For the past two months I've included my monthly Spotify playlist in the same post as my monthly edit but being someone who likes order, the playlists always looked out of place so I've decided to give it its own post that will go up at exactly the same time as my monthly round up just to make me feel a bit better about the aesthetics and you then are getting two posts in a day! This month's playlist is quite a short and slow one mainly but I've been loving it and I hope you do too!
They've re done Spotify and no longer seem to have the option to embed the html but the direct link is here. Let me know if you experience any problems with the link and I hope you enjoy!
What have you been listening to this month?
Hope you're doing great,
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What's been going on on my blog this last month?  In my opinion, this month on my blog was a bit if not a lot better than last months; I felt more passionate about my posts and enjoyed writing the majority of them. I started the month reflecting on my high school years with my tips on "Surviving Your Last Year Of High School". I then shared "17 Things" which was 17 things I've learnt in 17 years- as I turned 17 in January- it's something I've been wanting to write for myself more than anything. I then put up "Pen Pals Wanted "where I expressed how I've always wanted a pen pal and the perks of having one. "Recently Read #8" came and it wasn't the most exciting I will admit but I'm trying to expand my reading genres recently so we'll see what the next one includes! I then shared "A Few Recent Purchases" and then a very exiting post which is my first giveaway: "Geek Girl Review and Giveaway"; the giveaway is also still open if you're interested in entering. I next wanted to explore an aspect I've not yet explored on my blog and that's writing tips and so I shared my ways of "Defeating Writers Block". It's very different to the tips I usually give but I enjoyed writing and it's something I want to slowly introduce into my blog if you're interested so please let me know your honest opinions! To finish the month off I shared my "Spring Make Up Refreshand as this goes up so does the post for my Monthly Playlist which I've decided to give its own post!


What blog posts have I enjoyed this month? Helen always has great tips on a blog and her "Tips And Tricks: Contacting Brands and PR" was no different. It seems to be a big secret that some bloggers keep that they go to brands directly and act as though brands just find them but recently people have been a lot more open in saying that they do contact brands themselves and I'm glad about that and Helen is one of those who feels comfortable in sharing this information and giving good tips as well! Amy always has great book and writing posts on her blog and it's a blog I can say I take a lot of inspiration from when writing my own blog posts. Her post entitled "10 Ways to Share Your Love of Books". This is such a good idea fro a post and one that's encouraged me to do a few of the things she included in her post. Alannah has to be one of my favourite people in the blogging world. She is one of the only blogs that I read every single word included in her posts. I love her writing and I'm so excited when she posts. Her post "Unapologetically Me" was no different to her other posts I love and I could really relate to about struggling to write about the things you want to write about in the way you want to and that other people would also like. Finally, Kerry posted about feminism and the use of the word which I loved. It was entitled "Problems with Feminism" and highlighted some of the problems I have myself with the movement. It's something I've been contemplating writing about myself in the coming month and, if anything, this post has encouraged me to voice my opinion but, for the moment, Kerry's post is definitely one to check out!



What I've loved this month: The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E.Lockhart & Spotify.



What I've lusted after: Books, books and more books!



What's coming up next month? Right now I'm not too sure; I'm hoping to plan this next few months out in more detail due to exams approaching but expect more Recently Reads as well as more opinions posts. I'm thinking of focusing a lot more of my posts on books and personal rather than make up in the coming future so I hope that's ok with you. I will still be including beauty posts, they just won't be as often as they have been so don't hate me for that!



My March TBRs: With revision I can already predict that reading will be at a minimal but I think I'll have time for my Penguin Little Black Classics as well The Explorer by James Smythe which I'm currently reading. I have a personal aim to try and devour my TBR list over the coming months but that's not stopping from putting in a potentially big book order from Amazon so we will see!


That's this month all wrapped up and be sure to check out my Playlist post that accompanies this post!
What's something that really stands out to you from the past month?
Hope you're doing great,
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It seems that I'm sat here writing this post with the sun shining through the clouds and it's not already getting dark, it's raining and it's definitely not snowing! With Easter round the corner spring has started and so I thought I would share with you a few changes I've made to my everyday make up recently for this spring season.

It seems to be all about the dewy skin, my face but better this year which was similar to last year however I never jumped onto that band wagon but I'm hitching a ride this year with some of my new Bourjois purchases. The first change is the Bourjois Happy Light Luminous Primer. I've been using this for a few weeks now and I've loved using it! I have dry skin all year round (even on the hottest of days) and this doesn't cling to any patches, it illuminates my skin as well as prolonging the wear of my make up. As it stands my current everyday foundation is the Rimmel Match Perfection and I think I'll be using that on most days. However, sticking to no make up make up look for spring, I may occasionally reach for my The Body Shop BB Cream. I used this throughout summer last year and I really loved it to give my skin a little boost. It's the lightest coverage you could imagine but, for me, it still gives my face that extra bit of an oomph to my base.

 A few bits haven't changed. The Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer is still a staple especially with The Body Shop BB Cream being so sheer; I will say no more about the concealer side of things- I'll be saying everything I've said once before!I'm still in love with my L'oreal Glam Bronze Bronzer which was released and bought straight away by myself around this time last year and there's no signs of hitting pan even after a year of using it almost everyday. An all over bronze is great for me. Sticking to a well loved blush is the Elf Candid Coral Blush. The light shimmer running through the light orange blush gives your skin that extra little highlight and I find it really lifts my face. I absolutely love this blush as you probably already know.

For Powder I tend to switch between my Soap & Glory One Heck of A Blot and my Rimmel Stay Matte. With my S&G powder coming to and end, I've started to ration the usage and try and use my Rimmel one more. If you like an extreme spring glow, I would opt for the Rimmel Powder as it lets a lot more of  your natural oils through I find.

As for eyes it changes everyday but it'll usually be something simple and using my Naked Basics palette for natural look as well as using it for my eyebrows. Lips is also something that is an occasional thing and will change depending on what I'm doing but my new Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet in Nude-ist has been a hit with me and the colour is a great one for spring in my eyes.

As you can tell I like sticking to products I know but I've been venturing out into the Bourjois world and I'm impressed! What changes do you make to your make up in spring?
Hope you're doing great,
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 (please refrain from trying to read the writing in the above picture. If you do proceed please bear in mind it was from years ago and is highly embarrassing)

I love to write; not just blog writing but writing anything and when writer's block strikes it's the worst. Of the years I've had my fair share of writing dry spells as all my ideas have been written down and I have no more and I'm sure many of you keen writers have experienced the same. Writer's block is just a massive inconvenience and all the greats will have experienced at least once in their writing time. I've found that it's not preventing writer's block that needs to be done but to make the most out of having writer's block is the only way I find to defeat it. I thought I would share a few tips with you.

READING is a great way to gather inspiration- read anything and everything you can; the newspaper, old books, leaflets, junk mail you get in the post- I've come to realise that inspiration can spring from anywhere and it's mostly to come from the most unexpected places. While reading all these things as well as many books, I keep a small notebook and pen handy so I can write down any words or phrases that I feel I could do something with in future writing projects- make my own WORD BANK. It doesn't have to be a complex word, just I word that I liked the look of no matter how common it is; a single word maybe the key to a new story idea. 

Another thing I do is, if you have work in the making, I READ OVER AND RE-DRAFT because I find I am most critical when suffering from writer's block and so it can actually help me give myself some harsh criticism and make my previous works better and more precise.

This goes along with my next tip which is to JUST WRITE! Open a notebook or a word document and just write anything that comes to mind. My writer's block has consumed me so much in the passed that I've found myself writing pages about having writer's block(a little ironic really). I find myself writing letters to people that I won't send but it really clears my mind- to passed friends, celebrities that I have questions I desperately need answering. I will write paragraphs filled with cliches but I don't care because no one's going to see it. It gets all the cliches out of my writing system so I can start to fill it with my own unique phrases and work. Writing about random topics is a great way to get the creative juices flowing. If you'd like me to write a post full of WRITING PROMPTS in the future then be sure to let me know!

This, I guess, is contradiction (a great word to add to the word bank!) and that is to TAKE A BREAK! It's amazing what a few days or weeks or even months can do to help you get back in to the swing of things and ready to spew words out in the thousands. Finally, DON'T PRESSURE YOURSELF; like I said, every writer struggles with writer's block at some point in your life and so if you can't bring yourself to even write a coherent sentence then don't. You'll want to pick up a pen soon enough and the words will fly out the end!

I hope this helped all you keen writers who have been in this situation! Let me know if you'd like a post with some writing prompts for those with writer's block!
How do you defeat writer's block yourself?
Hope you're doing great,
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A few weeks ago Harper Collins* sent me out the new addition to the Young Adult series Geek Girl (facebook page here). This was actually a book I'd see in Waterstone's while I was still in high school and I'd eye it up every time. As I got older I just forgot about it and, while I'm now a little old for the series, when I got the chance to receive the first book as well as the new addition "Geek Girl All That Glitters", I jumped at the chance! They have also kindly sent me an extra copy to give away to one of you lovely people!
I'm yet to read the fourth book but as for the first book, I think it's a great one for anyone just starting out with reading and to open the gates of the Young Adult genre. 

It's about a girl named Harriet Manners who's a geek(surprisingly), who doesn't have many friends but after visiting the Clothes Show Live in Birmingham, she has the chance to reinvent herself. I love that this book is set in England and most teens interested in beauty and fashion know what the Clothes Show Live is and,having been there myself, I could really picture the setting. The story takes inspiration from the author, Holly Smales, and her own life as she was spotted at 15 years old by a London Modelling Agency herself who, after two years of modelling, went to Uni to graduate and pursue a writing career and hey presto! She writes a book!

Geek Girl has won so many awards since the release in 2013 and if that doesn't indicate that it's a great book for the younger readers then nothing will! I think this is a great one for if you're around 12-15 as it talks about self discovery and being different throughout high school.
As for the fourth book, I don't want to ruin anything (but if there's a fourth book, her life she must be still a little interesting)but just to say it goes from Harriet being in high school to Sixth form College as she tries to fit in and find new friends. Being at sixth form myself, I think I will enjoy reading this and,while I will have missed the middle two books out, I don't think that will matter all too much as I think it's a story line you can just pick up; expect a full review of that book in the coming weeks!

Now on to the giveaway. Harper Collins kindly sent me a hardback copy of Geek Girl All That Glitters by Holly Smales a long with these amazing red glasses that you can see me modelling in the above photos. Because I haven't done a giveaway before I thought I would throw in a few extras that I think would be great to wear with glasses. Red lips always looks amazing with glasses so I'll be sending you one of my favorite red lipsticks which is 17 Stay Pout In Infared. Winged eye liner, while I can't really pull it off with my hooded eyelids, looks great with glasses so I'll be also sending the lovely winner the Collection Extreme 24 hour Felt Tip Liner. That was going to be it but the I spotted the Make Up Revolution Redemption Palette in Romantic Smoked which is a gorgeous palette! To enter there's a Raffle Copter widget below to fill in and I will contact the winner via twitter or email left on the entry information. Also to bear in mind it's only open for those in the UK & Ireland due to postage but I may do giveaways in the future that are open internationally!



A Giveaway is something a little different to normal but I hope you enjoy it all the same! Also ignore the small mistake of asking your email twice just fill it in anyway and you get an entry haha also the "Invent Your Own Option" I change a million times and just didn't want to play ball.
Hope you're doing great,
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I always find it hard to keep on top of what I've shown I've bought and what I've not so instead of rifling through my draws trying to work out what I've already mentioned, I thought I would share just the favourite things I've bought over the past few months. I've decided to not include include clothes in these posts as I feel it's hard to depict them ad all their beauty and the photos just won't do it justice and so it's just a few books and a few bits of make up.

Obviously, I've bought more books then just these three but you'll see them all in due course so I thought I'd just show you three books I'm very excited about. Penguin have recently(I think) released 80 Little Black Penguin Classics for just 80p each! I was so excited about this because 1. They're a bargain and 2. I'm really wanting to tart exploring new genres and I think this a great way to start as they include so many different classic authors such as Charles Dickens and Jane Austen to name just two. The first I picked up was No.29 How We Weep and Laugh at the Same Thing by Michel de Montaigne. The premise of this book just really interested me and one I think I'll enjoy. Next was No.77 A Slip Under The Microscope by H.G Wells. From the small synopsis on the back I'm gathering science fiction which isn't a genre I usually venture into but I've always been interested as what generations before us thought was science fiction. The last 80p book my actually picked up but I paid for it so it's living in my room and it's No. 67 It Was Snowing Butterflies by Charles Darwin. Again, what I can gather from the vague blurb is that this is Darwin's account of the "Beagle's momentous voyage". Another that interests me as learning about Darwin briefly at GCSE made me want to learn more about his explorations and so this was the perfect opportunity to read a bit more about him.The fact there are numerical is kind of making me want to buy more so I might do soon! I also think these are great as gifts so if you have a friend or family member who's a keen reader I'd definitely have a look for these!

For Make up, it was a rare occurrence for me to spend money on Bourjois. If you've read my "Too Pale For Beauty?" post you will know my problems with the Bourjois shade range but I've been wanting to try out a few products for a while so I thought I'd just see how it goes. The first thing I picked up is one thing I've wanted since release a year or so ago and that's the 1 2 3 CC Cream(£9.99). I've been on the hunt for a foundation for spring/summer and I remembered wanting this last year so I thought I'd pick it up. First impressions are good and the colour match isn't perfect isn't perfect but isn't too bad or too orange. Another purchase for spring and summer is the Happy Light Illuminous Primer(£10.99). I'm running low on my L'oreal Blur Cream and felt I would pick a more season appropriate primer. at £10.99, it's definitely on the pricey primer side of things but, again, so far so good! Bourjois is one of the more expensive high street beauty brands so I took full advantage of the 3 for 2 and, after picking up the previous items, I picked up something else I've been lusting after and that's the Rouge Edition Velvet in 07 Nude-ist(£7.99). The colour is gorgeous and one I know I'm going to be wearing non-stop. The smell is a little funky and the applicator isn't the best I've had but the formula is to die for!

Lastly, a non-beauty or book purchase but I have to mention it as I love it and that's my new Iphone 5S case(£4.99). I got it from Amazon and I've loved it. Apart from my friend Jacob, all I've received is compliments on it! I'm very picky when it comes to phone cases for some reason but I'm satisfied with this one and I know I'll be using it for ages now!

These are my favourite purchases from the past month! What've you bought recently?
Hope you're doing great,


It has been longer than I wanted since I wrote my last recently read and I blame one of the books I have read. I was going to wait till I'd read another book to add to this post but I decided to do a full review(and giveaway!) in a week or so and so I thought I would just include three books this time. Let me know if you like more or less books included in each post!

The True History Of The Kelly Gang by Peter Carey.
This is the second book I've had to read for English after In Cold Blood and my opinion can not be more different as I really didn't like this book. It's definitely not for my age group I feel and the book was a real chore to read. I found it hard to understand the whole story with the narrator being Ned Kelly, a member of the Kelly family who had a poor education so only uses the grammar of full stops and question marks. I think I might of been able to cope with this if it wasn't for the amount of speech throughout that, without speech marks, was very hard to tell when something was spoken or not. The book was about an Irish family who had emigrated to Australia and they received bad education and were always in trouble with the police. They turned into a group of Robin Hood style criminals who would steal from the rich and give to the poor. To me, this was the worst book I've read in my spare time and as a college/school set text and I wouldn't recommend to any young girl because it was just boring. Maybe if you're interested in Australian history? Because of this book, it was a slow start for reading this month so I needed some easy reads to follow.

The Manifesto On How To Be Interesting by Holly Bourne.
I actually read this book before the Kelly Gang and I enjoyed it. It's about a girl named Bree who isn't noticed around school unless the mean girls were calling her names. She's a  keen writer and, after being turned down by all publishers, Bree thinks she should make her life more interesting to inspire her writing. She sets up a blog where she can write own her thoughts during her project to become interesting. When first reading the book, right from the start I couldn't stand Bree and I hated to hate her because, you find out very early on, that she self-harms. This is a problem I have with a lot of books who cover the topic of self-harm and suicide etc. I hated the way that he was becoming a bully herself  However, I was happy to find that I did start to like her right at the end and it's the first book that's bought a tear to my eye in a while. Being based on English school I could really relate to it and each of the characters I could think of an equivalent to someone at my own school. I think this is one to read if you're in your final years of high school and it reflects how school life is right now. It is a very cliche YA novel but it had something more to it that I loved and I do recommend it. 

The Duff by Kody Keplinger. 
From one fairly Cliche YA novel to another. After seeing all the trailers to the film adaptation that's just been released in America, I really wanted to read the book. The main character is Bianca who know's she's not the prettiest but when Hamilton High's Jock Womanizer Wesley refers to her as the DUFF (Designated Ugly Fat Friend), she becomes very insecure. Paired with problems going on at home, she finds her self finding relief in a way she would have never expected. Here I've given a brief summary that gives less spoilers away from the blurb of the book as read the blurb and you might feel there's no need to read the book because it gives so much away! I could tell straight away where the story was going to go but that didn't stop me enjoying it. I couldn't connect and relate to it as much as othr books such as the book mentioned above but I still really enjoyed it. It's definitely one I'd recommend to friends who love the YA romance genre and love a good cliche story. From the trailers I've seen of the film, it's completely different from the book but I think I'm going to love it. 

I feel like this a quick Recently Read this time. I never know how many books to include so let me know if you'd like more books in each post or if you would like to see more individual book reviews.
What've you read recently? Any Recommendations?
Hope you're doing great,
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I've always been a lover of all things handwritten. There's something about the way someone write that tells you a lot about them. It sounds like a such author things to say but it's what I think. There's something about receiving mail that makes me happy. I've never received a hand written letter; just bank statements, catalogs and parcels come through my door and while they're really exciting, I would love to get a letter from someone new telling me about them and their day in their only lovely writing on a piece of scrap lined paper. That would suit me fine. 

After receiving a book for my birthday which has in it different envelopes with different topics to send to your future self. I love this idea and I've filled out a few but I don't want to waste a piece paper that's so pretty and only one of them. I want to be able to fill a page with everything I'm thinking and not be afraid to make a mistake that I have to just put a line through. 

I've always found it easier to talk to people I barely know. I know, strangers on the internet and all that malarkey but I don't really care who's one the other end of the screen, they've let me listen and type meaningless ramblings and they've done the same; if only they were real letters and I could trust them that little bit more to be a real person on the other end. 

What I'm trying to say is that I've always wanted a pen pal and I've never found a way of having one apart from my french exchange letters but then there was only a few exchanged and my French teacher posted them and it was hard to really say what you want and we just spoke about what we looked like and how many pets we had-dead or alive- and how old my parents were etc. I really want someone I can just write to.

A couple of years ago I had one of my mad ideas, which I still think about and want to happen, and I set up a Tumblr to try and help teens find a pen pal. People would submit a bit about them and what they want in a pen pal and I would try my best to pair them up well. It was a hard thing to tackle on my own an it soon failed a pairing a few people. I'm not sure if either ever sent a letter to the other but, who knows, I like to think I started something that was worth starting and maybe one day worth carrying on. After giving up I realised I never managed to find myself someone to send letters to and years have past I still haven't but I've come to the realization that now, here on my blog, I have the chance to change that again. I love my audience and I class you all as friends- I mean, you know a lot of what I like and you know of where I'm from and what I look like so I feel we know each other slightly already and from this I hope that maybe one of you are wanting a pen pal just like me. I'm afraid that what I'm implying may come across slightly creepy and like I've mad a wrong turn in finding a dating website but all this is about is finding someone to talk to and write silly little letters to every few weeks. 

I think having a pen pal is something we should all have a way of escaping technology for once.
Have you got a pen pel already?
Hope you're dong great, 
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In January I turned 17 and over those 17 years I'd like to think I've learnt a thing or two or, in this case, 17 things and today I thought I'd share with you the 17 things I've learnt in 17 years.

  1. Trust Yourself.  Sometimes you'll find the only person you can trust is you and so keep it that way. Trust your own instincts so if they're wrong you've only got yourself to blame.
  2. Make time for the things you love. Life doesn't always have to be stressful. Find something you enjoy and make time for it.
  3. You always have a choice.  If you don't want to do something, don't feel forced if you really don't want to. 
  4. Once you have an idea run with it. 
  5. Nothing lasts forever. Your friends now won't always be your friends.
  6. Why care what others think? Be yourself no matter what and people will love you for who you are.
  7. Don't make the same mistakes twice; there's not point. I had a bob cut and hated it and then a few year later I did again. Never make the same mistake twice- there's no time to.
  8. Embrace opportunities.  They may only come around once.
  9. Passions can change. 
  10. Inspiration can come from anywhere.
  11. To reach a goal, a lot of hard work is needed.
  12. Hard work will always pay off. 
  13. You can always do better. Push yourself to the limits and the results will be better than expected. 
  14. Confidence is just like any other life skill; you have to learn it. You aren't born with confidence, it takes time to gain and slowly you will if you believe you have confidence. 
  15. Life isn't easy. There are bumps in the road so be prepared.
  16. Appreciate everything you have. There's always some worse off than yourself.
  17. Do what you want. It's your life, all decisions are your own.
What is a life lesson you try to stick by?
Hope you're doing great,
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It was last year I was in year 11 and preparing to take my GCSEs. We were told they'd be stressful but not as stressful as I'd expected. Through out the course of the year, I had above my fair share of breakdowns and if I could go back now with the information I now know I would but, while with the technology of today isn't at that point yet, I thought I might try and help those of you that are survive your last year of high school with these few tips I have. 

Plan your revision. This is one thing I managed to do right. I wrote down all the subjects I had my exams in and then counted the topics I have and split my time accordingly making sure I have regular breaks and doing revision to the best of my ability. I've wrote a few posts in the past filled with revision tips that are two of my most popular posts which you can read here and here and I'm already planning some new tips to share with you so let me know if that's something you would like to read in the next few weeks. Planning and doing in depth revision does pay off. 

GCSEs aren't the end of the world. While this does slightly contradict my last post, you just need to get the balance right. Plan and revise through out the year but don't spend a full year having a non-existing social life. Make time for the things you enjoy and if you don't do as well as you hope it really isn't the end of the world as there are always other options to reach you career goals and, if you want to go to college, they may be lenient with your results. While they may seem like the hardest thing in the world at the time A Levels are much harder so enjoy the ease while you can. 

Try and enjoy it. This may be the last time you see a lot of these people due to everyone's lives becoming a lot more hectic after year 11 so make sure you spend your time well and with your friends. This is something I didn't do and it did annoy me that I spent so much time occupied and over working that I didn't manage to enjoy myself enough and it was only when it came to prom that enjoyed myself the most and by the the year was already up. You don't want your last year of college to be filled with bad memories. 

Come to terms that high school is not forever. College or life after college ca come as a massive shock if you don't prepare. To put it bluntly, a lot of those people you class as friends will no longer be there the same time next year. You need to try your best to  remember that things do get harder and more tiring. When I think about it, while I hated it at times, some of my best an fondest memories are from my time at high school and I want to remember them. You can't stay at high school forever and accept that things are going to change fairly massively.

I hope these tips help any of you in your last year of high school. 
Have you got any tips yourself?
Hope you're doing great,


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