To uni or not to uni, that is the question.

Hi everybody,


It is that time of year again where people are off to uni and it is often a very stressful time. I guess this post is aimed at anybody who may be feeling anxious or confused about the whole experience.
This was the best way I could think of to get it across to an audience which may be affected by it in the next few weeks or years.


This year I finished my degree after three years of what resulted in feeling sad, tired and inadequate and often buckets of tears and I really think I should perhaps have listened to the advice I'm about to give.


Most people have such a fantastic time when they go to university and learn so much not only about their chosen subject but about themselves too and for that reason the purpose of this post isn't to put people off going to uni AT ALL, it's to reassure anybody out there who is confused or unsure if it's what they really want.


Firstly, there's no rush. It's a massive decision to make so take your time. If it's what you really want then you go for it and live the dream, but if it's something you're anything less than 100% sure about then give it some time, if you then decide it is for you then you'll still want to do it in a years time. 


Next, you might be thinking 'but all my friends are going now' but seriously so what if they are? Nobody will think any less of you if you don't rush off to pick out a cheap kettle and bed sheets for your new digs (if they do then they need evaluate themselves as people) you might feel a little left out to start with but when you stick a whopping £30,000 price tag to 'fit in' I know what I would rather.
Some people have in their heads 100% set in stone what they want from life and where they are heading and for those lucky, lucky few (and it is only a small few) uni will be an easy option, but for everybody else? Don't worry. 
The last few years of education can be a confusing time with SO many choices and decisions required but remember that nobody expects you to know indefinitely what you want to do. The ages of 14-18 are hard enough without being pressured into deciding what you want to assign yourself to for the rest of your life.

Thirdly, like me, you may not feel ready to leave home in which case why not find a uni that is in your home town or nearby and easy accessible with a short commute? It would not only ensure you would be happier in the long run but it would also save you a whole heap of money. Besides, who doesn't want to be in their happy place? 

Lastly, if somebody close to you is set on university, like a best friend or boyfriend/girlfriend, and they are excited about their upcoming journey it is very hard to show enthusiasm. I get that, it really is hard. BUT that partner or best friend will still be there after the three years if they value your relationship as much as you do and if things don't work out then you can see them for who they really are. People that matter will ALWAYS only be on the other end of the phone or a Skype call away.

The first question you should ask yourself is 'Do I really want to go?' if the answer is 'yes' then answer 'Do I really need to go?' if yes is your answer to both then off you go,you will probably have a ball! 
However, if you answered 'no' to either, particularly to the first question then please, for your own sanity and happiness, don't.
If you don't 100% want to then you won't get what you're expecting out of it. This is the mistake I made. I rushed through clearing thinking that if I could get on a course all my troubles would disappear and I would feel better about everything. Needless to say, I didn't.

Like I said, I don't want anybody to think that I'm trying to dissuade anybody from going to uni because I'm not. Looking back now I did have some good times and I met people who would not have entered my life otherwise. I just wanted to offer a bit of advice to anybody who may be confronted with the same things I was a few years back. Just don't leap into something you don't really want because you will have to pay for it and nobody wants to pay for something that they didn't want, right? Right.

Oh, and my close person who went to uni? He's very much still my close person <3 which is just proof that if you want something enough it will all work out. :)
(sorry, not sorry for soppy bit)

If you ever feel unsure or anxious about life then give this a listen, every word is true.
It's called Everybody Is Free To Wear Sunscreen by Baz Lurhmann.

This has got a bit long now, so sorry about that, but if it helps one person then it's totally worth it.
See you soon with some of the stuff I've been loving recently :)

Ciao!

xx

Ireland, Take Two!

Hey!

So last week I took another trip over to The Emerald Isle to stay with some relatives for a few days. Unlike last time when I went to Dublin, I stayed in the North of Ireland in County Armagh. I flew from Birmingham International to Belfast International and convinced myself we'd crash when I heard somebody say that they weren't putting any fuel in the plane because they THOUGHT they had done it on the previous flight. 'Thought' didn't particularly fill me with a great deal of confidence.

Nevertheless I made it in one piece and did lots of stuff in the three days I was there.

Monday

I arrived at 09:30 which had involved a very early start (05:30, delightful) and a reasonably early flight. The views from the plane were fab though because it was sunny and bright.

Tuesday

My cousin took me into Belfast and we went shopping. We stopped for hot chocolate and cake in a café/ shop called Avoca which was nice (even if the cake was a little dry). They had some really cute home-ware stuff in the shop and is definitely worth a visit.

We then saw two guys dancing around on the street with some fire on a stick and went to have a nose. One guy was dancing and the other was limbo-ing under the stick which he had propped up and set on fire. This stick got lower and lower until he had it set on two wine bottles (about 15 inches off the ground) and after a bit of faffing around jumping over it, he limbo-ed under that too. Flexible little bean.

We also tried to go to the Victoria Square Dome which is a big sort of platform which lets you see the city from high up. Unfortunately because it is made of glass it was too hot so it was closed. :( Boo.

Wednesday

Wednesday was scorching hot (at least for the U.K it was considered scorching aha) and we took a drive up to the Giants Causeway and Port Rush where there is a beach. Walking trips aren't normally my thing but it was enjoyable and quite funny trying to work out what the rock formations were actually supposed to look like. Personally I think you have to have A LOT of imagination. See for yourself.

This is supposed to be a boot!?

We also spotted a formation of our own which we thought resembled a T-Rex. Opinions?

Looks like he's looking to the right and giving thumbs up, right? No?! Okay.

Port Rush was absolutely beautiful though.

We did pop in to a place called Barry's Amusements where there was arcades and rides. And a ghost train. A scary, horrid ghost train.

I got the picture printed though, I couldn't resist, my face was just too funny.

We  also had a lovely stroll down the beach in the water which was fab :)

Thursday

My last day was relaxed and just involved a trip to a nearby shopping centre where I found an Accessorize where there just so happened to be a sale (score!). I could only pick up some earrings though as I had no room in my luggage to come home (damn you budget flights).

I didn't really want to come home so soon but needs must and all that.

I will DEFINITELY go back again soon, hopefully before the end of the year but until then, thank you Ireland, you were a blast.

Ciao!

xxx

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Mini shopping haul!

Hey!

I took a trip to the shops today and picked up a few real beauties.
Firstly, I popped into River Island and picked up this gorgeous canary yellow top. I was originally going to get it in black but thought 'why not?!' when I saw the yellow. Bright, but I LOOOVE it.

Then I went to Boots and picked up the super gorgeous 'Boudoir Eyes' palette from Too Faced. It's the perfect travel kit with 3 base colours and then six, smaller, colours which can be used to create day and evening looks. As an added bonus you get a little mirror for on the go and a handy hint book which shows you how to create certain looks. All round winner!

Whilst in Boots I had a look at the shower stuff and stumbled across these heavenly-scented, containers of fabulousness and promptly headed to the till with them in my arms.
They smell DIVINE, I tell you. The absolute perfect summer scent. Mango. Mmm.
I picked up the sugar scrub and the body lotion moisturiser. :)

So that's today's purchases, I can't wait to try them all!

 See you soon!

Ciao

xxx

Keep Or Return

Hey!

Pleasing everybody is really difficult, especially when you try to include yourself. No matter how hard you try, somebody always seems to disagree and offer an, often unwanted, opinion.
Apparently this includes trivial things like buying some shoes, like I did, today.
To start with I'm not entirely sure I can pull them off anyway but I am seriously considering taking them back and not because I don't like them or they don't fit. I kind of liked the idea that they are a bit different and they are really comfy, my only problem is nobody else seems to like them. Do I keep them because I like them? Or do I take them back because others don't? Decisionsss.
I thought I could wear them with black skinny jeans and a baggy top.
This is what they look like:

I wish I didn't care what people think of me as much as I do. But I do, I really do.

What should I do?

Keep or return?

Helpp?!

Ciao!

xxx

DIY Ombre And Mini Haul

Hey!

For summer this year I decided a while ago that I wanted to ombré my hair and chose the L'Oréal Paris Préférence Wild Ombrés brush-on dip-dye in Number 1 for light brown to dark brown hair DIY kit.

I thought I'd share how it went and what I thought of the product in case anybody is thinking of using it.

With the kit you get: Developer Cream, Decolouring Powder, Lightening Cream, Conditioning Shampoo, Expert Brush and Gloves.

The kit says to mix the Decolouring powder and Lightening Cream in with the Developer Cream in the bottle and then squirt it onto the 'expert brush' and brush it into your hair, however I decided that the brush wasn't much use and that a normal colouring pot and brush would be more effective, so that's what I used. :)

It was quite easy to apply although the smell was considerably more intense than I had imagined. When it was on my hair looked really dry which was worrying but I think it was just the recolouring powder more than anything...thankfully.

The processing time was recommended at between 25-45 minutes depending on the desired result and I left mine for 30-35 minutes but gave it a blast with the hair dryer to accelerate the process.

It was quite easy to wash out and I made sure I used a nourishing conditioner to help the ends of my hair after being dried out with the bleach. After I had dried it I ran some Argon Oil from Avon through the length, again in hope to nourish it. Probably ruined those efforts by running the straighteners over it mind you..

Anyway, this was the finished product this morning:

I wasn't sure what to expect but I actually really like the result! :)

Overall, I think it was a really good product and it did what it said it was going to. I actually only used half of what was supplied because I wasn't doing all of the length and thought I could top it up in a few weeks if necessary. :)

I think out of 10 I'd score this product an 8 and would recommend it if you're wanting to try it out! The collection is also has a variety of colours and shades etc to suit different hair and styles. :)

Then today I met with a friend in Birmingham and went for a mooch around the shops. We went into Jack Wills and I picked up some leggings with a pretty anchor print in navy.

(N.B. They also have a sale on so get down there!)

Then we went into Lush and I couldn't resist the You've Been Mangoed Bath Melt and the Yuzu and Cocoa Bubbleroon because they smelt DIVINE.

I can't wait to use these and I will post my thoughts and pictures on both when I have :)

That's all for today :)

Ciao!

xxx

Granny takes a dip

Hey!

What a funny name, Granny takes a dip. Well really Granny took a dip this morning but nevertheless.
I was intrigued when I unwrapped this little package of loveliness from Lush, mainly because of the name but what I found inside didn't shout anything about grannies to me.

Admittedly, I thought it looked a bit boring for Lush, but then I turned it over, aha.

Clever that.

I still wasn't sold on the idea of something that was named after a granny, mind you. All the same I dropped it into the tub and it set to work fizzing away. I was actually quite disappointed with the smell which is supposed to be ginger, pepper and lemon (but that's just personal preference- I don't really feel like it was a great combination). However what it lacked in smell it certainly made up for in performance! All the pretty colours..swirlyyy.

When it had finished fizzing the water turned into an attractive amethyst kind of colour which was nice but the smell seemed to dwindle fairly quickly. My skin feels really nice and soft now I'm out the bath though. :)

Overall it was a fun bath bomb to use but the smell wasn't really up my street. The colours were great and it leaves your skin soft and feeling really clean.

Rating: 3/5

Ciao!

xxx

Possibly the best nails ever?!

Hey!

I had to share another birthday treat because I think these are great. I went to get my nails done and came out with these beauties!

They are so super cute and I wish I could keep them forever! But alas, I cannot.

I have a complete obsession with Minnie Mouse. She's great. Fact.
Anybody else have a guilty pleasure? Well, less of the guilty actually!

Ciao

xxx

Taking life in from the best seat

Hey!

As a birthday treat I got to go up to the Lake District to have a go at something that I've wanted to do for years. Riding on a beach!
The place I went to is called Murthwaite Green Trekking Centre and I would definitely recommend it if you wanted to have a go! It's in the South Lakes near to a place called Barrow and there's some gorgeous views.
I was given a 14.1hh piebald mare called Megan which I was a bit dubious about to begin with as I've never really found a mare that I've got on with but I'm glad I was given this one as she was a right character but a lot of fun!
The member of staff that took my group out was called Emma and she was lovely. She explained that the horse I had been given was great for a blast on the beach and she did not disappoint! Those little legs sure could shift!

I'd love to do this again, and I'd definitely go back to Murthwaite Green. Can anybody recommend any other places where they offer beach rides?

Ciao!

xxx

Pony pictures

I absolutely love horses.

I also love photography.

And I really love to combine the two.

Here's some snaps of a friend and her beautiful horse from recently.

Dublin

Hey!

So, I'm possibly a little bit in love with Ireland.
We flew out on Friday and after getting stopped going through customs because of my necklace that the man told me I didn't have to take off, we got to the apartment we were staying in at around 6pm and after we got settled we went out and had a nosey around the main street and stumbled across a little pub which can only be described as VERY Irish (if you've seen Mrs Brown's Boys then imagine Foley's with a more people and more atmosphere). Now, Guinness is a massive Irish thing and everybody seemed to have a pint and one was swiftly placed in front of me so I felt obliged to give it a go (despite previously trying a friend's pint back home and finding it 100% repugnant!). People always say 'oh, it tastes different in Ireland' and now I'm inclined to agree, although still vile it was drinkable (note: I still only had the one..) Perhaps its because it's brewed about 2 miles down the road, who knows.

Saturday saw a walk down to the River Liffey and a mooch around the shops and down some of the little cobbled streets which was lovely. Oh and a lovely hot chocolate in Fitzimmons in a proper 'Irish coffee' coffee cup.

I particularly wanted to see the bridge across the Liffey which had been padlocked by tourists (much like the one in Paris..) however the Irish government decided to spend many pennies on removing them all which was a shame but people had rebelled and started to replace the locks, hurrah!

     

Saturday evening we saw Status Quo at the O2 Academy by the docks which was nice didn't get many good shots though because they were filming it which meant there was a silly camera whizzing around all over the place which was rather irritating!

Sunday morning we went for a nosey at a art exhibition made out of lego and then had a cheeky Starbucks (Caramel frapp, in case you're wondering..) and then I went off to the Leprechaun museum which was BRILLIANT. I don't imagine it's everybody's cup of tea but it was right up my street! The little tour guide was brilliant, I wanted to take him home in my case! There was a room with massive furniture in it so you felt like a little leprechaun but you had to climb up onto the chairs which was really tricky! 

Later on in the day we decided that we would go to the oldest pub in Dublin for the last night there. I happened to spot a little horse drawn taxi outside where we had met up with the rest of the group at the Auld Dubliner so we hopped in and trotted off. This was easily the highlight of the weekend for me and my cheeks hurt from smiling for ages after we got out go the little cart. The pony was a called Jerdy and he was 7, this was all of the information I could understand from the man who he belonged to! I think I'd have travelled everywhere in that little cart if I could.

Monday morning meant we had to pack and make our way to the airport which was a shame because I was really enjoying the experience but at the same time I was excited to get on the plane again. 

I concluded I must have a metal lung or something as I got stopped going through customs AGAIN. (Note: jewellery was to blame). We did hit an air pocket on the way back which made me jump but other than that it was a smooth ride and I can't wait for the next plane trip!

Unfortunately now everything is back to normal and I have a whole stack of uni work with my name on it. Booooo.

Roll on summer!

Ciao!

xxx

All pictures are © to me, don't steal!

Off to Dublin!

Well hello,

So, this time in a week I will be in DUBLIN!

I'm so super excited, mainly because I haven't actually been on a plane before. I know that's crazy because I am nearly 21, but better late than never!

I've always wanted to go to Ireland, North Ireland more than South but I'm delighted to be going all the same. I will take my camera so I can remember the trip so I'll probably post some snaps on here as it's my little space to splurge everything!

Source

I guess this week will be spent getting everything together to go, we are only going for a couple of days but that still requires a LOT of preparation!

Any tips of what to take, or places to visit then do let me know!

Ciao

xx

Today is the day!

Welcome!

I have finally decided to start my own blog which will be (somewhat selfishly!)  dedicated to all things candles, photos, ponies, thoughts, all things creative and many other bits and pieces that may float into my existence.

I hope you enjoy my ramblings and maybe they will inspire you to try something new which just so happens to be an aim of mine for this year!

Ciao!

x

Footprints in the sand ©