours) is able to protect me from ghosts, murderers and also envelopes that contain your A-Level results. I figured that if I stayed in bed it would help me to think that none of this was real and I could pretend the whole thing was just a bad dream.
Of course it wasn't, so when I finally did manage to drag myself out of bed, the anxiety of knowing what the day meant, hit me so hard that there was no way I'd be able to eat any breakfast without throwing up. The only thing I managed to stomach was a brew and as I was sipping my morning cup of tea I received an email from my first choice of university saying that I had got in. I don't honestly think that I'll ever forget the feeling of overwhelming relief that I felt at that moment. I have to say that running through to the living room to tell my parents that I was actually going to uni, held the same level of pure joy and excitement that I felt as a child on Christmas day at seeing all my presents in front of me.
This took the pressure off quite a lot when I went to pick my results up because I knew that they couldn't be that bad if I'd gotten into my first choice of university. Whenever I go to pick up results I always try to avoid eye contact and speak to as few people as I can. My aim is to pick up my results, open them in a quiet corner alone and then leave. I honestly don't know how some people manage to converse both before and after opening their results, the experience of opening my envelope is enough for me.
Now to the part that the majority of you actually cam here for... my grades. Overall I have achieved a B in English Language, a C in English Literature and a C in Sociology. I'm so so happy and massively relieved with the grades that I got. I've found the last two years particularly challenging because I find revision extremely difficult to sit down and put my mind to, especially when it's about things I have no real devout interest in. I know that I could have done a lot better had I really put my mind to revision but that fact that I managed to pass everything and get into my first choice of university whilst I felt pretty rubbish and lost in life is pretty good going.
So, in a few days time I'll be starting at university studying Multimedia Journalism and I could not be more excited. Whilst all my friends are moving away from me to universities all over the country, I'll be staying in Manchester and won't be moving out at all. Whilst this seemed like a 'no brainer' kind of decision to start with, I am slightly worried that I'll miss out on this 'uni life' that everyone seems to go on about and whilst it would be nice to have what everyone's describing as a fresh start, I know that living in accommodation with other people who aren't my family or Chris, would drive me mad. As I also live fairly close to the university anyway it would make more sense for me to live at home and save myself the debt and also save my clothes from the disasters I know would occur, should I move out and have to use a washing machine.
As my wardrobe was wearing pretty thin, my parents treated me to some new clothes as well as the supplies I'll need to help me through my course. I've got a video up on my YouTube channel (also below), showing you all the new things that I have for uni! I also went out into Manchester for results night but that's definitely a story for another time. Once I'd recovered from that night out, Chris and I drank a celebratory bottle of Prosecco because he's knows that that's my favourite way to celebrate any special occasion (and weekends).
I also have an advice video up surrounding going back to school, college and uni where I answer the questions that you left me. You can also watch that here too!
Thank you so much to everyone who's managed to read the entirety of this blog post. I hope you enjoyed hearing about my A Level results and my thoughts on starting university. I can't wait to share more with you in the months to come.
Hello my lovelies, recently I've had enough time again to read books, something which I found impossible to do whilst studying for my A Levels. On the odd occasion that I did have time to read, I constantly had my mind on other things which made concentrating on the words in front of me such a huge task that reading just wasn't enjoyable anymore. However, with me having so much free time this summer I thought I'd give reading another go and opted for a book which has been sat on my bookshelf for quite a while, that being Girl Online by Zoe Sugg.
I first attempted to read this book way back at the start of 2015 after I received it as a gift for my eighteenth birthday. After reading the first chapter I stopped because I felt as though I was wasting my time as the way in which the book had been written was clearly aimed at a much younger audience; one I knew I didn't fit into. As an eighteen year old who was studying both English Language and English Literature at A Level I was immediately put off from the start as there were grammatical errors and spelling mistakes as early on as the first page. It was this along with what I read to be an overly basic and poor portrayal of anxiety and panic attacks and predictable plot sequence that I placed the book back on my bookshelf and left it there for the months to come.
This summer I was determined to fall back in love with literature and reading once more as being told what I should and shouldn't be reading for English at A Level really got me down and made me not even want to pick up a book. My choice of novel was between the first Game of Thrones book and Girl Online and since I wanted something easy and light to read I opted for the latter.
I wasn't hugely impressed with the first few chapters of the novel, I'm going to be honest, but once Penny and Noah (the two main characters) finally met in New York I began to look past the slightly dumbed down writing style and enjoy the story line a lot more. It made me really nostalgic to read a book aimed at young, teenage girls, something that I too would have read at the ages of twelve and thirteen. It was interesting for me to read something that I know I would have absolutely loved when I was younger because I could think back to how I used to interpret those novels aimed at typical teenage girls and how my opinion and thoughts vary now. As many books written for this audience have a running theme of first love I could fully grasp exactly how the characters were feeling, something I know for a fact I didn't appreciate and grasp when I was a younger teenager.
Without giving too much away, I was unable to put this book down as I reached the last one hundred or so pages. The scandal surrounding Penny and Noah's relationship in New York coupled with the things she had written on her, what was supposed to be anonymous blog, sparked a media frenzy as it was said that Noah had cheated on his girlfriend with Penny. I'm going to say no more just in case any of you guys want to read it and I end up giving the whole thing away but for me this was the most exciting part of the book and I was really upset when I turned the last page.
Overall I really enjoyed Girl Online and I've already preordered a signed copy of Girl on Tour because I'm such a fangirl... -.- I'd definitely recommend it to younger teenagers and even older people if you want an easy going novel to read.
I also filmed a video discussing the points above and a few others over on my YouTube channel. You can view it below.
Hello my lovelies, whilst I'm feeling more ill than I've ever felt in my entire life, I thought I'd try and summon the energy to write a blog post about a rather exciting event that occurred on the 9th July, a few days ago. Admittedly I really didn't want to go to prom because my year eleven one wasn't exactly one of my happiest memories but after being talked into it by friends I decided I'd go because it would have been the last time I'd ever see some people who I'd known for seven years.
I'll start by running you through my outfit for the night. I purposely didn't show you all my dress and shoes in my most recent haul video because I wanted the whole thing to be a surprise, not that anyone probably cares that much but still...
Taken from my Instagram: @amy_96_
My dress was bought a few weeks before the event itself from Miss Selfridge and cost £45. I'm head over heels in love with it as the overall vintage look with the high neck and lace detailing makes it perfect for a formal occasion like prom. Skater style dresses are my absolute favourite to wear so with this dress fitting in with that but with a touch of added classiness and formality, it meant that this was the most perfect dress ever for me. Once I'd seen it on the website there was no way I was going to wait to see if I found anything else that I preferred because I knew it was going to be a fast seller.
I hadn't really given my shoes much thought until my dress arrived and I realised that the majority of the shoes I own are black and would look too much with such a pretty dress. I headed over to the Public Desire website and I was not disappointed. I found these gorgeous Nude Stilettos that I instantly knew would work perfectly with my dress. Public Desire is my favourite place to shop for shoes because they always know exactly what's in fashion and at the same time keep up with that whilst also making sure all their shoes affordable and good quality. These shoes were more comfortable and easier to walk in than the majority of my other heels because they don't have any kind of platform to unbalance you and make you feel as though you're balancing on stilts.
The bag I chose to take to prom was the one I used two years ago for my year eleven prom. It's a simple clutch bag with a diamante covering. This gave my outfit a slightly more prom looking finish as I always associate prom with an abundance of glitter and sparkly things. Unfortunately I can't remember how much this bag cost as it was bought two years ago now but I know that it was from Debenhams. Here is a link to their clutch bag page where you can find some that look similar if any of you are interested.
In terms of my makeup I wanted to keep it classy and overall neutral so that it matched up with my outfit and was fitting with the occasion. I'm not going to go through everything that I did because I didn't take photos of each step but I'll give you a basic overview.
I first moisturised my skin using my Clarins Ultra-Matte Rebalancing Lotion for oily skin before using my Clarins Ever Matte foundation in the shade 103 Ivory, all over my face. Then I took my Essentials Mineral and Plant Extracts Pallette again by Clarins (yes I love Clarins products and I'm not even sorry) and because these shades don't have names, I can't really list what I did properly. Basically, I used a warm brown colour in my crease and blended that out. I went back into my crease using a dark brown shade on a pencil brush to give my eyes some definition and then on the rest of my lid I used a champagne colour before adding a small amount of gold glitter. I then applied my usual eyeliner which is my Maybelline gel one which again doesn't have a name on the little tub it comes in. After spending a ridiculous amount of time perfecting my wings, I then added a coat of Rimmel's Lash Accelerator mascara to both my top and bottom lashes.
On my cheeks I used a Models Prefer bronzer to contour my cheekbones before blending that out to make my cheeks look all lovely and glowy. And finally, on my lips I used a Rimmel lip liner in the shade 063, Eastend Snob which is my favourite pink, lip colour of all time.
You can probably see my hair better in the first photo but my hairdresser pinned up half of my hair, leaving my fringe and some at the back down. Since my dress was quite vintage and pretty looking I wanted to keep that look with my hair as well so I went for a half up-do with some added curls. This also meant that my earrings were on display for once and not smothered by masses of crazy hair. The earrings I wore to prom were from Next, again around two years ago but they worked perfectly with my outfit.
The night itself was absolutely amazing and everyone looked so gorgeous! We had our prom at the Victoria and Albert Hotel in Manchester and my evening was made as soon as I had a glass of Prosecco in my hand, which was about five minutes after arriving. Before our meal, everyone took selfies together and the photographer was taking group photos of everyone stood in front of the huge fountain that the hotel has at the front entrance.
For dinner we had tomato and basil soup (I'm guessing that's what it was because we weren't explicitly told, but going off taste, I think it was that), chicken and a variety of vegetables and my favourite part was the dessert. I'm a sucker for all things sweet so when a plate of what can only be described as half chocolate brownie, half chocolate fudge cake, was placed in front of me, drizzled in chocolate sauce with a side serving of ice cream I could have cried.
After we'd eaten, my friends and I went into the photo booth to take some ridiculous photos with silly hats, masks and my personal favourite, a Spongebob inflateable.
Later on that night at around eleven o'clock, after speeches had been made and everyone had eaten, quite a few of us headed out into the centre of Manchester for a night out. I'd never been clubbing before and it's safe to say that I was quite skeptical about the whole experience. The club the majority of us ended up at was Fifth Avenue and after having to take my glasses off for the bouncer to determine that ten year old me in my ID photo, was in fact me, I was let in to join the rest of my friends. Admittedly the first half an hour or so left me wondering why the hell I wanted to go clubbing in the first place. I felt as though I was surrounded by generic people whilst all I could hear was music which sounded like the 'UK Top 40' playing so loudly it felt like my brain was melting. And for those of you that know me, you'll be aware that the majority of today's mainstream music isn't really my thing. Nevertheless, or should I say, four or five shots and a few pints of cider later, I actually began to enjoy myself. Our group alternated between the R&B room and the main room which I'm guessing was just mainstream music although I did hear an Arctic Monkeys song which made me very happy.
Taken by Shane Agnew
Taken by Shane Agnew
We came back home in a taxi which picked us up at three o'clock and it's safe to say that the journey back was quite entertaining thanks to my friend Lewis. I managed to capture quite a lot of it on my phone which contributed to part of my vlog. You can watch bits of my evening at prom and my night out in the vlog below.
Thank you so much for reading all of this if you got upto here. I hope you enjoyed hearing about my prom and first clubbing experience; I can't wait for my next night out.
Hello my lovelies, so whilst I'm slightly intoxicated, yes I've been drinking, surprise surprise, I thought I'd share my thoughts on three Barry M nail polishes that I've been alternating between over the last few months.
A couple of months ago I was rummaging through my case that I keep all my nail polishes in and I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't disheartened at the fact that the majority of my nail polishes had either run out when I attempted to use them or had turned extremely lumpy and just overall pretty gross. Many of my favourites were completely unusable despite my best efforts at shaking, swirling and stirring them - nothing worked. My go to nail colour, that being black, had been used to death so I was due a trip to Boots to buy some more and check out some other colours whilst I was there.
Whilst we're on the topic of specifically, black nail polish, I picked up a regular Barry M one in the shade 47, Black. I'd never used a single Barry M product before and considering how much I love my black nail polish, I was really entrusting them here and I'm so glad that I did. First of all the quality of the nail polish is just amazing. I'm one of those people who applies nail polish for it to then chip a couple of hours later, meanwhile, your friend is there wearing the same bloody one weeks later without a single chip in sight, but this is the first nail polish I've tried that hasn't chipped for almost a week! With the price being only £2.99, I wasn't expecting much but this is by far the best black nail polish I've ever tried and is so worth the money. The colour and consistency is perfect leaving you with perfectly shiny, black nails.
I think at the time there was a special offer on at Boots which allowed me to buy a second nail polish for a little bit cheaper and I love a good bargain as much as the next person so naturally I went back to see what other colours I could find. The second colour I chose was a pastel green one in the shade 502, Pole Position. This is from the Barry M Speedy Quick Dry range and I have to be honest, I'm not really a huge fan. The nail varnish itself is extremely thick in comparison to any other nail varnish I've used. I first thought that this would work to my advantage as I'd only need to use one coat which after a few attempts, I've gathered is what you're meant to use. As this nail varnish is so thick, if you put too much on it peels off in one huge piece minutes later. Don't get me wrong, that would be an excellent invention if they began to make nail polishes that you could just effortlessly peel off when you wanted to change colours instead of having to spend time scrubbing away at your nails with pungent smelling nail varnish remover. However, if you apply one coat of this fairly thinly to your nails (make sure you wipe the excess off the end of the brush on the top of the bottle before you start) then you'll be good to go and it'll last as long as the black one I mentioned above. In all honesty, I'm not sure why I went for this colour, considering I'm not really a pastel kind of girl. I prefer my darker colours and reds and pinks in truth, but it's good to try something different from time to time. I personally haven't noticed a difference in drying time with this nail polish, it was the thickness of it that was more noticeable to me. Retailed at £3.99 I cannot argue with the affordable price of this product but I don't think I'll be purchasing from the Speedy Quick Dry range again.
The final nail varnish I bought is probably one of my favourite finds when it comes to makeup and beauty products. I bought this one around a month after purchasing the two above as I thought I might as well give the third range from Barry M a try. The one I chose was from the Gelly Hi-Shine range in the shade 446, Dragon and I am in love! This nail varnish leaves your nails looking like you just got your nails professionally done at the salon and for a fraction of the price. I spent £3.99 on this product and my nails have never looked so bright, summery and professionally done with just one coat of nail polish.
Overall, the Barry M nail varnishes are definitely products I would recommend to my friends. Despite the one from the Speedy Quick Dry range being slightly trickier to apply, I wouldn't hesitate from trying any of the other ranges by Barry M and I would most definitely purchase the black and pink nail polishes again. I hope that this blog post helped some of you out and if you have any questions then please feel free to leave them as a comment below.
Hello my lovelies, I've been so absent over the last year when it's come to my blog and it only feels like two minutes ago since I was sitting here writing a blog post about the first ever date I went on. Now a year has passed and here I am writing about my one year anniversary with Chris. It's mad!
I don't really know where to start with this but I think I'm going to start with the bracelet I bought for him and do a mini review of it...
Around two months ago now I attempted to get Chris into Game of Thrones because it's my favourite TV series ever to exist in the history of all TV series. This however proved to be somewhat of a difficult task as he was pretty much put off from the start, what with all the beheadings... I somehow managed to persuade him to give it a second chance though and he is now just as obsessed with it as I am :) The TV show is what inspired my idea for Chris' anniversary present and I knew that for the most unique and well made present, my best bet was to check out Etsy and as always, I wasn't disappointed.
Above is a photo set of the present I chose to buy Chris - It's an aluminium cuff or as I like to call it, a bangle, with the words, 'You're mine as I'm yours. And if we die, we die. But first we'll live,' engraved into it. For all you Game of Thrones fanatics out there you'll know that those were the words spoken by Ygritte to Jon Snow in episode seven of series three, The Bear and the Maiden Fair. It was important to me that the bracelet arrived as near to the day of our anniversary as possible and with the shop CraftLinds being in Scotland I thought that it would be a fairly reasonable shop to look at to ensure that the bracelet would be here on time. As always I ordered the bracelet around five days before our anniversary and with the time needed for the product to be made and shipped, I figured I'd completely messed up by leaving it too long. However, I was so so happy when I received a parcel at my house containing the bracelet just three days after I'd ordered it. It was beautifully gift wrapped in a white box with a purple ribbon, complete with a cloth to polish it with and instructions on how to take the perfect care of it. Costing only £9.00 from CraftLinds this bracelet was a complete bargain and could easily have cost £30 with how gorgeous it looks.
Fitting in with the Game of Thrones inspired theme I also purchased a card for Chris which again was from Etsy. This arrived within two days of me ordering it from English Rose Cards and cost me only £2.25. They have so many beautiful cards in their shop which made it so difficult to pick a design. I would definitely recommend buying from them as I know I will be doing in the future.
As many of you who are subscribed to my YouTube channel will already know, Chris attempted to surprise me by taking me out for dinner. I knew that we were going out but I had no idea where, until I turned up at his house and saw a piece of paper with two restaurants names written down on it ;) The restaurant that he had picked was The Blue Tiffin, an Indian restaurant that I hadn't been to in years. When we first walked into the bar we were given menus and taken to a sofa area where we could sit and pick what drinks we wanted before ordering them. I ordered a Strongbow (classy I know -.-) and Chris ordered a Cobra Beer before we were escorted to our table for two. As it was a Sunday we were told that we could order a starter each for free! I'm not really fan of a lot of Indian food to be honest so Chris ordered both for himself. I can't remember what they were called but one was lamb based and the other chicken. For the main course I got a Chicken Rogan Josh and Chris opted for the Chicken Samba. We both got some popadoms each with various dips and some garlic naan bread.
For those of you that are interested in what we both wore, you can check out the video above as we go through what we're wearing and where everything's from :)
I honestly cannot believe how fast time has gone and we've been together a whole year already. If someone had said to me a year and a half ago that by the time I'd finish sixth form I'd be in a long term, loving and happy relationship and actually have made it to the end of sixth form without dropping out I'd have laughed in their face and probably have told them (in the politest possible way) to 'fuck off'. It definitely goes to show that no matter how shit a past relationship may have been or however many times you tell yourself that you'll never find anyone that loves you for both the good and the bad, there's someone out there somewhere, waiting to meet someone like you. On the first few occasions that Chris and I met it was entirely down to chance and I'm so glad that the world gave me that chance at that exact time. The timing couldn't have been better. I'd never been one for fate but I certainly believe in it now, there's no way this happened exactly like it did just by coincidence...
Enough of the cringe and cheese, here are some photo's from the meal :')
With so many people asking me about the Pokéball necklace I bought my boyfriend for Valentine's Day, I thought I'd better write a blog post about it and give you guys the details of how this necklace came about.
I'd left present buying until I had under a week to go until Valentine's Day. I had absolutely nothing in place to surprise my boyfriend with at this point but i'd already picked out this Pokéball necklace from Trinkety Slot on Etsy, weeks before. However, I did that thing I always do, where I hold out until the last minute, just in case I come across anything else that I like better. This didn't happen and as Valentine's Day ended up being less than a week away I figured I'd better get the damn thing ordered.
Although it didn't arrive for Valentine's Day, (it arrived three days late to be precise) that was entirely my fault for not ordering it earlier. The typical time you have to wait for any of the products from Trinkety Slot to be made and shipped is three to five days and with mine being an international order, as the shop is based in the US, I had to wait another week on top of that for the gift to arrive. I guess what we can conclude from this is that I'm absolutely terrible at getting shit done and managing my time...
When the product finally arrived at my house, I was pleasantly surprised - the quality was so much better than I imagined it would be. Considering both necklaces are handmade, they are both extremely well put together, the quality of the engraving and cutting of the plastic, Pokéball itself is smooth and neat with no sharp edges that could dig into the skin or get caught on clothes. Moreover, the chains both charms are on, are sturdy and long enough to put over your head so there's no fiddling about with tiny clasps when you're in a rush. On the back of each charm I had the words, 'I choose you!' engraved onto the back. There are so many little phrases I could have used but this one wasn't only ridiculously adorable, it was also Pokémon related. For £28 I couldn't have asked for a cuter, more appropriate gift. Chris absolutely loves it as well and refuses to take it off unless he's showering or sleeping because he's scared of strangling himself. ;)
Overall, I'd definitely recommend Trinkety Slot to anyone who is looking for unique, gamer necklaces to either buy as friendship or relationship jewellery. If anyone has any questions about things I haven't covered above please feel free to ask me in the comments below and please don't forget to check out the Trinkety Slotstore on Etsy!
