August Favourites

What a month. Summer came (for a few days), summer left but if I'm being perfectly honest, I'm so happy Autumn's finally here. Candles, crispy leaves and Halloween, bring it on.
My first all around favorite is John Green. After reading the book Paper Towns by John Green and hearing about the movie premier, I wasn't sure whether to be thrilled or scared. In conjunction with The Fault in Our Stars and Looking for Alaska (still to read the others), the book was amazing. I had a clear image of how all the characters looked  and acted that I didn't want altering by the movie. However, I went to see the film anyway (mainly because Cara plays Margo and Issac from The Fault in our Stars is Quentin) and I'm so glad I did. First may I say the casting for mini Q and Margo was spotless. I wish the scene when they are together at the window lasted longer because it was so adorable. I also think Cara's attitude and personality fits the role of Margo faultlessly. There is also a surprise cameo. 'I like snakes'.

Then there's Inside Out. What is it with this month and great films? I saw this movie while on holiday in Wales as a rainy day retreat and to be perfectly honest I wasn't expecting much. To give a quick summery of the film, Riley is a happy, 11 year old girl who's life gets turned upside down when her dad gets a new job in San Francisco. Like all of us, Riley is guided by her emotions, the little people inside her head, who are located at head quarters. While Riley and her emotions are finding it hard to adjust to her new life, Joy and Sadness disappear leaving anger, fear and disgust behind. The reason I loved this film so much is because people are so absent minded when it comes to mental health, this movie portrays the ups and downs of growing up in a way anyone can relate to.

I don't know why, but there's something about water colour paints that make me so happy. Maybe it's the variety of colour range or the soft, gentle application but whatever it is, I have loved painting with them recently. This set actually belongs to my sister and as you can see, it's well loved.

What are have been your favourites this month?

What's in my schoolbag?

School. Before you all groan just think, it's Autumn now! My favorite season of candles, pumpkin spice and crispy leaves. For any of you who have already started school, I hope this has been a great first week back and I sympathize. 

This year I opted for a backpack as I find them so much more durable and easy on the old shoulders (R.I.P Melissa winged handbag). The one I chose is from Hollister and has a front pocket which I am using to store papers and my head pones and two compartments on the inside. I can fit SO much in this bag which worries me as to how much junk I will accumulate inside.

The first item in my school bag is a book. Currently in my bag is Will Grayson Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan. I'm really excited to start reading this book as John Green is one of my favourites and I've heard great things about David Levithan.

Also, if your school doesn't provide them, include a planner or notebook to jot down any homework and your timetable. This will help you stay so much more organised and avoid forgetting things.

Next is another necessity for me and is a pencil case with pens, pencils, calculator, ruler, rubber, colouring pencils, protractor, ect. I cannot stand having stray pencils in my bag or blazer which is why I keep them together in a pretty pencil case. The one I'm using is from the Ted Baker range at Boots which is linked here.

Then I have my glasses, water bottle and lunchbox because school dinners are blugh.

This post was a collab with three friends which I will link below. 

Sam Worlds Wonder Pastel Blasts Prettily Painted

What day do you go back to school/collage?

Rimmel Wake me Up Foundation Review

This foundations is an honest medium coverage with off yellow, pinky  

undertones. One thing that drew me to the product in the first place was the fact it contains peptides. They are chains of amino acids that help illuminate and add elasticity to replenish skin. 

I prefer using my beauty blender to apply this foundation as opposed to a flat foundation brush as it creates a more dewy, flawless finish. I firstly pump a small amount of product to the back of my hand and distribute it evenly across my whole face. Then I use the tapered side of the sponge to buff the product into my skin, focusing mainly on under my eyes and the sides of my nose.  Then I dust a small amount of powder to my T zone. The powder I have been using is Clarins.

I love the overall outcome of this product as the coverage is very sheer and the hint of glitter gives skin a healthy, radiant glow. The neutral tones make it easy to blend and the pump applicator makes it easier to control how much product you are using.

However, the limited shades available lean slightly towards the orange side. I bought the shade Ivory which is the lightest available which looks great when first applied but fades  throughout the day.

I would not repurchase this foundation as there are so many more I would like to try but I will be keeping this is my collection. By the end of the day a lot of the colour has worn off and would need re applying but for £5.99 it's a steal.

Have you tried this foundation? What are your thoughts on it?

Advice for starting highschool

Whether you're just starting year 7 or you've just finished year 11, we can all remember the 'dreaded' first day of high school. If i'm going to be perfectly honest, I found it hard. Making new friends, new responsibilities and being the youngest is tough.

#1 Be open minded, smile and have the right mindset.

This is especially important if you're the only one from your primary  school. Chances are, you've already had transition days and met some new friends. If not, take this as a fresh start to meet new people. We don't get many of them in life. Having the mindset that you are going to enjoy the year and make new friends is going to get you further than thinking you're going to hate it. Who wants to be around negative attitudes anyway? Also, this takes me to smiling. Year 7 was the year I got my braces. I would not open my mouth for anybody, which gave teachers and other students the wrong impression. People were genuinely scared of approaching me and teachers pulled me behind after lesson to ask me why I was so depressed. Nobody cares if you have braces, later in the year it will be the norm anyway. Smile and embrace it, a couple years down the line and your teeth will be perfect.

#2 Do not worry if you don't settle into a friendship group straight away.

Me and one of my best friends were talking about this the other day. She described it as the 'trial and error stage'. You may come up to high school with friends who soon disappear. That's how it worked for me. My best friend at the time was in a different form to me, and made a new best friend who shared lessons with her. I did the same and befriended two lovely girls who I am still in contact with today. Sadly, one became home schooled and the other had to move away for family reasons. This made me feel upset but also allowed me the opportunity to make more friends. My point is, don't put all your eggs in one basket. Branch out and make friends with people from a whole variety of primary schools. I'm in year 9 now, and have some of the greatest friends I could ever ask for. It takes time to figure out who your real friends are. It is usually tough times that reveal the greatest friends.

#3 Okay my final point and one of the most important. Get enough sleep!

You may think that because you're older now, you don't need as much sleep. Bearing in mind I have to get up at 7 am on a school day, I go to bed at 9:30 pm and I'm almost 14. You will not be able to concentrate in lesson the next day if you stayed up late. Here's a list of the things I find work the best to help me drift off:

1. Turn my phone onto do not disturb at 8 pm. This means I will not hear any notifications throughout the night, tempting me to check them.
2. Complete homework as I get it so I don't have it on my mind before I go to sleep.
3. Listen to relaxing music through headphones. I find it hard to relax at night (as I'm not doing anything my mind starts to wander), and this really helps me settle.
4. Pack my bag and prepare clothes for the next day when I get home. Again, this is one less thing to worry about.

Make the most of your first year at high school and remember: it's whatever you make it.

What year are you in? What advice do you have to offer to people starting high school?

     

How to Make Cake Pops

Happy August 1st!

I've been in County Durham all this week camping hence no new blog posts. I'm just going to quickly outline my week then I'll show you how to make these beauties!

So I arrived in the county on Saturday and left on Friday night. Throughout the week we did tomahawk throw (Darrel's request, you throw an axe into a tree basically), archery, pioneering, rifling, abseiling, climbing and toboggan run. On Wednesday we also went to Wet and Wild. Here is how I make cake pops:

You Will Need:

1. Chocolate for melting - milk or dark;it's your call
2.  Decorations to dip the cake pops in. I used dried raspberries and crushed up crunchie.
3. A silicone cake pop mould. These can be bought from The Works and Amazon in varying sizes and prices.
4. Basic cake mix (inc: butter and sugar,4 eggs,flour and vanilla essence/coco powder)
5. Cake pop sticks which can also be bought from Amazon.

Stage 1: Preparing the Cake Mix

1.   First preheat oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4.
2. Next you need to prepare your cake mix. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy (this should take around five minutes). Once creamed this is also the time to add vanilla essence. Then add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well in between. Add half the flour and continue to stir. Repeat with the remaining flour. Alternately you could buy premade cake mix.
3. Then evenly distribute the mixture into your mould and cook for 35-45 mins, or until a cocktail stick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
4. Leave to cool                                                    

Stage 2: Decorating and Finishing Touches

1.    Now you need to melt your chocolate. You can do this over a hob or alternatively in the microwave.    
2.  Insert a lolly pop stick into every cake pop using the melted chocolate to keep it in place. Then use the rest of the chocolate to dip the cake pop in, making sure the whole cake is completely covered and sealed. This will act as a glue to hold the decorations in place.
3.  Before the chocolate sets, dip the cake pop into decorations or sprinkles. If you want, you can put the cake pops on a plate and wait for them to harden then drizzle with white chocolate.
4. Leave on a plate or cake pop stand and wait for the chocolate to harden.
5. TADA! Finished cake pops. That wasn't so hard was it? These cakes are great for parties and buffets as they are small and don't cause any washing up. Let me know what you thought of these in the comments.