Not Getting Into University

Results day of 2017 was the most confusing and emotional 24 hours of my life. Watching those around me thrive, receiving confirmation of their university places, was heartbreaking. I was seemingly the only person on the planet who had hit such a low on what was supposed to be a day of celebration...

Jet lagged and panicked, I opened my results alone. Partly because I wanted to be alone, but partly because my family weren't around. Hoping desperately for 3 grade B's at A Level, the website loaded and a B, a C and a D grade stared back at me. Somewhere in my mind, I had expected to fail to achieve the entry requirements for my dream university. But the reality of the situation caused my world to crumble. I hadn't thought to prepare myself a plan in case of failure, as I couldn't bare to think that far ahead at the time. I sat looking at my results for at least 10 minutes through blurry eyes, before I decided a call to the Clearing line might be worth my while.

However this proved to be unsuccessful, as I was told my chosen degree doesn't go into clearing, and hasn't for several years now. As upset as this news made me, I couldn't cry anymore. And so I slept, I slept so I didn't have to think about the circumstances any longer. Unfortunately, you can only sleep for so long, and lo and behold I awoke to the same nightmare. Deciding that sulking was helping nobody, I began the search for the dreaded plan B. Hours later, I discovered what I like to call my saving grace. A college which was offering a course lasting 9 months, and a final chance to become a Speech Therapist at university. It appeared to be too good to be true, but as time went on I enrolled and began my scenic route to my desired career.

At present, I have been attending the course for nearing 4 months and I love it. It feels achievable, and I have more faith than ever, that by September of 2018 I will be a proud attendee of a university. What is more important though, is that there is most always another way. An alternate path is always there, if only we are astute enough to seek it. I feel so lucky that I have been given this opportunity, after the devastation I felt only a few months ago. The moral of my story is to never give up. As many times as I was told that, I never believed I was capable of soldiering on until I threw myself into this endeavour.

Push on and try not to look back, but always give 100%. After all, you don't want to look back knowing that you could've done better.

L.

So, I'm leaving school...

Firstly I'm fully aware that it has been an extremely long time since I last put up a blog post and for that I apologise profusely. I'm also aware that there are very few people who will read this, but I still feel an apology is in order. Now that's out of the way, let's begin...

In a matter of days, I depart from secondary school and my week of study leave commences and frankly, I'm emotional. 

Myself and my peers are abandoning the comfort of school and being let loose on the wonderful world of college education; I for one am ridiculously underprepared for this. Of course there are things I won't miss, like physics lessons and certain teachers... Despite the fact that there are things like those that I'll be glad to leave behind, they seem so small and irrelevant compared to the aspects of school life that I'll miss greatly. As much as I want to progress and move forward in my life, being slightly more independent is a terrifying prospect.

Exam period has already begun, but the vast majority of them are looming rather dauntingly after study leave. Oh my goodness, there is not enough time in the world for me to be ready for this stressful time in my life! 

Now, I know that GCSEs are definitely not the biggest struggle I shall conquer education-wise, as I hope to go on to sixth form after school and university after that. However, a very wise and lovely lady once told me that Challenges are relevant to here and now. I am a firm believer in this and shall carry this as a sort of mantra with me forever. 

So, the emotional side...this is the bit I wasn't expecting if I'm honest. Over the last two years at school, I've definitely become more of a sensitive soul; still, my sudden outbursts of tears recently are slightly on a ridiculous kind of level. Signing the leavers books of the people I've matured with is an emotional roller coaster let me tell you. The thought of not being able to see some of the people I hold most dearly to my heart everyday is absolutely impossible to accept and I have no clue how to come to terms with this... And now I'm aware of how soppy and strange I'm being. 

That's usually a cue to stop, Lauren.

Okay, so finally, I wish anybody going through the same thing the best of luck and all the confidence in the world... 

You'll be brilliant x

P.S: if you did read this, thank you ever so much. But if you are reading this thinking 'urm what is this weirdo doing?' then I'd just like to add that this is somewhat a momento to myself in the future as well as what I'm hoping is an entertaining post for any readers. Thanks again :) 

Under The Spotlight: Patty Walters

Hello and welcome to the first installment of Under The Spotlight! This particular post is about young musician and YouTuber, Patty Walters.

Before we get started I would like to point out that I am in no way an expert on music. I just have a large obsession with listening to music, it's one of my biggest passions.

I can't quite remember how I came across his YouTube channel, but I do know that I've seen every one of his covers since I did. Patty is my favourite cover artist and I also love his band, As It Is. Although today I am just going to focus on his solo music...

What Kinds of Songs Does He Cover?

For the most part, he covers punk/pop punk songs. However, on occasion he has been known to take popular pop songs and put an amazing pop punk twist on them, often making them better than the originals. As well as that fairly recently, Patty has begun "Punk Goes Disney". Now, I don't know about you but to me, Punk Rock + Disney = Really Good Music.

Good Quality Covers?

All the time! Patty's covers are always good quality! They all look like so much effort has been put into them; they look great and sound great. I think it's fair to say I'd give his covers a big fat 10/10.

So, How's the Voice?

I absolutley freaking love his voice! In all honesty, I believe his voice would suit every style of music. He has an amazing singing voice that is absolutley perfect for anything from post-hardcore to pop punk to soft rock.

Why Did I Subscribe?

I subscribed to Patty's music channel because I either had an existing love for the songs he had covered or was introduced to them via his channel. I really loved watching his covers and I also found myself singing what I like to call "The Patty Version" of songs.

Which Covers Would I Recommend?

There are a lot that I would recommend, and I mean an awful lot. I have tried to narrow it down for you so, without further ado and in no particular order here are the covers I would recommend to you:

• Wrecking Ball (Pop Punk Cover)
• Bite My Tongue
• The Lion King - I Just Can't Wait to Be King (Pop Punk Cover)
• If You Can't Hang
• I'm Not Okay (I Promise)
• Fall Out Boy Mashup - Sugar We're Young Volcanoes
• The Middle
• Dirty Little Secret

Visit Patty Walters' Music Channel!

And that brings the first episode of Under The Spotlight to a close, I sincerely hope that you liked it. It's probably my favourite of all the blog posts I've written, I think that Under The Spotlight may be my best idea yet! Do come back next month, as with a bit of luck there will be a second part to this series...

Thank you ever so much for reading!

Review: You've Been Mangoed Bath Melt by Lush

This Bath Melt from Lush promised to leave me surrounded in a "silky smooth bath of exquisite oils and fragrances", and boy did this product deliver...

This is the first Bath Melt I've ever tried and because of the colour of it, I kind of expected it to turn my bath water neon orange. Don't worry, it didn't (thank goodness for that, I would have been scrubbing the bath tub for yonks).

As you would imagine, this product being from Lush and all, it smelled heavenly. Not only did it smell subtly of Mango, but this little wedge of goodness, also smelled of refreshing lemons (I apologise for being vague, I am awful at describing smells).

Bath Melts are super nourishing and clearly very beneficial to the skin; After my bath my skin felt super soft. The ingredients in it obviously weren't too overpowering for me as my skin wasn't irritated by them.

I would recommend you give this product a whirl if you like citrus scents, or you're a fan of Lush Bath Melts and you have yet to try this one. At the very least, you should find a Lush store, find this and give it a mighty whiff. You won't regret it, I swear.

A (fairly) short and sweet review from me today because I am not much of an expert on this topic, I hope you liked reading it!

You've Been Mangoed Bath Melt (Lush Website)

The Winter Blues

The period after Christmas time can be an emotionally challenging time for a lot of us. For me once Christmas is over I can feel really down in the dumps and I don't seem to enjoy any work that I have to do. I find myself not putting my heart into even the most enjoyable of things and simply feeling gloomy.

To drag myself out of this silly January mess I try to use these little nuggets of advice:

1.

Perhaps the most important nugget of advice, the first is to get motivated. Now, I know what you're thinking; sometimes this can be the most difficult thing to do. However, I suggest doing something you seriously wish to be involved in. In my case, I immersed myself in one of my passions, Fashion Photography. This helped to make me feel much happier.

2.

Surround yourself with good people. Friends and Family are key to heaving yourself out of The Winter Blues. My circle of friends and my family are wonderful. Often their happiness will rub off on me and this is why I also reccomend trying to cut out negativity from your life. 

3.

Don't Sweat The Small Stuff. 

Don't get het up on unimportant issues that may be out of your control. Think about the significant things that might not be life changing but could be crucial to how contented you are.


And those are my pieces of advice! I hope that this has helped in some way, but if it has not, I guarantee that a recent video from the one and only Tyler Oakley will give you some brilliant life advice:

The Only Life Advice You Need - Tyler Oakley

Rather unusually, this has been more of a personal post today and writing this was quite therapeutic for me. Thank you for reading <3

A Festive Film Review: Frozen

As a Disney lover and also a great lover of films, I got quite excited about new Disney animation Frozen. I obviously love the Classic Disney films such as The Lion King, The Little Mermaid and Finding Nemo but  I have taken a liking to rather a lot of the newer ones as well. Now, I know that this film has been out in cinemas for a while and I apologise for my lateness, but lets get started on the review!

Frozen is a girly, feel-good film packed with good songs, giggle-worthy jokes and a great plot...

Sisters Princess Elsa and Princess Anna were very close as young girls but one day Elsa has to set herself apart from everybody else because of her astonishing abilities with ice, consequently rejecting Anna's attention. Anna never remembers why her attention is rejected, as all memory of Elsa's magical yet deadly powers using ice have been erased from her mind.

Princess Elsa hides away for years in an attempt to cover up her power, very rarely crossing paths with her sister, until she comes of age and must take the crown and become Queen of Arendelle. After the coronation Elsa loses her control and her temper thus revealing her secret to the town. Now the Queen of Arendelle, Elsa is terrified of what her power can do and takes off, leaving the kingdom Frozen by mistake.

Anna takes it upon herself to bring her sister back to Arendelle as the state the kingdom has been left in is putting all residents in danger. She travels for a long time with ice trader, Kristoff and his trusty reindeer Sven, desperately searching for Elsa before others attempt to end the permanent winter by killing her.

I relished this film and it made me feel all warm and fuzzy (you know what I mean, right?). Similar to most Disney animations it was heart-warming and I enjoyed it a lot. There is no doubt I will be purchasing this Festive Film on DVD when it's released.

I didn't think new Disney cartoon films could get any better than Tangled (released in 2010) and if I am being totally honest with you... I prefer Tangled. This is just my opinion and you may feel differently, if so let me know your thoughts!

Which do you think is better Tangled or Frozen? 

Is there any other Disney cartoon movies you think rank higher than both of these?

I put quite a lot of effort into this blog post and so I hope you enjoy reading it!

P.S:  Recently I joined Bloglovin' and added a link which enables you to follow me to my blog. If you do enjoy my blog, I would really appreciate if you went and followed it over on Bloglovin'. Thank you so much <3

Beauty Favourites of 2013

In 2013 I tried and tested lots of beauty products and I loved an awful lot of them. I attempted to narrow them down into a short list but I Get The Feeling this could be a long post so let's get started!

Cleanser

L'Oreal Skin Perfection 3 in 1 Purifying Micellar Solution

I have greatly depended on this cleanser this year, it's basically all I've used to remove makeup and it does a good job. I purchased this because I heard that it was very similar to Bioderma Micelle Solution which costs more but does more or less the same job. It doesn't irritate my sensitive skin and it gets rid of waterproof mascara without requiring me to scrub at my eyes with a cotton pad.

Primer

No.7 Airbrush Away Primer

This is the first primer I've ever used and I think its great. I don't use this product all over my face before foundation, just in the places where my makeup doesn't seem to last very well. It does change the way my makeup looks and it lasts much much longer. I received a sample of this product and the sample has lasted a while; however I looked into purchasing it and it was quite expensive compared to other drugstore brands. I don't feel like it's good value for money, but if you're willing to pay it's a good product (it isn't ridiculously costly but I think it could be cheaper).

Concealer

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer

I know that everybody has raved about this concealer but it is truly fabulous and works wonders on spots, dark circles under the eye and redness. The only bad thing I can say about this concealer is that when the colder months arrive, it's very drying and doesn't look good as I have dry skin anyway. But during warmer months it is my must-have product! 

Maybelline Fit Me Concealer

This is my must-have product during the Winter months. Whilst it doesn't quite have the amazing coverage of the Collection concealer, it is far more moisturising and suits my dry skin better when the cold threatens to ruin my makeup.

Eyes

Maybelline 24hr Colour Tattoo - On And On Bronze

The 24hr Colour Tattoos are cream eye shadows and make great bases for your eye shadow. On and On Bronze is my favourite shade because I wear a lot of neutral shades of eye shadow and it's pretty yet understated. It makes my eye shadow stay put and looks great on its own. You can be quite generous when applying it, making it look darker, although it looks just as nice if applied lightly. 

17 Eyeshadow Trio - Metallic Toffee

A trio of pretty neutral shades that are good quality, long lasting and really good value for money. 17 have been a stand-out brand for me and I've never been disappointed with their products. There are other super pretty trios from 17 but this is my favourite.

Lips

17 Stay Pout Lipstick - Make an Entrance

This lipstick has been my staple lip colour throughout the year; it's a gorgeous matte red with orange tones. It lasts for ages because it stains the lips and looks great all day. I think it's perfect for daytime or night-time and looks beautiful with a subtle or heavy eye makeup look.

Maybelline Baby Lips Lip Balm - Cherry Me

This tinted lip balm is really moisturising and nourishing. I love wearing this because its subtle and doesn't need maintaining as much as a lipstick would. Quite possibly the best thing about this tinted lip balm is the smell. It smells delicious. It smells just like Cherry Drops. I really like the look of the Peach Kiss Baby Lips as well and I would love to try them all.

And that is the complete list of my favourite beauty products from 2013, I hope you enjoyed it! I'd also like to wish you a very Happy New Year and I hope the new year brings everything you desire <3


What were your beauty favourites of last year?