Three 'if' questions

1. If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
I know it's cliché, but I would probably have flying or invisibility. I wouldn't want to read peoples thoughts, because I'm a little worried about what people may be thinking. I would like to end poverty, or create world peace, but I think that would take a little more than a super power!

2. If you could go back in time and change one thing, would you?
No, I don't think that I would. I have decided to always live with no regrets, and by going back and changing something, it would suggest that I'm unhappy and that my life is incomplete - which it most definitely isn't!

3. If you were stranded on a desert island and could bring one thing, what would you bring?
My phone? But there probably wouldn't be any signal, or Wi-Fi. Maybe that would be the time to chose to have a superpower!

I love a bit of panto

Today, I went to the pantomime.

I absolutely ADORE the pantomime - it's one of my favourite things EVER.

This year, it was Peter Pan, starring a rather famous judge from Strictly Come Dancing (A-MA-ZING, hint hint!)

I always go with my god mother, her grandchildren, her friend and sister and nephew - so a pretty big group!

It is just so much fun! For one, the kids all love it. They laugh, and shout stuff out and wave around those overpriced flashy sword things. For two, I love it! I get transported back to when I was a child, and yeah I'm a teenager and I'm meant to be all cool, but for those few magical hours, I laugh at all the silly jokes, I boo the baddies, and generally just get caught up in the magic that is panto.

I love all the clichés - the huge costumes, the 'he's behind you!', the slapstick comedy - I feel like I could just watch pantomimes forever.

And every time I go, it just inspires me so much. I want to learn how to act, to dance, to sing, so that maybe one day, I could be up there, performing my heart out.

Every time I go it reminds me once again just how much I love the theatre. Because I do love it, I love everything about it. I love plays, musicals, pantomimes, dances, anything really! I love the thrill and excitement of going to a show. I love the apprehension when you in your seat and your waiting for the show to start. I love the stories, the way you can get transported to somewhere completely different from mundane reality. I love the hair, the makeup, the costumes, and how so many people backstage have worked tirelessly to make the show what it is. I love the stage, the sets, the props. I love the music, the sound effects, the singing. I love the lighting, a hundred different coloured spot lights. I love the ice cream on sale at every interval. I love how it can make you feel happy, or sad, or scared, or confused, or any emotion in the world. I love how you end up caring more about the characters you've just met than your own family. I just really really love the theatre.

And pantomimes... to me, they are just the theatre at its best. A group of extremely talented people together, performing something for the sole purpose to make people happy. I'm so glad I get to be a part of it, even if it is just watching from the audience. But you never know - maybe it will be one day, up there in a fantastic costume making people laugh and smile. Mind you, I think I'd prefer to be backstage, doing hair and makeup and such.

Anyway, if you are going to see or have seen any pantomimes, or any shows at all, I'd love to hear about it!

Happy Blogaversary!

Today marks the one year point since I posted my first ever post.

If I recall, it was about the difference between bourbons and custard creams.

So safe to say, I haven't got any better at choosing topics to write about.

I must admit, I'm not a great blogger. I was pretty rubbish for about ten months, only posting once or twice a month - if that!

Things changed in October when I decided to throw myself into it and post every single day. And then with the November Photo Challenge (which was sadly left in an unfinished state).

I did think that I would post every day in December as well, but I've been extremely busy, so I apologise for that.

This year has been so good. My blog has brought me so much more joy and happiness than I expected - it truly is my happy place on the internet. Despite not visiting very much!

So to anyone that's ever read any post ever (and admittedly, there aren't that many of you), thanks so much, and here is to a better second year, with more posts and better content!

But we all know that probably won't happen!

Anyway, if I don't post again for a while, I wish you all a very merry Christmas and a very happy new year!

Love,
Gabriella Hope

Themed Trees

As Christmas is fast approaching, I spent my weekend doing what I’m sure many of you, many people across the country, and probably across the world did. I went and got my Christmas tree.

The whole experience, from the wellies in the mud and the scarf around your neck to those big metal cylinder things that they put your tree through to get it netted up, is to me, an essential part of Christmas.

I love decorating my tree. I love going into the loft and getting the big box down and rediscovering all those treasures that you forgot about all year. But there is one thing that I cannot stand, cannot abide. I hate themed trees.

Obviously not to offend anyone, but I think that themed trees are an example of everything that’s wrong with the world. They show a lack of creativity, a lack of family history, and a lack of imagination.

Germany is credited with starting the Christmas tree tradition in the 16th century. Some Christians brought decorated trees into their homes and some built Christmas pyramids of wood and decorated them with evergreens and candles if wood was scarce.

 

For such a long time, we have been using our skills and innovation to create beautiful, individual and original trees.

 

So why did someone think one day: Oh you know what’s a good idea? Lets get baubles all in the same colour, size and design, and sell them to everybody in the world so that all trees to exactly the same!

 

So I am making a stand. Sure, a nice themed tree with red and green baubles might look nice in a shopping centre, a hotel or Rockefeller Ice Skating rink, but not in someone’s home.

 

When I see a tree with perfectly spaced baubles and a colour scheme matching the rest of the room, it just make me wonder: where’s the personal touch? Where are those little things, the little memories that make a house a home, that make a life?

 

In my family, we have a tradition whereby every year we go out and each family member choses a new decoration for the tree or the house. And when you unpack them, it’s like, oh yeah, I picked that one when I was 5! And that one was from when I was 7!

 

And of course, probably about 75% of our decorations are the appalling homemade decorations from reception that your parents display, pride of place, as though they are the most beautiful, precious things ever. I have lost count of the number of things that we have on our tree at home. We’ve got the peg people, the cone angles, the decorated pine cones, the hanging Hama beads, the pom poms, the painted rocks, you name it, we have it. It’s all too Pinterest for words.

 

We have decorations from holidays abroad to remind us of the good times. We have the decorations that were given to us by friends and family to remind us of them. We have those good oldies which have been in the family for years and years and years.

 

But a themed tree… it has none of this. None of the memories, none of the sentimentality. Our tree is probably the tackiest thing you’ve ever seen in your life, but it means something to us. Every single decoration has a memory, a story. That is what Christmas is about.

 

And themed trees… those empty, cold heartless trees… that is the opposite of what Christmas is.

Four 'why' questions

1. Why are your best friends your best friends?
Because I know that they will always be there for me through anything. I know that I can tell them anything and they won't judge me and will keep my secrets forever. Because they are the best people I know, and I'm so lucky to have them in my life.

2. Why did you get into blogging?
One day I just thought: lets try something new today.

3. Why is your favourite colour your favourite colour?
Yellow is my favourite colour because it is so bright and happy. It reminds me of the sun, of warmth and laughter and smiles. It always has been my favourite colour and I think it always will be.

4. Why are you doing this tag?
Because one Wednesday back in November, I had no idea what to write about, so I decided to do a tag and thought that the 10-1 questions looked interesting.

Feel the fear, and do it anyway

Today in school I did something that was really difficult for me. In English, we were practising out speaking and listening, which basically entailed doing a speech.

I really wasn't looking forward to it, because having to get up in front of your peers, people who you see every day but aren't really close with is one of the most frightening things ever.

However, I prepared my speech, and practiced it a lot at home. I know that eye contact is key is a good speech, so I practiced in front of a mirror, making sure I was keeping my head up. I also had to practice slowing down my speech (which tends to become a bit like a high speed train when I get going) and emphasizing the important words.

But still, when I was in the lesson, I was terrified. I was counting down the people until it was my turn, and then suddenly there was just one person in front of me. But then she hurried off to the school nurse, feeling ill, so it was my turn.

The whole time that I had been sitting, listening to everybody else, I had been preparing myself. I could feel the fear in my stomach, and hear it in my ears. But then I realized that I could be as frightened as I was about it, it wouldn't matter. I would still have to do it. The difference would be whether I would do it well, or whether I would completely mess it up.

Trying to block out the fear didn't work, it just made me feel worse. Trying to forget about it only made it more prominent. So I just decided to embrace it with all my might.

And what I found was that even though it was still there, it changed. It became adrenaline instead, and I just wanted to get it done.

When I was walking up to the front, I was shaking, and I continued to shake the whole way through.

But do you know what? I did it, and I think I did it quite well. I looked into the audience, but didn't really see them, and didn't allow them to put me off. I kept my focus the whole way through, and finished it smiling.

And once it was over, it was over! I hadn't put it off, I hadn't wimped out, I had done it, and it was over and I didn't have to worry or stress or fear it anymore.

It taught me something though. I learnt that fear can kind of be a friend. It spurs you on, exhilarates you and makes you do things better than you expected. So next time I'm afraid, I won't try to get rid of the feelings, I'm going to feel the fear and do it anyway.

Five 'do' questions

1. Do you think anybody likes you?
No!

2. Do you ever wish you were someone else?
Yes, but I don't ever let that stop me being myself.

3. Do you know the muffin man?
I can't say that I do.

4. Does the future scare you?
A little, but I am more excited to see what it brings than to be worried about it.

5. Do you parents know about your blog?
Yes.

Six 'where' questions

1. Where does your best friend live?
She lives in a super posh town, about 15 minutes from where I live.

2. Where did you last go?
School. Fun times.

3. Where did you last hang out?
School. Because I'm that cool.

4. Where is your favourite place to be?
My bed!

5. Where did you sleep last night?
My bed. Huh, fancy that!

6. Where do you buy most of your makeup?
Superdrug!

Foundation of the month - November

Foundation: Dream Flawless Nude
Brand: Maybelline New York
My shade: 20 Cameo
Price (from Superdrug): £8.99
Rating: 6.5/10

For the past month, I have been using one Maybelline's newer foundations and overall, I like it, and I think that I probably will be purchasing it again when I run out of it. I have had some trouble matching my foundation to my skin tone in the past, but with this foundation I think that I got it pretty much spot on, which I am very pleased about! I think that the thing that strikes me most of all about this foundation, is that it always seemed to be a bit more like a concealer than anything else. The bottle is very small, so it doesn't look like it is really meant for full face coverage and it has a very unusual applicator.

According to the label on the back, the dropper applicator is meant to put a small amount onto your face for you to dab on, and then I presume you are just meant to rub and blend in with your fingers (but I used my expert face brush from real techniques). However, I ended up just doing the classic dab/pour onto the back of your hand and brush on. What I learnt when using this foundation is that less is most definitely more. I found that when I applied a lot on, which I something I tend to do (a bad habit which I must break!) it just went dewy and rather unpleasant looking. I also found that, oddly, it stayed for a lot longer when I applied less to my face than when I put loads on.

The coverage, I would say as quite good for an hour or so, but did end up going patchy and giving an almost sweaty feel to my face. By the end of the day, there wasn't much left of my face, and that is when it is worn with powder. One thing that I liked was that it was a much lighter foundation than the one that I was using previously, and as we were coming into warmer weather, it was nice to not have such a heavy foundation.

Overall, I did like this foundation, and I especially liked that it was slightly different to the classic pump. I would recommend to people who don't have much need for a lot of coverage.

See you next month for my next foundation of the month!

Seven 'who' questions

1. Who was the last person you saw?
My mum.

2. Who was the last person you texted?
My friend, Greta

3. Who was the last person you hung out with?
Cannot remember, it's been that long!

4. Who was the last person to call you?
My friend Milly

5. Who did you last hug?
Umm... I hug everyone a lot!!! Probably Greta again!

6. Who is the person you're most like?
Greta and I have quite similar personalities, her mum calls me Greta plus one!

7. Who was the last person to like your Instagram?
My friend Milly

I promise, I do have more than two friends!!!

My thoughts on: MOVIES

I love movies. I think that they are absolutely amazing.

That could just be this entire post, I mean, I have given you my thoughts on movies. Bye now!

But never you fear! I will always elaborate and go into such excruciating detail that it will make you want to cry!

You see, the thing about movies rather than a TV show, is that it transport you from wherever you are, to somewhere completely different. When I watched a movie I really WATCH a movie.

Personally, I'm a rom-com fan. I love all of those movies where boy meets girl, but uh oh! Something goes wrong but it doesn't matter because it all ends happily. They are so predictable and all the same and incredibly cheesy - but I love it!!!

I also love kids and family movies because I really am a 5 year old at heart! In the summer, I watched Aladdin and Monsters Inc for the first time, and it was like my eyes were being opened to a whole new world (see what I did there?) and I really really enjoyed both films. I also have a slightly worrying addiction The Smurfs. I mean, little singing blue people! What's not to love!?!? However, one of my biggest flaws is that I have never seen Finding Nemo. People find this shocking, so I'm sorry if you just had a heart attack or something!

Action and adventure isn't really my thing. I'm not a huge fan of The Hunger Games series (gasp!) because I just find the fact that it is all about kids killing other kids quite... disturbing. I went and saw The Scorch Trials in the cinema a few weeks ago, and I found that completely terrifying!!! The thing is, I don't really like being scared, where as I know that some people love it. Jumpy movies really scare me because I have a very over exaggerated jump (not on purpose!) so when I jump at a movie, people around me get hurt.

As for horror, not a chance, not even going there.

Sad movies are actually really growing on me. I used to hate them because I'm quite a happy person normally, but I have been watching more and more of them and I have started to really enjoy them (if 'enjoy' is quite the right word to use!). I don't actually cry that much at movies, even though I think that I am the kind of person who would cry at movies. I can honestly say that the only movie that I have ever really bawled at is Marley and Me. People who haven't seen it just don't understand what it does to you!

Ok, I am now going to skip out the billions of other movie genres out there to give you my recommendations! This is going to be a very long list.

1. She's The Man - I did a post a little while ago on how amazing this movie is, that will tell you everything you need to know!

2. Date Night - Hilarious, I know it off by heart!

3. National Lampoons Christmas Vacation - without a doubt, best Christmas film ever. That's including Elf!

4. High School Musical - because it just is fabulous.

5. Love, Rosie - a recent addition to my favourites, a lovely heart warming romance.

6. Titanic - because Leonardo DiCaprio is in it. I'm joking of course, that's not the ONLY reason...

7. Gnomeo and Juliet - because why not?

8. 27 dresses - although no longer one of my absolute favourites, I did watch it four times in one night once...

9. Johnny English - because it will cheer me up no matter the mood I am in.

10. 500 Days Of Summer - I didn't like it the first time I saw it, but by the fifth time, I was sold.

11. Easy A - a nice little rom com about a girl who pretends to sleep with loads of people.

12. Marely and Me - No matter how many times I cry, I can't stop watching it!

13. It's a boy girl thing - Just a nice teen film.

14. Legally Blonde - It's just incredible (despite the second one being atrocious)

15. Miss Congeniality - lets face it, who doesn't love that film?


Trust me, I haven't even begun to scrape the top of the huge barrel of movies that I love - these are just the ones that came to me while I typed this! I could go on for hours about all the movies I love, and one day, I will, I promise!

See you soon!

I GOT MY BRACES OFF!!!!

Today I am most excited because something happened that I have been waiting for for a very long time!

I got my braces off!

Now like most teenagers, I have had to go through the gruelling process of orthodontics, to fix my teeth.

But my teeth were worst than most and were constantly a huge source of embarrassment for me. I had a GINORMOUS overbite as well as a HUMUNGUS gap between my front teeth. No lie, you could fit coins in-between my two front teeth!

So because of this, I had to have horrid horrid horrid retainers for a year and then train tracks for nearly two years.

My retainer was to bring my bottom jaw forward and fix my overbite. I couldn't eat with them in, so had to take them out all the time. I couldn't pronounce half the alphabet properly due to the lisp they gave me and they always tasted like poo.

The average overbite for someone getting train tracks in 2mm. Mine was 16mm. Just take a minute to think about how huge that is - over one and half centimetres between my top and bottom jaw!

So after what can only be described as an awful year with my retainers, I was so glad to get my train tracks!

I was told that I would have them for 18 months, which trickled by at a snails pace - trust me.

Right from the beginning I could see the difference in my teeth as the gaps began to close. The biggest change was when I had an elastic band around my two front teeth and that gap that used to be able to fit so many things, shut. It was pretty darn incredible.

My teeth 4 years ago

However 18 months came and went and every single check up, I was expecting to hear the magic words, telling me that I would be getting them off. No such words came until two months ago when I was given the magical date: 19th November.

So now, here I sit with beautiful straight teeth, shiny and polished and wonderful, and I know that the past three years, as un-fun as they may have been, have most definitely been worth it.

My teeth now!

In the least vain way possible, I literally cannot stop looking at myself in the mirror! I cannot stop smiling! It is so incredible!

If you would like me to do a post on coping with braces or tips and tricks, or something else, let me know, but for now I am going to go and gaze lovingly in a mirror!

See you soon!

Eight 'have you ever' questions

1. Have you ever talked on the phone for more than two hours?
No.

2. Have you ever stayed awake for the entire night?
No, half past three in the morning is the absolute latest I have stayed up!

3. Have you ever met a famous person or a celebrity?
I met Jacqueline Wilson, my favourite author when I was 11.

4. Have you ever stayed in your pyjamas all day long?
That is my entire life...

5. Have you ever fallen down the stairs?
Yep, many many times.

6. Have you ever sung in the shower?
Errrrr... how can you be in the shower and NOT have a little sing song?

7. Have you ever bunked off school?
No! I'm far too much of a goody goody!

8. Have you ever read an entire book in one day?
Yep, much more than I'd like to admit!

Hairbrush funeral

Today, we gather here in this little corner of the internet to pay respects to something that has recently passed on and left a hole in my life.

My hairbrush was good and worked hard all the time. It was always there when I needed it.

But now it's not.

I have very crazy, curly, uncontrollable hair, and have had from a very young age. The hairbrush that I had wasn't really working for me, and so I bought this hairbrush from Primark for £1.50. That was years and years ago now. Funny how time flies... and you just begin to take these things for granted.

Because this is no ordinary hairbrush. This is the best hairbrush in the entire world, and it means more to me than anything else. It doesn't even bother me how sad that sounds. Every single day it was me and the brush against my hair, against the world.

It stuck by me in times of trouble and was there in some of the most important times in life. It has stayed with me, despite the number of times I used it as a microphone, despite the number of times I yelled at it, blaming it for my hair problems.

It never left.

But now... it has.

This hairbrush is soooooo good, and I recommend it to absolutely anyone with thick, long, curly, frizzy hair, or really, just anyone with hair! It is hot pink, (but Primark also do one in black) and it just couldn't be more fabulous.

But for a few weeks now, a small rip has been forming along one side of it, and last night, the entire front of it came off when I was in the shower (and yes, I know, it's really bad to brush your hair in the shower).

I screamed out, as it felt as though my heart was breaking.

Nothing would ever be right again... nothing ever will be untangled in the same way...

So now, as I mourn this loss, I have to begin thinking about the future. Nothing will ever be able to replace that hairbrush in my heart, but I do need to get myself down to Primark for a new one, because I'm not sure how to survive without it.

Let us join together to say our goodbyes and remember my hairbrush in a positive light as it moves on to a better place.

Trampolining

Today in PE (yes, I still actually have to do that) I had a very good time! I know! Who knew that was even possible???

We were doing trampolining, and it is the first time that I have ever done it more than just bouncing around in a friends garden.

There was only a few of us doing it, and two trampolines between us, so we all got a lot of go's and quite a while on the trampoline.

And it was so much fun!

Every single one of us who did it said how much fun it was, and how much we enjoyed it.

At first we just did some bouncing, learning how to stop suddenly and how to use your arms to get you higher in the air and bending your knees and everything. It might sound like basic stuff, but it did take a little while to get used to the trampoline.

These were proper trampolines as well. They weren't the circle ones you typically find in a garden (which I found out are circular because it helps to keep you in the centre and stops as many accidents from happening) but rectangular ones with crash mats and big crosses to show you where to bounce.

I was a little nervous because I'm pretty uncoordinated and in a way, it is quite similar to gymnastics. You always have to have your toes pointed, legs straight (except when you're bouncing) and arms neat and not like a windmill.

Got to say, I didn't do amazingly well in all of these aspects.

But it was about being amazing. I mean, it was about learning how to do something new and learning the technique and everything, but it was really about having a good time and enjoying bouncing.

I love bouncing. I think that I am quite a bouncy, bubbly person normally, but jumping up and down on a proper trampoline is amazing. It's just so magical, it feels like flying. The only other thing that comes close to that feeling is swinging.

I managed to do the seat-drop and the half turn (both fairly self explanatory) and then a seat drop and a half turn, leading to another seat drop.

Although I often lost control of certain parts of my body, and there was many a face plant with legs and bum in the air, it didn't really matter, because I just got up and had another go.

I really really am not a sporty person at all. Anything to do with balls, throwing, catching, running, kicking, you name it, I can't do.

And although I wasn't incredible at this, not in the slightest, it was so nice to have a sport that I could actually do. It isn't something that you have to be good at to do.

It makes me feel like a little bit of a traitor to my entire way of life to admit this, but I'm kind of looking forward to next PE lesson!

See you soon!

My makeup epiphany

The title might be a little bit of an exaggeration, but back in the summer I had a sort of wakeup call that changed a lot for me.

You see, I used the wear loads of makeup. I'm not saying that that is a bad thing in the slightest, but it was the cheapest you could find and I never did it very well.

I had huge dark eyebrows, and such thick eyeliner it was basically my entire eyelid.

I hadn't quite grasped the concept of what bronzer was supposed to do because I went out everyday with huge great big orange streaks on my face.

I always wore foundation that was too dark and looked a little like an orange clown.

The thing was, I didn't really see all this. When I first put it on in the morning it would look ok because of the lack of day light in my bedroom, but by the time I got home from school, I would look absolutely terrible.

But I was almost caught in a web. All the makeup made my skin bad, so I had to wear more to stop my skin from looking bad, which just made it look worse.

There were many times when I wanted to change, break the circle, but I just didn't know how.

But then at the beginning of the summer I went to Guidepost. I don't know what it was, but on the last day I got out of the shower and saw all of my makeup running down my face and I realized that I wear so so so much, and it doesn't do anything for me whatsoever.

It didn't make me look better, if anything it made me look a lot worse.

Then over the summer I had a complete detox. I didn't wear makeup for months, giving my skin the chance to breathe.

It really worked, I had better skin and I was really grateful for it. Of course, I'll never have perfect skin, or anything close to it due to the fact that being a teenager is great fun, but then who has got perfect skin? (No bragging in the comments!)

However, this is something that I have been wrestling with since going back to school.

School is really difficult, because you've always got to look your absolute best so that you don't get laughed at behind your back, but at the same time aren't being called horrible names because you wear too much.

To be completely honest, it really worries me looking back about what everyone might've been saying about me!

But the thing is, I like doing my makeup. I like making myself look a little more human than before. I like going out and buying new things to try, it makes me happy.

So once again, I'm caught in this web where I like wearing and doing makeup and its what everyone else is doing, but I'm also very afraid that I might start to go overboard again without noticing.

At the moment, I think that I wear fairly minimal stuff. On an average school day I have a light layer of foundation, powder, a little stroke of bronzer, some mascara, maybe a little nude eye shadow and a nude lippy.

No eyeliner, no eyebrows.

But I still wish that I could be the person who can wear no makeup to school, but I am too afraid. That's an awful excuse, but it is valid enough in my mind.

I think that for the moment, I am going to try to keep it minimal and maybe scale it back a little, because I don't want to be fake, or plastic or dependant on makeup.

See you soon!

Nine 'what' questions

1. What is your favourite colour?
Yellow

2. What did you do last weekend?
I slept, I did some work, I went to a bonfire night with fireworks and I had a friend over.

3. What is the most important part of your life?
My friends and family are really important to me.... but also my bed!

4. What would you rather be doing?
Nothing! I love writing my blog! Well actually I'd probably rather be sleeping!

5. What did you last cry over?
I had a panic attack about school work.

6. What always makes you feel better when you're upset?
There is this video of my friends and I doing a school project that keeps going so wrong, and it's sooo funny. I watch it all the time and it always makes me laugh!

7. What do you love about your life?
The fact that I have so many amazing things and people in it with me!

8. What are you worried about?
Not getting school work done because I'm writing a blog!

9. What did you have for breakfast?
Weetabix!

Fairy Lights!

 

It gets me very excited that now Halloween and Bonfire Night are all over, Tesco and all of the other big supermarkets have begun to get all of there Christmas decoration stock in.

And that includes fairy lights!

Which get me very very excited!!!

So after my parents had been on a walk down to our nearest Tesco, they gave me a box of fairy lights that they had bought.

And I was so so so happy, I put them up immediately.

I don't know why I love fairy lights so much, I feel like they just have a way of making everything cosy and Christmassy. I also think that they are great as an all-year thing rather than just a Christmas decoration. I have a string of blue lights that I have up in my room all year (although they aren't on much, must be said). However, they had been put away in storage when I was expecting some building work down, and so I got them out at the same time as I put my new ones up.

And I literally cannot tell you how flipping fantastic they are!!! Now, what with the nights drawing in and everything, it is usually pretty dark by the time I get home from school, so going up to my room and switching on my fairy lights and my bedside lamp gives my room such a lovely cosy atmosphere, I just want to stay in here forever (which I admittedly do!).

Although, something I must comment on is how expensive fairy lights are! I know I am a cheapskate, but the cheapest, plainest, worst string of battery operated (the horror!) lights is still £5! Is it just me who thinks that is quite a lot? If you want a good long string of coloured lights, it can be like £15! And don't even talk to me about the special shaped ones!

So, although I believe they are a little overpriced, I still think that it is worth it considering the amount of joy that I have had from them. Sitting here, at my desk in my slippers and pyjamas all warm and cosy with my beautiful lights around me... it's perfect.

I don't ever want to take them down. I've decided that in summer I will trade the coloured lights (reluctantly) for a pretty string of clear ones, maybe in some special shapes or something. I'll have to see what Primark has to offer!

Oh and I'm sorry because I kind of promised that I wouldn't talk about anything Christmassy until it's actually slightly more appropriate, but I couldn't really resist!

See you soon!

Ten 'how' questions

1. How did you get one of your scars?
I have a scar on the tip of my middle finger on my left hand where I sawed it with a hegner saw in a yeah 7 technology lesson.

2. How did you celebrate your last birthday?
I had all of my friends round and we had a lovely big sleepover where we watched The Other Woman and Date Night.

3. How are you feeling at the moment?
Tired.

4. How did your night go last night?
I had the orthodontist, then I came home and wrote a blog, then I had dinner, then I showered, then I watched some YouTube, and then I went to bed.

5. How did you do in primary school?
Pretty well I think, I always enjoyed school.

6. How did you get the top you are wearing?
School shirt, so I got it because I had to.

7. How often do you see your best friends?
Every day! Yay!

8. How much money did you spend last month?
Too much quite possibly.

9. How old do you want to be when you get married?
In my 20s.

10. How old were you when you lost your first tooth?
I think I was 4 or 5.

What if... I won the lottery?

A little note before I start, I have decided to start what could turn into a little series of 'what if' posts where I let my imagination run wild. Let me know if I should do more!


If I won the lottery, I would get very very excited (as would most people). The fact that I have never entered the lottery is clearly not a factor here, although I suppose it is quite an important part of it.

The first thing that I would do would to hold a huge party with all my friends and family to celebrate.

I'd like to think that I would give a large chunk of it to charity where it could be put to really good use, especially with winter coming up. I would love to go to some places where charities are based and help out, as well as seeing for myself why the causes are so deserving.

I would probably invest quite a lot in starting my own business (my dream is to start my own wedding dress business) or at least put the money aside for the future when I am more ready and able to start a business.

I would also love to buy a house. Nothing huge or particularly expensive, just a nice little place for me to live in the future when I leave school and want somewhere to live, somewhere that is completely mine.

I would definitely jet myself and my family off on holiday somewhere lovely and hot in the cold winter months, where we can just relax and chill.

And I would have the most epic, the most awesome, the most amazing shopping trip around Primark with my friends.

Oh, and I would pay my school to get rid of cross country!


What would you do if you won the lottery? I'd love to hear about it!

See you soon!

Is it actually already November?

Today's post is going to be a bit more of a general chitty chatty chit chat. Rather than me having something that I absolutely must talk about, I'm just going to see where the wind takes me!

You know something though? I literally cannot believe it is November! I can barely remember anything that I've done with my life this year. It feels like every year I live gets quicker and quicker. I remember being in primary school and the school year would take what seemed forever, but now, I can't count the number of times I say how fast everything has gone.

Actually, that's a lie, not everything has gone fast. Cross country is still upon us and that is most defiantly not going fast, and neither am I! I consider November to be more of a winter month that an autumn month, (although we are still enjoying the tail end of autumn at the moment) and I still have to do cross country three more times! It's cold and foggy and just very unpleasant to be running (or not running if you're me!) in.

But still, nevertheless, I have pretty high hopes for November. I don't exactly know what those high hope are for, but I feel more positive entering November than I did entering October. I think that it is something to do with the Christmas season coming upon us (YAY!). You have no idea how much joy filled my heart when I went into Tesco, and all of the Halloween stuff was being replaced by Christmas trees!

I am most excited for Christmas, it is my absolute favourite thing in the entire world! The way I see it is your birthday multiplied by Easter, multiplied by a million, add 4, minus 2, add infinity, minus 1. That is literally what Christmas is for me, sprinkled with a little bit of magic!

Actually, I am trying really hard to not go into too much detail about Christmas, because I know that I am going to get too excited and I'll never stop talking. However, I am planning to do my own little Blogmas this year (which is clearly really different from daily blogging) whereby everyday in the lead up to Christmas, I talk about something Christmassy, e.g. How I decorate my tree, How I decorate my room, Gift guides... etc ect. Get excited for that people!

That is a month away though, and you may be aware of the fact that this month I am doing the November Photo Challenge, where I take a picture and upload it every day, according to the list I posted yesterday (go check that out!). I'm actually looking forward to it, it should be lots of fun!!!

So yeah, November should be really really good, but where has 2015 gone? By the time I have got my head around it being November, it will be 2016!

Oh, and apologies if this is coming a little later than expected, I'm trying out a new 6:30pm upload time - let me know what you think!

See you soon!

Foundation of the month - October

Foundation: Rimmel Wake Me Up
Brand: Rimmel London
My shade: Ivory (100)
Price (from Superdrug): £8.99
Rating: 7.5/10

For the month of October, I was trying the very highly recommended Wake Me Up foundation. Everyone who has spoken about this has said that it is probably their favourite high street foundation, so I was going in with possibly unrealistically high expectations.

Because of this, at first I was quite disappointed, but by the end of the month I had actually grown to like it quite a lot. Do I think that it deserves all of the hype it gets? No, not particularly.

 

Thinking back, the thing that I remember from the first time I applied it was that it was quite hard to work into the skin, and it took a while to get rid of the brush marks. This got better as I got used to it, and I also learnt to not put so much on. (I try to use one pump, and a teensy bit more if I need it!)

 

I think that the reason that everybody loves it is because of it's coverage, which I have to admit, is really very good. I covered my problem areas and it made my skin look very natural. It is quite a heavy foundation, so I'd recommend it more for winter. Sadly though, it didn't last for very long. It didn't go patchy, it just kind of faded all over. By the end of the day it was still there, but it was pretty much see through.

Lastly, my absolutely favourite thing about this foundation is that it's SPARKLY! As it is a special anti-fatigue foundation, I think it designed to illuminate your face, but I love it. I sparkle!!! I actually don't know how effective it is on my face, but where there is still traces of it on the back on my hand, it's all glittery!

As for the packaging, I actually really like it, but I'm always very wary around glass bottles, because I feel that if I drop it, it would shatter and just go everywhere. However, it has been dropped many times, and it's still in perfect condition.

I hope this helps you, I did enjoy using this foundation and I think that I will repurchase it, but there is still plenty left in the bottle.

See you soon!

My thoughts on: HALLOWEEN

Happy Halloween!

I know that for a lot of people, Halloween is a high point of the year, when children (and some adults) trick or treat, there are parties, costumes and although it is centred around scaring people, it is quite a happy night.

However, I have actually never celebrated Halloween.

My family is religious, and because of this my parents have always been pretty anti-Halloween.

When I was younger it always used to upset me because I'd hear tales of everyone else out having fun, being given sweets and I would be at home not doing any of that. I always felt like I missed out on something.

But now, when I'm asked if it upsets me or if I feel like I've missed out on anything, I answer completely honestly no. Because I have never done it, I have nothing to feel I'm missing out on.

At my age, it's not really the done thing to go trick or treating, it's more about getting dressed up in a sexy costume, going to a party and most likely getting drunk. That really isn't who I am, or what I want at all.

I personally think that the notion of getting dressed up and going out to scare people, decorating your home with spiders and pumpkins is a little ridiculous. It is really just something that we have all been brainwashed into spending huge amounts of money on.

I don't want to offend anybody who is reading this, because these are just my personal views on Halloween, and why I don't celebrate it.

But just because I don't get dressed up and go around asking for sweets doesn't mean that I don't enjoy Halloween.

When I was little, my mum used to take me to a shop and buy me a magazine and a chocolate bar every Halloween, so that I never missed out on anything. And believe me, I got more joy out of my Cbeebies magazine and Curly Wurly than any of my classmates did from their awful cheap chocolates and making themselves feel ill.

And that is why, this Halloween I shall be staying in with two friends who also don't do Halloween, and we're not going to do Halloween together.

And we're going to watch Strictly Come Dancing.

Because we're that cool.

And if things get a little crazy, it might just be because we've had a little too much pepsi and a few too many moams.

Jealous? I know you are.

And I know that Strictly will be Halloween themed, but the hair and makeup and the costumes are always so fantastic every year, I love love love looking at them!

So, there are my thoughts on Halloween, and I hope that wherever you are, whatever you're doing, you have a good 'un.

See you soon!

Chargers

Firstly, I want to apologise for being a bit behind on posts recently, I am experiencing some technical difficulties at the moment, which is really what this post is about and I'm sure you'll understand, like the fantastic person I'm sure you are. I am working really hard to get all the posts I have missed up, so just bear with me and hang on tight!

Today on this lovely ranty Friday, I am going to be talking about chargers.

And how much they annoy me.

Has it always been this way? When cave man's phone ran out, did he have to plug it in to recharge? (Of course, I'm not an idiot, I do know that cave men didn't have phones, but I was exaggerating to make my point.)

And why is it, that when we need them most our phones fail us and die, just when we need to do something really important? I think that it is because your phone secretly hates you and not because you have spent the last four hours playing Tetris!

And at that moment, when you reach for you charger, plug it in to the wall, plug your phone on and...

nothing happens.

Because your charger is broken. And it too, also hates you.

You try to wiggle it this way and that, hoping to see the little lightening shape appear next to the battery icon (if you have an iPhone), but to no prevail.

Nothing works.

To quote one of GiffGaff's adverts, the phone is your lifeline. When it dies, a part of you dies too.

And so when this happened to me, it was bad.

You see, over the past week I have been out and about a lot where there is no wifi. So when I have been writing posts on my phone, I cannot sync them to my laptop automatically, because that requires wifi. (I do apologise if I'm getting too technical, I barely understand it myself!) Normally I just wait until I am home to sync the post to my laptop because I then have wifi. But when your phone is dead and cannot be revived, the blog posts that are on my phone cannot be taken off my phone and therefore must be rewritten, henceforth, I get behind on blog posts. And social life.

I am going to be getting a new charger, but it is still a little iffy to order it off amazon, and will take a few days to come, and I have a lot to get done over the next few days, like social arrangements, lunches, blog posts... *guilty face*

So if you have ever been in my situation or are in my situation currently, I'm sure you feel my pain. I hope that I managed to rant enough for ranty Friday, and I hope that you are having a wonderful ranty Friday, wherever you are!

See you soon!

This or That

I'm sorry! It's another tag!!!

Makeup:

• blush or bronzer
• lip gloss or lipstick
• eyeliner or mascara
• foundation or concealer
• neutral or colour eye shadow
• pressed or loose eye shadows
• brushes or sponges

Body:

• perfume or body splash
• lotion or body butter
• body wash or soap
• lush or other bath company

Fashion:

• jeans or trackies
• long sleeves or short
• dresses or skirts
• stripes or plaid
• scarves or hats
• studs or dangly earrings
• necklaces or bracelets
• heels or flats
• jacket or hoodie
• Primark or Superdry

Hair:

• curly or straight
• bun or ponytail
• bobby pins or butterfly clips
• hair spray or gel
• long or short
• light or dark
• side sweep fringe or block fringe
• up or down

Random:

• rain or shine
• summer or winter
• fall or spring
• chocolate or vanilla
• black or white

20 questions tag

I'm very sorry, but I was feeling a little uninspired today, so I thought that I would just do a nice easy tag! I apologise if you are disappointed!!!

1. Thing you cannot leave the house without?
My watch

2. Favourite brand of makeup?
Rimmel London, or Gosh, or Revlon (or possibly Bourjois). I'm quite indecisive when it comes to makeup!

3. Favourite flower?
I actually don't really have one... probably something incredibly cliché like roses.

4. Favourite clothing stores?
Primark, H and M, New Look

5. Favourite colour?
Yellow

6. Heels of flats?
Flats - I'm too tall for heels!

7. Do you make good grades?
Most of the time...

8. Chocolate or sweets?
Chocolate, but I love moams!

9. Do you drink energy drinks?
Does pepsi count? Because if not then no, but if it does, then all the time!

10. Do you drink juice?
No, not really. I prefer orange squash.

11. Do you like swimming?
I love swimming, as long as I'm not being timed or anything. I like swimming for me, not for a stop watch.

12. Do you eat fries with a fork?
NO! Who even does that!?!?

13. What's your favourite moisturiser?
Simple, kind to skin hydrating light moisturiser.

14. Do you want to get married later on in life?
Yes.

15. Do you get mad easily?
About some things, yes. Just wait until ranty Friday!

16. Are you into ghost hunting?
I don't personally go out and hunt ghosts, no.

17. Any phobias?
I can't stand the dentist.

18. Do you bite your nails?
No, but I pick and rip them, so they are awful anyway.

19. Have you ever had a near death experience?
No, I live a very boring life.

20. Do you drink coffee?
No, I can't stomach the smell of it.

So there you are! The answer to 20 questions that you probably weren't the slightest bit interested in knowing!

See you soon!

My go-to book

Everyone has that one book, that one story that they go to in times of need and distress or when they just want to relax.

My go to book is called: The Belfry Witches.

It is probably written for 6 year olds and I first got it when I was about that age, and I have read it a countless number of times since then.

The story is about two witches that live in a church belfry after being banished from Witch Island. They are learning to be good, with their best friend, the curate Mr Babbercorn, the vicar and Mendax the cat. However, they have to go on daring quests to save the ones they love and try and end Mrs Abercrombie's (the wicked queen) reign of terror back on Witch Island.

I can't explain what it is about this book, because it is written for a young audience, but I just love it!

There have been so many times when I'm tired and my kindle is out of power and everything seems to be wrong with the world, and that is when I go to my shelf and get down this book.

I have read it so many times, and most people can't stand to re-read a book when they know what is going to happen, but I feel that there are always a few exceptions, this being one of them.

I actually bought it for about 20p from a book stall at a summer fair in primary school, and it was most definitely worth it.

I actually recently discovered that it was made into a TV series in 1999, and after watching an episode I have concluded that it is kind of.... atrocious. I'm sorry BBC, I love you normally, but those special effects... hurt me deep down.
(Also, Old Noshie is meant to have a luminous green face and blue hair - not purple)

I also think that it is nice to have a hard copy version of your favourite book.

I have a kindle, and if I ever want a new book, I will get the kindle version without even considering getting a hard copy. So, when I read the classic version, it feels really special.

Do you have a go-to book for when you are sad or stressed or need to relax? I know that my sister loves to read Good Night Mr Tom, and my mum loves to read More Than Love Letters. I'd love to hear your suggestions.

My thoughts on: MY BEDROOM

As a teenager, I still live at home with my parents, and so in the house there is only one room that is completely mine.

My bedroom.

And I love my room so so so much.

I feel that, as a teenager, I spend a huge a amount of time in my room, doing work, writing posts, on my phone ect ect. It is most definitely my favourite room in the house, because it is completely mine.

I used to share my bedroom with my older sister, up until I was 5 or 6 (which was when we converted my dads old study into her room) and suddenly I had my own space.

My parents have always let me be very independent when it comes to my room. If I want to live in a mess, then I'm the one who has to suffer. If I want to stick stuff all over the walls, then I'm the one who is going to have the ruined paint work. I do feel really lucky for this, because I know that some people have very little control over their rooms. I love having somewhere that is my responsibility.

I wont actually include any images in this post, because it isn't in a very good way at the moment. However, by then end of the half term holiday, I should have finished doing some of the plans I have for it, and then I'll do a post where you can have a little rootle around and see what's going on.

I'm actually not a particularly messy person, I don't like mess at all. Saying that, however, my room always seems to be untidy. I must tidy it every other day, but it is quite cluttered, and although I don't like it to be messy, it usually is.

I really love interior design and one of my greatest pleasures is sitting down and flicking through a few Ideal Home's and debating what to do with my room next. I'm that girl who is always rearranging her furniture and my room layout will be different every time you come round.

But the thing is, I have quite an odd shaped room. I suppose it is kind of a square, with my door in the corner, and a large window opposite. I then have a chimney breast as well, with two small alcoves either side. However, one of these alcoves has the built in airing cupboard, which sticks out further than the chimney breast, making one wall of my room split into three awkwardly sized and positioned sections. I don't know if any of that made any sense whatsoever, but I did my best!

The airing cupboard is actually my least favourite thing about my room, closely followed by my light. All day, every day, my family traipses in and out of my room to get to the airing cupboard to get various things. If my room is in too much of a mess that they can't reach it, they leave piles of clothes and bed sheets and towels heaped in my room, ready to go into the airing cupboard. It gets me very annoyed, but there isn't really anything that I can do about it.

My light annoys me because I don't actually get that much light from my window and so my light is on pretty much the entire time that I am in the room, and it really isn't very good. I partly blame the dull opaque lampshade that I bought to match my colour scheme (and now regret) and I party blame the low energy bulb is uses. Don't get me wrong, I want to save the environment and everything, but it is just very dull. I can't actually do my makeup in the mornings when it is dark because the light is too bad for me to be able to see what I'm doing.

However, I'm not really complaining because I should be getting a new light fitting very soon!

But, now that I have complained about the not so good things, I should tell you about all of the amazing and wonderful things that I love about my room, because there are so many.

I love my bed soooooo much. I love to make it every day and make it look pretty by arranging cushions and turning it into a sort of daybed. When ever I am in a home wear section of any shop, I will always look at the duvet covers and fall in love with far too many, I love shopping for cushions, I love my pillow, I literally just love everything about my bed!

I love my big window, with its beautiful long window sill, and the fact that I can always see the sun rising in the morning.

I love that my room is always warm, always cosy, especially in winter. One of my least favourite things in all the world is being chilly, so I like to have my radiator on and an abundant amount of throws and slippers.

I love my walls and my photos. I am currently in the middle of blue-tacking hundreds of photos to my walls of happy memories, my friends, things that I love. It makes me so happy to look around and see things that can be so simple but will always bring a smile to my face.

I love redesigning it every other day, seeing just what other combinations can be made from my furniture.

I love to customise all of my furniture, and make it all personal to me.

Everything in my room, and everything in anybody's room, should be just about them. Things that make them happy, things that relax them... the bedroom is a happy place where you can chill out and just be yourself.

That is what my room is. And that is why I love it.

Half term!

Hi everybody!

If you are feeling even slightly as exuberant as I am now, then the world is a happy place today!

It's officially half term, which means a week off from school! A week isn't a huge amount, but when you have had an exhausting half term (like me!) you're pretty desperate. (Shout out to all teachers out there!)

Although I have been given ridiculous amounts of holiday homework (far too much for one week) I am really looking forward to switching my alarm clock off, and having a lovely long lie in tomorrow and everyday for the next 9 days.

I've also actually got some social plans as well! Normally I am one of those people who hibernates under there duvet from the second they get home to the time they have to go back to school. I hear about these girls who are out meeting 300 different people everyday, and it just makes me think: who can actually be bothered?

So besides seeing a few friends, and horrible amounts of homework, I don't have much to do. Which means lots of time to write blogs!

I've been getting a little behind recently, having to rush to my laptop and start typing the second I get in from school in order to get my post up by 5. (That's clearly not what I'm doing now!) I'm debating whether I should change it to 6, or maybe later in the evening... Thoughts?

So, because of this I am looking forward to having lots written and all stashed up in case I don't have time to write one every single day!

I know that this hasn't been a typical ranty Friday, but I am so happy due to it being half term that nothing can bring me down! Also, something very very exciting that I'm writing about tomorrow arrived on my doorstop when I got home, and I'm so happy about it!

Actually, I lied, today isn't completely rant free. I have possibly the largest spot in the world on my cheek. I have been able to feel it growing all day, and it has finally come through the skin and it's DISGUSTING!

Which, I'm certain you really wanted to know!

Anyway, I'll see you soon!
 

How to survive cross country

If you go to a secondary school where the PE teachers seem to hate kids, then the chances are that you have to run cross country at some point in the year. Cross country season is currently upon me, but I have promised myself not to complain toooooo much about it, that was what yesterday's post was for!!!

So, as someone who has had to run it probably over 20 times in total, I thought that I'd share a few of my tips with you on how to survive it, if you hate it anywhere near as much as I do!

1.  Don't take it too seriously. If you come first, if you come last, who cares? If you're like me, then you know that you're not going to win it, and you probably never will (no offence!). It used to upset me when I came right at the back, but it doesn't anymore because I've accepted it, and I no that I'm not good at running, but I do have other skills, and so it doesn't matter. You don't have to tell anybody what time or place you came, it's none of their business, but at the same time, don't obsess over it. Get a few friends and make it a social event where you can chat and catch up rather than a gruelling torture experience.

2. Never be ashamed of yourself. No matter what time you came, even if you came last, don't let it become a bad thing or something that you're embarrassed about. If people ask you what you got, you don't have to tell them, but if you do, do it with your head held high. Use your time as something to improve on, not as a comparison with other people. If you improve on your time, even by a few seconds, that's great! If you don't, never mind, there is probably a reason for it, like the weather or your mood. Never ever ever put yourself down because of cross country, it is bad enough without you adding to it.

3. Don't compare yourself to others. Yes, it is a race, but the only person you should race against is yourself. Some people find that if they have someone else to try and beat, it spurs them on, but that never helps me, it just depresses me. Like I just said, try to get better every time for yourself. Don't do it for anybody else, do it for you (and also do it because you have no choice and you have to).

4. Bare legs are easier to clean then trousers. For my first few cross countries, I wore my tracksuit bottoms which would come home caked in mud and incredibly smelly. And I had to get all of the mud off. So, since then I have learnt that it is much easier (though a little colder) to go with bare legs because all you need is some wet wipes. In my school, we have long socks, and so I normally wear them with bare legs, just to give me a little extra warmth.

5. Don't run with other people. If you get a few friends together and decide to walk it and just have fun, that's ok, but in the past I have found that I have always done so much better when I don't run with a friend. If you run with someone and you're slightly slower, you feel bad for holding them back, and if they do go off on their own, you then feel hurt. If you're slightly faster, then you feel slightly frustrated, but you don't want to leave them alone. You both end up feeling bad or sad or annoyed and you're both slower because of it. It isn't really worth it. Last year when I ran on my own I was 6 minutes quicker, and that is quite a bit!

6. Pack a survival kit and be ready for anything. You are going to have to run whatever the weather, and in our school the showers don't work and so you need to be prepared. In my cross country survival kit, I have a few things that will always be useful. The first is wet wipes, which I use for wiping my hands and legs and occasionally my face. I think that the worst bit is when you have managed to keep relatively clean and then you have to take off your shoes and all of that muck and mud on your laces goes all over your hands and fingers. Something else that I always have with me is a towel because it is useful to wipe your hair and body if it's been raining but also for a little bit of comfort if you're cold.

7. Football boots are your friend. When it is muddy and you're running through some pretty tough things, it is so much easier to do it all in football boots than in trainers. Football boots are kind of designed to be trashed, where as trainers can look very pretty. I have a friend who almost destroyed her beautiful rainbow memory foam sketchers by running cross country in them.

8. Run downhill. When you come to a steep decline, run down it full pelt (as long as it is safe to do so). You use more energy trying to slow down when you are going down a hill, so I think that it is much better to have a few moments of near flying where the wind is in your hair, and you feel free and then to have slightly more energy for the rest of it.

9. Take your mind off of it. When you're running, think of something else. I always sing songs in my head (I'm always far too short of puff to sing them out loud!). I know that some people like to visualise things. My friend Greta says that she pictures herself running from a dragon or something and at the end her handsome prince will be waiting for her. Another thing that I like to do, is give myself a treat or an incentive for when I finish.



So, I hope this helps you, even if it is only a little bit. If you are currently experiencing or will in the near future be experiencing cross country, I wish you all the best (you'll need it!).

See you soon!