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Monday 31 August 2015

Back to School: Study Tips

I have spent pretty much my whole life so far in education. I completed school and attended college for 4 years doing various courses.

In 2014, I signed up to a university course and I am now half way through so I thought I would share my study tips.

NOTES
Take lots of notes. Your future self will seriously thank you later!
You can note take in lots of different formats. Choose a style that suits you best. You can mind map, draw pictures, create your own shorthand code etc. Last year one of my lectures gave us the idea of using our phones/tablets to take pictures of notes from the boards or book covers we might want to refer to later. Following on from this, our class created a Facebook group page where we could all share pictures & notes. It's a great way of feeling supported and quickly getting help when you're stuck at home, ready to give up. 

DEADLINES
 As soon as you know your deadline, write it down. This is where I use my diary & sticky labels. You can then work out how many weeks you have to complete the task and use your time wisely – easier said than done, I know!

PAPERWORK 
My first day at uni was very overwhelming. We were handed 3 different project briefs, a course handbook which was about 200 loose pages thick and lots of other pieces of information. By putting this all into a folder, with dividers, it helped to prevent me loosing pages and I knew where everything was. This takes away a little bit of stress for me personally.

 SAVING ASSIGNMENTS
When you eventually begin writing assignments or creating projects, it is vital to save your work in numerous places. I will save my work to my laptop, a memory stick and to my One Drive/Cloud storage.

TIMETABLES 
Create a routine and stick to it – again easier said than done, I know. Use your time wisely but sensibly. Sometimes spending the whole day working can lead to you becoming unmotivated so try to do a couple of hours work daily then treat yourself to some time out watching Netflix or hanging out with friends. For me, it always feels better to know I've done some work rather than putting it all off to cram in one day, last minute. Little and often is so much more beneficial.

FEEDBACK
Once I got my first assignment back, I read the feedback and took the criticism really hard. I was really disappointed with myself when really I didn't need to be. It was my first assignment, my first time writing at degree/university level and I'd passed! I just didn't enjoy the examiners picking faults in me. After that I ignored all feedback and just looked to see what grade I achieved. Going into my second year I am definitely going to start reading my feedback because it can be so helpful for improving my next assignments. It might be hard at first but try to see the positive in the criticism and use it to your advantage.

HYDRATE
More often than not, I find myself switching off during lectures and trying my hardest to stay awake. This is why I always have my water bottle with me in class. I love my BRITA filter water bottle as it means I can fill it up from anywhere but still drink fresh water.


I was absolutely dreading returning to uni but this year as I know what to expect, I'm going to give it my all. It will (probably) be my last year in education too. I'm also hoping, if I stick to these tips, I’ll still get the time to blog alongside studying!

I hope these tips have been helpful! I'd love to hear any of your tips in the comments below!

Emma
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Friday 28 August 2015

Back to School Essentials

Summer is almost over which means it is that time of year where school/college/university begins again! 

In September, I will be heading back to university to complete my second year of my Foundation Degree in Support for Learning. Rather than attending an actual university campus, I attend my local college once a week to have lectures and classes.

I have already started getting things ready as I like to be organised so I thought I'd share with you what to take to/use during my time at uni. 


Pens, pencil, highlighters - these are basic essentials however I love to have different coloured pens to help make notes stand out. 

Pencil case - I have decided to use this Helix pencil case that has ring holes so you can clip it into your ring binder. I feel like this is probably going to save space in my bag and stop me from forgetting to pick my pens/pencil case up when I leave the house.

Academic diary - I use this to record my deadlines and appointments. You could use your phones calendar for that but I like to be old school ;) 

Sticky labels - these are amazing to use with my diary. I like to use them like bookmarks point out where my deadlines or important notes are.

Ring binder folder and dividers - I always get handed 101 different pieces of papers during my 3 different lessons so this is a must to keep it all safe and organised.

Notebooks - obviously you will need somewhere to record your notes from lessons. Again, you could use your ipad/tablet or laptop for this. 

Laptop/tablet and memory stick - I use these when it comes to actually writing assignment or researching.

Water bottle - I love my BRITA filter water bottle as it means I can fill it up from anywhere and still be drinking fresh water.

Rucksack - this floral backpack is from TK Maxx and I love it!

What are you essentials for going back to school/college/uni?!

Emma
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Friday 21 August 2015

Summer Holiday 2015: Cornwall

I've been visiting Cornwall now for over 5 years with my other half, Joe. He has been holidaying in Cornwall for pretty much his whole life as his parents have a caravan based in North Cornwall that they used regularly. I fell in love with the county when I started to join Joe on his holidays and I always look forward to returning every year.
 We travelled down from Wiltshire on the 8th of August and I feel incredibly proud of myself as I drove half the journey for the first time. I have been driving for almost 4 years but my anxiety has caused me to have a serious lack of confidence when it comes to motorway driving. With thanks to Joe, his support and numerous trips to Bristol to help me practice, I have finally found that confidence to replace the anxiety. I really pleased that I can finally share the driving with Joe as it can be a very long journey.
 This year we decided to take our push bikes with us. As we have been visiting Cornwall for so long, we have seen and done almost all the attractions so felt it would be good to explore the Cornish sights whilst getting some exercise!
When in Cornwall, we stay close to Porthcothan Bay. When I first visited the beach at Porthcothan, I fell in love and it has been my favourite ever since - I've even debated getting married there! 
I was going to write about every day but I don't want this post to go on forever, so here are a few of the things we got up too…

Holly dogs! She is a lurcher :)

Tuesday 11th:
Today we took our bikes to Padstow to ride the Camel Trail. We rode 5 miles, all the way to Wadebridge. Amazingly, I rode the whole way and didn't feel the need to stop once(my stamina is rubbish usually), go me! . We stopped for a pasty and had a look around the local shops. I instantly headed for the shop that stocked jewellery and crystals and ended up treating myself to this beautiful silver moonstone ring (after spending ages choosing between all the other beautiful pieces). I've not taken it off since! We had to ride another 5 miles back to Padstow and this time I did stop but only to get these pictures... It was a really good bike ride and it felt really good to get all that exercise.
We’d left Holly back in the caravan so it was only fair that we took her for a walk on the beach when we got back. After a quick paddle we headed back to get ready for dinner. 
 

OOTD:
Shorts: h&m. Top: Primark. Cardigan: Internatiocal. Sunglasses: Polaroid/TK Maxx.

Wednesday 12th:
We decided to make the most of the weather today and all went back to Padstow; but this time we caught the ferry over to Rock. There isn't much at Rock but the beach was quiet enough to let Holly off the lead for a good run and play. The sea was calm so I went for a paddle. I wish I'd been wearing my swimming costume as it was calm enough to swim. I love these pictures that Joe captured of Holly running through the sea.






We headed back on the ferry to Padstow where we stopped for lunch from the chip shop. After we had a look around the local shops and had an ice cream. These ice creams were far from 99p like they used to be!
 Later on, we took Holly for a walk over the cliffs and stopped off at the pub for a drink. The views from the Tredrea Inn of Porthcothan Bay  are amazing! I was counting down the minutes until sunset as I really wanted to go to the beach to watch it. Unfortunately the clouds were not helpful and ruined my plans. However, from the caravan we witnessed the sky turn a beautiful shade of pink and purple whilst the sun went down. It was amazing!

Thursday 13th:
Heavy rain fell all night and all day today. We took this as an opportunity to go for a train ride at the Bodmin & Wenford railway. This is an annual ritual for us as Joe volunteers for the Swindon & Cricklade Railway so steam engines feature heavily in our lives. I don't mind joining him for a train ride as we have a deal, I go to the railway, he joins me shopping. Good balance I think. Unfortunately, because of the weather, everyone else seemed to have the same idea as us and the railway was incredibly busy! After the journey we headed for Newquay. Another annual ritual when we go to Cornwall, is to visit the cinema and have a meal at Frankie & Benny’s – especially if the weather is bad. We were both looking forward to watching Inside Out but it was sold out so we booked tickets for PIXELS instead. After a three course meal and a very wet walk through Newquay, we were not disappointed by the film! It was brill!! It was a typical ‘save the world and get the girl’ story line but it was so different to other films. Adam Sandler did good!

Friday 14th:
The rain had gone but it was still overcast so we all decided to go on another walk with the dog. We went on the Camel Trail again, but this time from Bodmin. 

We walked 3.8 miles this time and stopped halfway for a cream tea. It was yummy!
 When heading back to the car, Joe got another chance to see the steam engine from Bodmin & Wenford as it had arrived at the station.
Again, I was hoping to catch the sunset at the beach. We did catch it this time but again, the clouds were in the way! It was also incredibly windy so we didn't stay for long!

Saturday 15th:
Today we headed over to St Austell to visit the Cornish Market World. I wanted to go as last year I bought lots of gemstone beads from a little craft stall; this year however, wasn't as great. As we’d gone a fair distance we decided to make the most of South East Cornwall and visited Mevagissey. Walking round the harbour, I enjoyed browsing the quirky little gifts shops. When visiting Mevagissey previously, the sea seems so different, so dark and I assumed this was because the weather was quite miserable. Today the weather was lovely, the sun was shining but the sea still looked so dark and eery, which was strange yet beautiful. It was also  incredibly calm!

The rest of the holiday involved more dog walks over the cliffs and time to chill out and recharge our batteries. I so needed to get away but I can't help but miss my furry babies still at home being looked after by my amazing nan!

This post has been vey long but I hope you enjoyed reading it!?

Have you visited Cornwall? Do you recommend anything to do or see whilst there?

Emma

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Wednesday 19 August 2015

Liebster Award 2015

Whilst finding my feet in the blogging world, I'd heard of the Liebster Award but didn't look too much into it as I thought it was something for more established bloggers! However, I have recently learnt that is not the case and my blog has been nominated by Joski Byrne (follow the link to check out her blog!) - thanks so much!!

What is a Liebster Award?
It is an award that has been created by bloggers, for bloggers. It is passed between bloggers through nominations as a way of supporting and promoting new bloggers. It is a great way of creating connections between fellow bloggers!


The Rules
Once you have been nominated you will need to write a blog post containing:

* A link back to the person who nominated you
* 11 interesting facts about yourself
* Answers to questions asked by the blogger who nominated you
* Links to your nominated blogs
* 11 questions for your nominations to answers
Don’t forget to notify the blogs you have nominated!


11 facts about me
1. I am a Gemini and I believe in horoscopes and all that jazz..
2. I have suffered with anxiety for my whole life but only learnt it was anxiety last year.
3. I think WAAAYYY too much about everything because of my anxiety and it can really hold me back in life sometimes :( 
4. I am such an indecisive person (hence the blog name), I HATE having to make a decision about anything.
5. I am a self-confessed shopaholic. I love shopping and spending money makes me feel very happy.
6. I love to be organised. Easier said than done sometimes.
7. I can sometimes be known as a “railway widow”. This is because my other half is a volunteer at the Swindon & Cricklade Heritage Railway and has spent his life working with/firing/driving steam engines.
8. I have been with my other half since I was 14.
9. I am a teaching assistant within a special resource unit & I work closely with children who have autism/ADHD.
10. I hate spending all day inside.
11. My favourite shop is Primark. Always has been, probably always will be. :)


Answers to questions from Joski
1. Why did you start blogging?
After discovering YouTubers such as Zoella & Tanya Burr etc, I found there was a place on the Internet to share views and tips about beauty, fashion and life. At the same time I also found their blogs. I found it all so interesting and it became my new obsession. I enjoy writing & wanted to share my own views and tips so I created my own little corner of the Internet in the form of my blog (I don't the ill ever have the confidence to start a YouTube channel) and I am really enjoying all aspects of it.


2. What is your favourite thing about yourself?
I have a very creative personality and enjoy putting this to good use by making jewellery or sewing.


3. What is your least favourite thing about yourself?
My anxiety.


4. Where would you like to travel to if money was no object?
I would love to visit America. I really want to go to Disney World and all the American shops.


5. Who is your idol (dead or alive) and why?
My mum. She is an incredible lady and has taught me so much. If I become half the lady she is, that will be my biggest achievement.
Taylor Swift is also an idol of mine as I think she is very different to other famous people. She's so down to earth and (in my opinion) a truly fantastic role model to so many people!


6. If you could choose one talent, what would it be?
To be able to sing. I wouldn't want to be a pop star or anything but having a decent singing voice would be awesome!


7. What is the last book you read and what did you you think of it?
Girl Online by Zoe Sugg (Zoella). I really enjoyed reading it & finished it within a couple of day. I have pre-order the sequel too!


8. What is your favourite meal?
Shepherd Pie, pizza, tomato pasta, gammon steak, chicken tikka curry


9. Who is your favourite blogger?
I love reading Anna Saccone’s


10. Where is your happy place?
A really good shopping centre/high street


11. Where do you hope to see your blog in a year?
I really hope I am still enjoying blogging. I hope I have built up a good following and I also hope I have made some new friends from the blogging community.


11 questions for my nominees
1. Why did you start your blog?
2. What's your proudest moment in life so far?
3. What's your favourite season/time of year?
4. What's your favourite quote?
5. How do you de-stress?
6. What's your favourite high street store and why?
7. What is your ‘go-to/holy grail’ beauty product?
8. Do you have a fear/phobia and how did you overcome it/cope with it?
9. What's your favourite time of day?
10. Have you ever made an impulsive purchase/decision? If so, what was it?
11. What advice can you give to new bloggers?


My nominations

Saturday 8 August 2015

My Favourite Summer Nail Polishes

I have a HUGE nail polish collection and rarely have bare nails. In this post, I wanted to share my favourite colours to wear in the summer time.

Summer for me, is the time for bright shades that will add a pop of colour to my outfits. They're fun and look so good with a tan.


The colours I have chosen are mostly bright pastel shades, with one bright coral. I would normally wear these colours individually but for the sake of photos for this blog I decided to wear them all at the same time - and to be honest, I really like it!
  

On my thumb nail is a bright coral polish from Avon's Nailwear Pro+ range called 'Coral Reef' (of course!). This is without a doubt my go-to summer shade as it looks AMAZING with a tan. I also wear this shade on my toes for pretty much the whole of summer. You can get away with only one coat but I applied two. It is super shiny too so if you're in a rush you can skip a clear top coat. It wears so well and has lasted a long time without chipping!

On my index finger I'm wearing 'Banana Split' by Models Own. It is a lovely summery yellow but best of all, it is scented and smells like bananas! This polish needed 2-3 coats to get an opaque coverage and wears really well. 


'Lose your lingerie' from Rita Ora's Rimmel London collection is on my middle finger nail. This is a perfect pale pink colour that I've had lots of compliments on. It is probably one of my all time favourites as I always go for a pink and Rimmel polishes are growing strong within my collection. 

On my ring finger is another from the Rita Ora collection called 'Breakfast in bed'. It is a mix between a mint green and a sky blue and looks so good. It makes a difference to the usual pink shades I choose to wear. 
These polishes need two coats for a perfect finish and they come with Rimmel's 'one-second coat' wide brush for quick coverage. I love this feature however it can be tricky to use on small nails. 


Lastly, on my little finger, I am wearing 'Flamingo - Shade 13' from Nail Pop. This is the first polish I've used from this brand. I bought it from The Beauty Outlet for 99p! I am very impressed with it and have had compliments on it at work. It is a more pastel orange/coral shade but still looks fab with a tan. It wears really well and I'm definitely going to add to my collection with this brand!


Now I need to make a choice... Which one do I wear on holiday?!

What are you go-to summer shades? Leave a comment and let me know!

 Summer is pretty much over here in the UK now but I will hold out hope for a little bit of sunshine whilst I am on holiday in Cornwall!

Emma
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Friday 7 August 2015

Summer OOTD

Hey! :) 

So recently we celebrated my lovely mother in-law (to be)'s birthday by going for a pub meal. The weather in my part of the UK has been gorgeous today so I felt it was prime opportunity to try out some of my new summer wardrobe! :D 

Maxi skirts don't usually suit me as I'm short so they tend to make me look quite 'stumpy' but.. this one from Primark (my all time FAV shop so expect to see it featured A LOT on this blog) is really flattering as it has a slit either side to knee length, to show off some leg - legs that are in desperate need of some tan!! 


 H&M is another favourite store of mine and I think this fringed top works really well with the skirt. It is slightly cropped but I still felt comfortable as the fringing left me feeling a bit more covered than a cropped top usually would.

Even though the sun was shining today, I am the sort of person who will still get cold so I threw on my denim jacket (also from Primark) just in case!


Monochrome seem to be featuring in my wardrobe a lot at the moment and as it is Summer, I added a pop of coral colour to this outfit in the form of my sandals, nail polish and watch.

I didn't feel like using a handbag as I knew I wouldn't need to carry much so I opted for my Fossil purse which doubles up as a clutch as it has a compartment for an iPhone (4/5 fits perfectly, however my new iPhone 6 did fit too, just not in the specific section).The colours of the purse were perfect. 


My nail polish is from Avon Nailwear Pro+ in the shade 'Coral Reef' and my lip gloss is from Beautiful Movement Cosmetics in the shade 'nude'.
My perfume was a birthday gift and is Katy Perry's Royal Revolution.


We had a lovely evening out and a lush meal. Happy Birthday Mumma Fran, I hope you had a great day! 

I hope you enjoyed this post as I look forward to posting more OOTD's in the future!

What's your summer staple in your wardrobe at the moment? Leave me a comment below! :D 

Emma

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Thursday 6 August 2015

How I clean my make-up brushes

Cleaning my make-up brushes is a chore that I always put off and should definitely do on a more regular basis.  I aim to clean my brushes every Sunday (if this happens, it's a miracle!).

Clean brushes are really important when it comes to applying make up as dirty brushes will harbour bacteria and germs that won't have any benefits for your skin, especially if you suffer with acne. 
A build of old make-up on your brushes won't help with the application of your make up either; I especially notice this when applying my foundation/CC cream. 

There's lots of different ways to clean your brushes and the method I use is simple and inexpensive. 

All you need is baby shampoo and warm running water. I use Johnson's Baby Shampoo as it is a really gentle formula that leaves no residue and if it's safe for babies then it should be harmless for your brushes. 


When cleaning my brushes, I use a small amount of shampoo in the palm of my hand and swirl the damp brush around until the make-up breaks down and then I rinse the brush and my hand under warm water. It's really important to squeeze the bristles and ensure that all the soapy residue is washed away.


Another option that I have tried and tested is olive oil, used in the same way as the shampoo. The oil will break down the make-up on your brushes but I found it difficult to remove all the oil residue from my brushes (using shampoo) and it extended the time it took to complete the dreaded chore! :( 

Drying the brushes can take a long time; ideally I leave my over night (another reason why I dislike this chore lol). If you're in a rush, you could blow dry the brushes using a hair dryer on cool setting,  however, I wouldn't recommend this as you may find your brushes lose their natural shape. 
I much prefer to leave my own hair to dry naturally so I do the same for my brushes.

I leave my brushes to dry on a towel whilst they stand upright. Leaving your brushes to dry in this position is so important as it allows any water to drain away from the glue inside the barrel holding all the bristles in place. 
Half way through the drying process, I like to swirl the brushes around either on the towel or in my palm, just to 'fluff' them up and reshape them. 

The majority of my brushes are from the Real Techniques range by Sam and Nic Chapman from PixieWoo. You can shop for their range here!  

How do you clean your brushes?! Leave me a comment to let me know?


Emma 
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Wednesday 5 August 2015

DIY Mother's Day gift

This post is slightly out of date as Mother's Day was back in March; however I'm currently in the process of moving some of my posts from my previous blog over to this one.

I love buying my Mum gifts because I know exactly what she likes and I actually really enjoy shopping for her. I had an idea way back in January (thanks to Pinterest), of a gift idea for Mother's Day this year and it was something I could make myself which made it even more appealing to me! 

Here's what I made! 


I bought the cardboard initials from Hobbycraft and used PVA glue to stick the pictures of me and my brother on them ('E' for Emma, 'D' for Daniel and the '&' has pictures of both of us).

I printed the pictures from home and if I was going to do this again, I'd definitely recommend using a a better quality of paper and maybe even a better printer! 

I was hoping to have more pictures to fill all the gaps but as I did't have time, I opted for glitter instead.. of course :D 

I'm really excited to give this to my Mum! What have you got your Mum's for Mother's Day?!

Emma

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Tuesday 4 August 2015

Nail Care Routine





I try really hard to take good care of my nails so they stay strong and healthy. I much prefer growing out my own nails over wearing false ones as I feel it's quite an achievement to grow strong, healthy nails. 
You don't need to be a trained beautician or own expensive products to be able to keep your nails pretty and healthy. 
When I'm starting my DIY manicure I always make sure I've removed all trace of previous polish and washed my hands. 
I then file and shape my nails to make them look more identical and neat. I only ever cut my nails down short every now and again so they have a chance to regrow and gain strength. 
After filing, I use my cuticle pusher to push my cuticles back. From past experiences, I've learnt to be really gently at this stage. Next, I use the cuticle nippers to trim away all the dead skin. Again, this needs to be done carefully otherwise it can hurt! You can buy both these tools in high street drugstores or online
At this stage, I either dust my hands off or wash them again to get rid of the dead skins/nail filings. It's important that your nails are clean and dry at this point.
 
I then use Sally Hansen's VitaSurge Growth Gel which is brilliant for brittle nails. It has multi-active beads within the gel formula that release a surge of vitamins A, C & E to help nourish and treat nails to grow healthier and stronger. You can use this on bare nails or before/after you've painted your nails. For the best results, use it for 5 continuous days on bare nails. 

Once I've massaged the gel into my nails and allowed it time to absorb, I use the Sally Hansen's No More Breaks clear polish. It has an ultra-hardening formula that seals in moisture to strengthen and prevent nails from breaking. It's perfect for dry and brittle nails. It can be worn as a base coat and/or a top coat. Once this coat of polish has dried, I will move onto the last step in my routine or choose a coloured polished from my insanely large nail polish collection!



Last but by no means least, I will moisturise my hands. The lotion I've been using lately is the Fig & Rouge moisturising and soothing hand cream which I received in a GlossyBox. It smells incredible and reminds me of the sherbet dip sweets I used to love when I was younger! It absorbs into your skin really quickly and leaves your hands soft and smooth. I've been suffering with dry hands lately and this has really helped. It's also the perfect size for your handbag! 
What do you use to keep your nails strong & healthy? Leave me a comment below 😊 

Emma 
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