Sunday, September 11, 2016

College

So here I am. Sitting in my college dorm on my own, listening to Adele with tears in my eyes as I think of my home comforts and family. Ahh home. Something I will never take for granted again.

Yep I've made it to Dublin. And let's just say that the transition for a country girl like myself has not been easy. Every person I see is a potential thief/murderer/sexual predator etc. I cling my bag to my chest as I walk down every street while politely trying to turn away people trying to sell me something or preach about their religion.

My first day of proper college is tomorrow and while I'm so excited to get stuck in and leave my dorm room, I can't help but feel worried. What if I hate it? I honestly don't think I'd be able to deal with that. I can't deal with that.

Anyway, hopefully everything will turn out okay. It is only day 2 after all. Leave a comment if you too are starting college or have moved away from home. Or leave some tips for surviving college.

Sunday, August 28, 2016

How Do You Measure A Month?

It's been a month since I last posted anything on my blog. I don't know why but I just couldn't find the strength to write anything. And anything that I tried to write was so negative, and I didn't want to add to the negativity in the world right now. I wanted to write something uplifting and positive. However, when you're stuck in a rut in your own life it can be hard to try and spread positivity in everyone else's.

Yep, I've have a pretty rubbish summer. I'm not going to get into the details of it, but basically I've been fed up with every aspect of my life, the people I'm surrounded with and the way my body looks. And while I'm sure every girl has these periods of hopelessness in their lives, I've felt like I've cried on my own more times than I care to admit.

That's pretty much a catch up on my life this summer. And while I'm most definitely not back to my normal self, I thought that I would make more of an effort to write on my blog (even though no one reads it, I find it fun!).

SO, now that all the negativity is out in the open I'm going to focus on all the good things going on and what I've been loving:

  • I'M GOING TO COLLEGE IN DUBLIN! Yep, it's finally happening! In approximately 2 weeks I'll be making the big move to Dublin and I'm so excited. It feels like a fresh start, and I'm so ready for that!
  • THE OLYMPICS! Okay so I know that they are over (although we've the Paralympics to look forward to now #buzzing), I thoroughly enjoyed the Olympics this year. I have such a massive amount of respect for every single one of those athletes. They are such an inspiration and are crazy good at what they do. I particularly enjoyed the diving and Bob Ballard and Leon Taylor's offbeat commentary! And even though I'm only half English, I couldn't help but cheer on Team GB as well as Team Ireland!
  • DANCE MOMS! I've said it. I love Dance Moms. It is without a doubt been my guilty pleasure TV programme. I mean these girls are insanely talented and have to deal with immense pressures. Some of the mothers are completely bonkers (in fact the whole show is completely bonkers) but I find it so entertaining.

My Top 3 Olympic Moments
  1. Jack Laugher and Chris Mears winning gold in 3m Synchro Springboard Diving - I've been following these divers since 2012 so it was so incredibly amazing to see them standing on that podium receiving gold medals. So well deserved.Image result for jack laugher chris mears gold
  2. The O'Donovan Brothers - so for those of you who don't know them, the O'Donovan's are two brothers from Cork in Ireland who won silver in the men's rowing. Their interviews had everyone in stitches and pretty much summed up the whole of Ireland with their laid back attitudes and love of shhtake.Image result for the o'donovan brothers
  3. Simone Biles - need I say any more? This woman is the most incredible person ever, and a wonderful inspiration to girls all over the world. This 19 year old gymnast caught everyone's attention in the best way possible and showed amazing talent and sportsmanship. I love her so much!           Image result for simone biles i'm the first simone biles
Leave a comment below on what you're favourite Olympic moments were! Talk to you soon x

    Tuesday, July 26, 2016

    Friendships

    I suck at friendships. This is something that I think I'm starting to realise. Since I've left school I've found keeping in touch with my friends insanely hard. Mainly because I'm completely rubbish with messaging people. I'm not one of those people who is constantly talking to people on my phone or my laptop. I don't know why. I think that I hate conversations that aren't in real life. Like what are you suppose to message someone about? There's no flow of conversation. 

    I also find myself getting more annoyed with people online. Like why didn't you reply to my message? What's with the one word answer? What am I suppose to say to 'haha'? Are you angry with me or something? And then once I see these people in person, there's no problem and everything is simple.

    I hate to say it but I feel like I'm losing my friends. Even writing that is making me well up. I love them so much but since the summer began we've only got together once. And once September comes we're all going our separate ways again. 

    Do you find maintaining friendships difficult? Should maintaining friends be easy, and if it's not is there a problem in the friendship? Any input would be greatly appreciated! Leave a comment below.

    Saturday, July 9, 2016

    Unsocial Media


    Recently I've been strongly considering deleting my Facebook account. There are so many reasons that make me want to so I thought that I would share them with you today. As with anything, there are pros and cons to Facebook and social media I know, but these are just my own personal opinions and I have absolutely no problem with people spending as much time on Facebook as they'd like.

    So anyway, here is my list of reasons to convince myself to delete Facebook.

    1. Friends?
    In my life I have around 5-6 REALLY close friends. We'd talk every other day and meet up every once in a while. I have 507 friends on Facebook. So now I can keep up with 507 people that I barely know and watch them attend weddings, concerts, get into relationships and everything else. And what does it matter to me? Nothing. I mean, while it's great to get the latest gossip on people I haven't seen in years, I really don't care what these people are up to. And I don't mean that in a horrible way but I don't know them. And I'm sure they don't really care what I'm up to either.

    2. Under Pressure
    This is a biggie for me. I'm not sure if it's the same for everyone or just some weird social anxiety side-effect that I have but I feel an enormous amount of pressure on Facebook. For example, how many likes can I get on my profile picture, how many people will wish me happy birthday or will I be tagged in those photos my friend took? This is no word of a lie but I haven't changed my profile picture in over a year for fear of not getting any likes. Is that silly? Maybe. But it's something that causes me a lot of stress and anxiety and I'm starting to wonder if it's really worth it.

    3. Depressing
    Again, this might just be me but I spend an awfully long time on Facebook comparing myself to others or comparing my life to theirs. I ask myself 'why don't I look that good in photos?' or 'why isn't my life that exciting?' I see people jetting off on foreign holidays, having crazy nights out and moving to exciting places and I can't help but feel myself getting more and more depressed with each scroll. Why is my life so boring? Why can't I do those things and look that way and have that many friends? It's not healthy and it's not creating a good mind set.

    4. Living Life For Social Media
    I feel as though this one doesn't just apply to Facebook, but also to Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram etc. Whenever I go anywhere with my friends or have a night out, all I can think about is getting that perfect Snap to show everyone how great my life is. Or people spend ages taking that perfect picture to post on Instagram. I'm starting to feel like me, and those around me, are living our lives just to brag about it later on Facebook. We spend more time perfecting these pictures and posts that we forget to actually enjoy ourselves and enjoy the time we spend with each other.

    5. Confidence
    I feel like this point ties in with all the other points. With everything I see on social media I honestly feel like my confidence has been beaten and thrashed by everything. I see all these girls looking tanned and thin on Instagram, previous friends with their new boyfriends and relations living it up abroad. Even sending friends requests causes me so much anxiety. What if they reject? Do they hate me? God, I hate my brain. Nothing is ever simple and I feel like Facebook and other social medias are frying it even more.

    So, why don't I just quit? That's the question I ask myself every day. If I hate it so much, why not just delete my account and be done with it? The fear of missing out I suppose. What if my friends are trying to organise a day out and they can't get in contact with me? Or how about when I go to college next year and I miss out on all the fun on Facebook with new friends? 

    Also, we become so dependant on Facebook it's like an addiction. I can't go a day without checking on Facebook. A 'quick' look soon turns into hours and hours of random searching and pointless posts. 

    I think the only option for me is to try and cut down how much time I spend on Facebook day-by-day. There's no way I could quit cold turkey. How do you feel about Facebook and other social medias? Have you ever deleted an account? Leave a comment below and let me know. Thanks for reading.


    Monday, July 4, 2016

    Everyday Makeup Routine

    Hello! How are you? Today I thought that I would talk you through my everyday makeup routine. And before we get started I would just like to mention that I am in no way a makeup guru or an expert at applying makeup. Honestly, I'm doing well if I can make myself look semi-okay with makeup. So, without further ado, let's get started..

    1. Having cleansed and moisturised my face in the morning, I start my makeup by doing my eyebrows. I do this because in my opinion, they are probably THE most important part of any makeup routine. Now my eyebrows are awful! Like really really awful. I use the Eylure Brow Pencil in Blonde to map out the shape of my brows. This pencil also has a spoolie to brush through those pesky brows. I then use the Barry M Brow Kit to fill in any gaps with the powder. I generally don't ever use the wax but the kit does have a very pretty highlight which I love!



    2. Next it's onto foundation. Recently I've been using the No7 Stay Perfect foundation in the colour Calico. It gives a lovely dewy finish which makes me look a lot healthier than I actually am. I apply this with the Real Techniques Buffing Brush. I then use the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in Fair under my eyes, on any blemishes (a lot!) and to outline my brows and use the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush to apply it.















    3. To powder my face I've been using the Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in Peach Glow for years! I dust it all over my face and then focus it on anywhere I've used the concealer.


     4. Next up it's bronzer! I use the Benefit Hoola Bronzer and love it more than you could ever know. I use the Real techniques Sculpting Brush to define my non-existent cheekbones, on my jawbone (gotta get rid of that double chin!), on my temples, by my hairline, on either side of my nose and down my neck. I also get a smaller brush and apply this bronzer to the outer corner and crease of my lid to act as an eyeshadow. For blush, I use the Bourjois Little Round Pot Blush in the colour Rose d'Or. This is such a pretty blush with a hint of gold shimmer. I also apply this blush to the centre of my lids with a smaller brush. It compliments the bronzer really well! I then use the highlight in the Barry M Brow Kit mentioned above on my browbone, on the top of my cheeks, down my nose and on my cupid's bow.
    Image result for bourjois blush rose d'or
     

    5. Next, I use Benefit's They're Real Mascara on my lashes. I will generally do two coats on my top lashes and one coat on my bottom lashes. I feel like this step makes the world of difference to any makeup look.




    6. And FINALLY it's time for lips. I will always use the Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet Liquid Lipstick and have recently been loving the shade 17 Cool Brown. It's a kind of brown nude which is so gorgeous.




    And there we have it. My everyday makeup routine. Below you can see a before and after shot:

    Before

    After

    I hope you've enjoyed this post as much as I've enjoyed talking you through my everyday makeup routine. I love makeup and how it can really improve your confidence. Having said that, I have no problem with heading to town or that without makeup. After all, that's what I've been given. But there is nothing wrong with wanting to enhance your features and have fun with how you look. Thanks for reading!

    Thursday, June 16, 2016

    I'M ON SNAPCHAT!

    Hello! Just thought that I'd let you know that I've made a Snapchat account for my blog. I'll be posting random happenings throughout the day and other bits and bobs.

    Please add away. My username is  littlemortal1 

    Hope to see you there!

    Wednesday, June 15, 2016

    Embrace Your Weirdness



    I am a weird person. After almost 19 years this is a fact that I've learnt to accept. Wait no, this is a fact that I love. 

    I think something that we all must learn to do is to embrace our weirdness or our quirkiness. After all, aren't these the things that make us unique? Not to long ago meeting new people would be a very suffocating thing for me (okay MAYBE it still is). I would shut down my weird parts that want to break into song at any given time, dance even with strangers around and make extremely inappropriate comments every once in a while. But this wasn't right. I wasn't being me. This wasn't something I could help. I would smile meekly during conversations, nod every once in a while and hope that the limelight wouldn't shine on me at all.

    Now I know what you might be thinking, some people are just quieter than others. And maybe you're right but the thing is, I am not a quiet person. I am loud and weird and when I'm with my close friends and family, I never shut up and love being in the limelight. 

    I'm tired of being known as the 'quiet one' when meeting new people. I want to scream and shout and dance and sing and be happy and confident with myself. I want to just be my normal weird self. Is that too much to ask? So when I hit the big smoke (Dublin) in September, I'm making a promise to myself that I won't hide that part of me that is slightly strange. I'll embrace it and step out of comfort zone and hope people like me for me. And if they don't, then there'll be many others I'm sure who are just as weird as me (I hope)..

    Throughout the year gone by, I met new people doing my course. As usual I barely spoke and pretty much just said what I thought people wanted me to say. Whenever I did make some sort of a witty remark or inappropriate comment I was met with 'Oh my God I'm shocked!' and 'That's so unlike you'. Honestly, these remarks hurt. Did these people not know me at all? Why was it whenever I said something that I would normally say everyone was so shocked? 

    I hid myself. And when I started to relax and show who I really was, it was a shock to those around me. I don't want this to be the case. I know it will be hard at first, not shutting myself off from new people but this is something that is holding me back in life. And I swear that I will do everything in my power to overcome this.

    I hope I'm not the only one who has this problem when meeting new people. Leave comments below and I'll speak to you soon.



    Monday, June 13, 2016

    Top Book Picks

    Hello again! So in case you didn't know, I am a complete bookworm. There is nothing like being sucked into a different world with intriguing characters and amazing stories that stay with you for years and years. In my opinion a good book will stick with you for your whole life. So today I thought that I would share with you my top book picks. Some I've read recently and others not so recently. However I would like to point out that I've excluded all the Harry Potter books from this list as it goes without saying that everyone should read these books at least once in their life. And with that, let's get started...

    1. The Manifesto On How To Be Interesting by Holly Bourne
    Now I did a review of this book last year on my blog and it's clear back then how much I loved this book. And let me tell you that my opinion has not changed at all. Even after reading so many books since then, this book is still one of my absolute favourites. The story is so unique and interesting, and a concept I loved reading about as it's something that I myself have thought about. I read it so quickly as well. Holly Bourne's writing was so infectious and made me not want to put the book down (which I hardly did!). I would highly recommend that everyone reads this book.

    2. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
    When I started reading this book I instantly fell in love. The main reason for me was the quirky narration of the book by death itself. When I first read that death was the narrator I wasn't entirely convinced that it would work or that I would like that idea. However this concept is why I love this book so much. I mean how many other books out there are narrated by death? Also, 'The Book Thief' is the book which introduced me to my favourite character in any piece of literature, Rudy Steiner. I won't say too much because I want you all to read this book and enjoy the wonderful journey that 'The Book Thief' is. Sometimes I wish that I hadn't read this book yet so that I could read it as if it were the first time all over again.

    3. Am I Normal Yet? by Holly Bourne
    I swear I am no relation to Holly Bourne I just absolutely love her books. Once again this book deals with a really serious issue of OCD but tells the story in such a beautiful, eloquent way. I love the friendships, the narrator, Evie, and everything else in this book. I feel like this book made me laugh, cry and gave me a much better understand of mental illnesses and how relationships are affected by it. This book also shines a light on the subject of feminism, but not in an in-your-face kind of way just in a way that made me WANT to be called a 'spinster'. This is such an incredible read and I think that everyone needs to read it.

    4. The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon
    This book makes me so happy! It is the sequel to 'The Bone Season' so definitely read that before you read 'The Mime Order' otherwise you'll be completely lost. These books are set in a dystopian future and follow Paige Mahoney (an Irish girl I might add!). One thing I would say is that it can be quite easy to get lost in this book. There are a lot of terms that may not make sense but luckily there is a glossary at the back of the book to help. I think dystopian novels are my favourite so that is why I loved this book so much. It's completely different to most other books of the same genre and has so many twists and turns that I absolutely loved. And that ending? UGH you'll have to read both books to find out what I'm talking about...

    5. Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare
    Cassandra Clare has only gone and done it again. I didn't think it could get any better than 'The Mortal Instruments' and 'The Infernal Devices' series but goodness me it has (please read TMI and TID if you have not already as they are the most spectacular books in existence. Also they must be read before Lady Midnight, in my opinion, to really appreciate it). This book, like all of Cassandra's books really captures the essence of each character. They are all so memorable and amazing in their own way. Even though this book was so big, I still wanted it to be longer. And once again, such an incredible ending. Love, love, LOVE this book!

    6. Legend Series by Marie Lu
    Okay, so I've included three books in one here; Legend, Prodigy and Champion. Even though I read these books so long ago, I still count them as one of my favourite series and dystopian books ever. For me I'm one of those people who is generally always disappointed with the ending of a book or series. I don't know why but that's just the way I am. Out of every book series I've read this one ended the best for me. I absolutely loved it! It's original and funny and sad and everything you could ever want from a book series. I love the characters as well. They were so memorable and exciting I could hardly close the book I was so captured by it. I've loved it for many years and will continue to love it for many more years to come.

    Wow so that was quite a rant. There is just something about talking about books that really gets me going. I hope you enjoyed this post and love escaping into the pages of a book as much as I do. Leave a comment below on what your top book picks are because I'm always looking for new books to read. Also leave a comment if you've read one of these or plan to read one and let me know what you think. Hope you're all having a happy day. Talk soon.




    Sunday, June 12, 2016

    My Bucket List



    The 8th of December. That was the last date that I wrote a blog post. I'm so angry at myself. Typical me, I always start things and never carry them on. It's not like I've been busy or anything. I'm just L.A.Z.Y. 

    Anyway, now that that has been addressed let's catch up.. AGAIN. Last time I wrote anything it was 2015. And now here we are half way through 2016. How crazy is that? I feel like my life is passing me by without me even realising.


    Around the time of the New Year I decided to write a bucket list. It's not very long yet because I don't want to just add random things for the sake of adding them but wanted to have things that I genuinely want to do before it's too. I though that I would share that with you today (it's safe to say that none of these have been accomplished yet but there's still time.. I'm only 18!).

    My Bucket List

      1.    Fall hopelessly in love
      2.    Travel the world
      3.    Have an amazing group of friends that I will know forever
      4.    Get a tattoo
      5.    Write a song
      6.    Have a song written about me
      7.    Write a novel
      8.    Learn to swim
      9.    Go to Harry Potter studios in London
      10.  Watch a West-End or Broadway musical
      11.   Go indoor skydiving
      12.   Learn to surf

    I      So that's my bucket list so far. I'm sure I'll add more as I think of them and hopefully they'll get crossed off soon enough. What have you got on your bucket lists? And if you don't have one I challenge you to make one and post it. Thanks for reading as always. Leave comments, you know, if you want.