Tuesday 28 November 2017

Making Up For Lost Time

Hi!

This is probably a different kind of post to what I've done so far on this blog however it is a lifestyle blog and writing about topics such as this should be just as valuable as my other posts.

When I joined university I knew there were a lot of new experiences and new things happening, I didn't quite know what to expect as I was not only starting a new section of my life, I was moving away from home, which at the time was a big step for me and definitely a very weird thing to get used to at first. Naturally, although I do like being in my own company and being on my own as well as being social, I do feel like I rely on other people for comfort and for generally making sure I'm doing things right. Even though joining university was at first unsettling, I kept reminding myself that I was building my own little life here and that this is something which if you'd told me about in 2013/2014 I'd have not taken you seriously. What I'm trying to say is that it's a huge achievement for someone like me.

One notable thing about first year however, was that because I was adjusting and settling into this new way of life and dealing with my mental health in a new environment, I didn't quite do as much as I wanted to/maybe should have done. It probably took me a little longer to settle into the new environment than others did and that therefore led me to missing out on making as many memories as I could have done especially in the very early stages of First Year, which I do regret a bit.



Ultimately, even though I did end up making progress and making many memories in first year, I did miss out even then on socialising and making memories. The memories I do have for last year are amazing as my confidence did start growing, but for the first couple of months particularly, I was held back.

Sometimes I do feel like I'm trying to make up for lost time, as especially through secondary school I struggled with anxiety and consequently it made me miss out on a lot of things throughout my teenage years. It still does now to an extent, but university particularly gave me more of a freedom and also more confidence in some ways to have good experiences and make up for time lost and things I don't always get to do. I've been there and looked back on things I wish I could have done but due to lack of confidence or anxiety or something I've not been able to do it.

Anxiety can be difficult and sometimes make you feel extremely unmotivated or unconfident and indeed stop you from socialising and doing the things you want. My advice is to try and push yourself whenever possible to try and do things. One of my ways of pushing myself towards the end of first year, was that I tried to make the most of the time I had left and I wanted to make more memories and didn't want to look back and see I'd done nothing. Try not to put pressure on yourself to do everything, but definitely try and do what you can.



Dealing with mental health struggles can be difficult, but you WILL make progress. It isn't always easy and I still have moments where I can feel myself getting triggered or think 'Shit I can't do this'. But thinking about some of the achievements I've managed over the last year and a half is so surreal so I honestly can say if you're struggling at the moment with any mental health problem, it's going to be okay, keep going and keep taking steps to push yourself. You can do it. I've made a conscious effort to try and do as much as I can and feel comfortable doing, make as many memories as I can, no matter how little they may seem. Because every memory made, is a step of progress.
For more advice and information on mental health, please take the time to visit Mind's website, there you can read other people's stories and find ways of getting help if you need it.
https://www.mind.org.uk/

Claire xxx

Monday 20 November 2017

OOTD: 21st Birthday Night Out

Hey!

So on Saturday it was my birthday and I turned 21! I don't really feel old enough to be 21 but here we are! I'd known for a while I wanted to properly celebrate my 21st as in the past I've not really done much for birthdays and wished I had done. So I tried to make an effort for my 21st. It was also actually the first time I'd worn a body suit before but I really liked it. When I bought it I tried to buy a different colour as I've noticed that a lot of my dressy/night out clothes tend to be black. Here are the photos.





Bodysuit: Boohoo
Bralette: Boohoo
Jeans: George Asda
Boots: M&S

Claire xxx

Friday 10 November 2017

My Favourite Autumn/Winter Lip Shades

Hey!

We're heading into Autumn/Winter now which is one of my favourite times of the year!
I thought I'd share with you some of my favourite autumn/winter lip shades!



- NYX Soft Matte Lipcream Transylvania
This is perfect for this time of year, it's a dark purple which really works well I feel against my pale skin. You have to be careful to not let it get patchy as it's one of the Soft Matte Lip creams, but honestly it's one of my favourites to wear this time of year.

- Sleek Matte Me Fandango Purple
As you've probably guessed I'm into my purple shades, but I love the tone of this liquid lippy, only thing is it requires very precise application so it's not one you can quickly apply, you need time to take care with the application otherwise it can get messy.

- NYX Liquid Suede Kitten Heels
This is the red lipstick I picked up last year, as I had no red liquid lipsticks in my collection. I was hugely impressed with it and it produces a very bright and vibrant red shade. I'll definitely be wearing it a lot this year too.

- NYX Lingerie Beauty Mark
The Lingerie range offers a variety of beautiful brown toned nudes, this being one of the darker shades. I think this shade is really lovely for this time of year and it's extremely comfy to wear despite being matte.

- Rimmel Lasting Finish Kate Moss 01
This is actually the first red lipstick I owned but it's a gorgeous red shade. Darker than Kitten Heels, but more of a creamy satin finish than outright matte. Definitely worth looking into if you love red lip shades.
- MAC -Honeylove
I'm including this as a standard nude as if you're wearing heavy autumnal colours on your eyes you're going to want a nude shade to match. Honeylove is a gorgeous nude tone and works well with a lot of different skin tones. It's a matte finish but isn't too drying.

What are your favourite lip shades for this season?

Claire xxx

Tuesday 7 November 2017

Zoella Snowella Body Mist Review

Hi!

It's becoming autumn/winter and that means one thing! A new Zoella Beauty collection timed for release right before Christmas.

As someone who's been a big lover of Zoella Beauty products previously (and a massive Christmas lover), I was really excited to see what this year would bring!
The range is amusingly titled 'Snowella' which is probably my favourite collection name to date.



The Snowella body mist comes in a white bottle with a general wintery style, but what makes it even cuter is the fact it comes with a little white pom pom! How cute?!

It states it has notes of Peony, refreshing Mint and Pink Pepper, which is a hard scent to explain!

I would describe the scent as a mixture of the Classic scent and Tuity Fruity (which both happen to be my favourite scents from her collections). In turn, I absolutely love the scent of this range and am definitely going to try and get my hands on as much of it before it discontinues. Every Zoella Christmas range is limited edition.

I find the Zoella mists to be very good quality, as even though they aren't perfumes, they manage to stay for longer than you expect. I've been using Snowella for a bit now and I've got to say it's definitely one of my favourite scents and one I keep heading to use during the winter months.

If you wish to purchase Snowella you can pick it up in Superdrug stores or alternatively online from Feel Unique, the link being here:  http://www.feelunique.com/p/Zoella-Snowella-Body-Mist-100ml

Have you tried any of Zoe's Snowella collection yet? Let me know!!

Claire xx

Friday 3 November 2017

OOTD: Friend's Birthday Trip To Cream's

 Hey everyone!

So with it being my friend's birthday, we went to Cream's on a little dessert trip!
I wanted to get a little bit dressed up but not too over the top, but seeing as it was her birthday.
You can't see it on the photo, but I accessorised the outfit with a little Mickey necklace from my boyfriend but it's very small that the camera didn't pick it up.
I quite liked the outfit for the occasion, it's dressy but without being too much.
I love cold shouldered tops so my grey top is super comfy and I needed the long sleeves because it was cold!
I really like the pattern on the jeans and wanted to wear them as they are a bit different to standard jeans.
My small handbag was bought from a charity shop in Bangor a couple of years ago.
As for my boots, they are my brown pair of boots from M&S. I bought a black pair this year too and they are really good to wear either dressy at night time or casual during the day and comfy enough for me!




Top: New Look
Jeans: Sainsburys
Boots: M&S
Bag: Charity shop

And if you're wondering what I ate:
I went for the Chuckle Berry sundae which was absolutely gorgeous! Deffo a good treat! It had vanilla ice cream mixed with strawberries and strawberry and raspberry gelato and also the Cream's wafer. I recommend.


Thank you for reading,
Claire xxx