Case of Neglect!

I'm here to report a case of neglect... against this blog!

Unfortunately due to my final year at university I had a crazy amount of study and exams and I wasn't able to post on this as much as I would've loved to.

Buuuuut... I'm back!

It is now summer! Sun is out, well technically it is.. It's just hiding behind the clouds. And I am free! Exams done and dusted now all I have to do is sit and wait for the dreaded results date...! Until them I will be firmly planted on this seat, sitting in front of my laptop writing away to my hearts content.

Also a much needed revamp of the blog will happen. Hoping to get the new site up and running before the end of the summer.

So keep an eye out as I will be posting so much more awesome things for you lovely people to read! 
Leave me a message if you want me to write about anything in particular. 

❤

Boys?

They are one big question mark...

I got asked to write about this and I’m pretty sure most girls can relate. I’ll try and keep it brief but to be honest I could write a novel on this!

Boys. Where to begin? There’s just so much to talk about! They say that we are the hard ones to figure out but for girls it’s the other way around. In all my 22 years I still can’t understand them. They are complicated creatures. How their brain works is one of life's greatest mysteries. The only thing I've found out is that they love to play games, and it doesn't seem to end with age. Guys just be simple. Tell the girl you like them. End of. Stop with the silly games!

I know we’re in this new age where girls are asking guys out and are taking the lead but to be honest I want a guy to come over to me, impress me, ask me out. I want it to be like the movies, where the boy does everything he can to be with the girl and then at the end they finally kiss in the rain, complete with a backing track of course. But I’m waiting for a fairy- tale that is never going to happen.

I can’t speak for every guy; I’m just talking about the ones I've met so far. But those ones, their impression has been less than desirable.  Oh wow! You bought me a drink! Let’s run away and be together forever! (Slight over exaggeration but you get my point)

There are so many different types of boys which fall into a few categories. There are the vain ones who think they’re God’s gift and stand waiting for the girls to come to them (never going to happen mate). Then there are shy, sweet boys who can’t muster up the courage to talk to a girl but when they do they just fumble and make awkward conversation resulting in the girl most likely walking away. Moving onto the cocky boys, who again think they are the greatest thing, but different to the vain ones as they approach girls but can’t handle the rejection so end up shouting abuse at the girl. And finally there are the drunken ones. They can be a combination of any of the others; vain, shy, sweet, cocky but add alcohol to the mix and they believe they are invincible.

Then once in a while a guy will come along and just sweep you off your feet. Every time you see him the butterflies go crazy and you can’t help but smile. I have experienced this once or twice and I ended going out with the guy for a while. However I have this disorder where I attract all the (excuse my language) assholes. It can be quiet difficult to live with but I’ve learnt how to deal with it. My now ex also had a condition; compulsive cheating, one of the main boyfriend disorders.  I didn't learn how to deal with that and dumped his cheating ass along with giving him a piece of my mind.

Getting over ex’s is different for everyone, and also depends on how long you were together. One thing for sure is that it doesn't help if you have to see them every day, you’ll never get over them. You’ll always want to go back.

Getting back with an ex is not always a good idea either. Before you do think about a few things: why did you break up? Do you only want to get back together because you’re lonely or do you actually miss them? Maybe you’re only missing the idea of them.

GIRLCODE FOR EX’S:

Okay so this is a major one! I personally have a few friends that this relates to. GirlCode relates to any girl who is your friend or family member.

• Under no circumstance can a friend or family member start dating your ex. That is just one massive no! And if they do they are not a true friend, and you are entitled to never speaking to them again. Same thing goes for crushes, they are out of bounds too.

As Gretchen Weiner once said "Ex-boyfriends are just off-limits to friends. I mean, that's just, like, the Rules of Feminism!" (Mean Girls)

So for now I’m enjoying singleton life. No pressure or worries. I can do what I like and until the right person comes along I’m happy as I am.

What about you? Have you experienced any of the guys I described? How did you deal with them?

❤

Winter Nails

At the beginning of November I spotted this little beauty  in Boots. It's Rimmel's Salon Pro in 391 Celebrity Bash. The minute I saw it I fell in love with the colour. It's a beautiful deep red, perfect for Christmas. 
Rimmel's Salon Pro range is amazing and the polish is easy to work with. For me it lasted nearly 2 weeks before it chipped and it doesn't fade.

The brush is nice and wide making it easier to apply and it dries within seconds. Like I do with every nail polish, I apply a good 2/3 coats. I love it when my nails look like they've been dipped in the paint, it makes them look so rich and people always comment on them asking who did my nails and are shocked to find it was little me who did them myself!

I take pride in my nails, and my pet hate is chipped nail polish. Once I see a chip that's it! I remove all traces of polish and paint them again! 
I file my nails regularly which helps them stay strong.
I always have my nails painted and for the past month they have been this colour! It matches every outfit and until another colour comes along which I truly love I think my nails will be staying this colour for a while!

Have you found your perfect Winter colour yet?

❤

The Joys of Study

University is one of the best times of your life, but it's also the most stressful. The amount of work doubles each year and by the time you reach your final year you are utterly stressed with not only assignments but also those dreaded final exams. 

I am currently in my final year and after spending my 3rd year studying abroad in France, I've found it much harder to get back into the swing of things. I studied in France for almost a year and it is a lot different to the crazy hectic lives people in Ireland live. France is so relaxed. You would never see anyone rushing to catch a train or bus. Everybody is very calm and chilled. Even during exam time I found myself a lot calmer then I did at my home university.

Right now it is study week for me! I am studying an International BA in English and French. My exams are in 2 weeks and the wonderful lecturers have also given us two 2,000 word essays to do in French, due 4 days before my first exam. So you could say that I'm freaking out a little bit!
I think half of me is still back in France, being all cool and collected while the other half is here in Ireland running around like a headless chicken spending more time stressing over the amount of work to do rather then actually doing any! 
The view above my desk isn't helping with the daydreaming either!

Dreaming of being back in Paris... Ooh la la.. 

Final year is one big ball of stress, and it better all be worth it! 

Procrastination is the worst thing ever. I know it, you know it, everyone knows it. No matter how much you convince yourself that you have enough time, you also seem to find yourself at 3am the night before the exam, eyes burnt out of your head, your legs unable to stay still from all the coffee you've had, possibly  along with the occasional redbull. Standard. All- nighter's just are not worth it. If you haven't the work done there's no point in trying to cram the night before.
However I myself have been a culprit to the odd all- nighter in the past. But in fairness it is a student's right of passage. You haven't been a student unless you've stayed up all night studying high on caffeine!

Study is difficult thing to teach. Everyone has their own methods. I wish there was an easy way, but you have to sit down and work at it. Anyone studying a language will know there are endless hours of study needed. It can get too much sometimes and you feel fed up that you're not getting anywhere but keep going and you will eventually get there!

I try to set myself goals and then reward myself at the end. For example: I'm going to study this topic for 2 hours and if I've managed to learn it and stayed concentrated on it then I can watch the new episode of Grey's Anatomy. Setting little goals is a lot more achievable then setting a huge one. Take it in stages and by the end all those little goals will add up!

TIP: Make sure you get fresh air. There's only so much coffee can do but exercise can be your best friend during exam time. Put on your headphones and go for a walk. It clears your mind and after it you'll be left feeling refreshed and ready to hit the books again. Whenever I get frustrated with what I'm trying to learn I need to take a step back and leave it, if only for a half an hour, and go for a walk. It really does help and it's nice to take a break from the library or your room.

Telling yourself to study and just do it is a lot harder said then done, especially since your concentration span is limited and without realising you're back on Facebook. Big difference between motivation and concentration, but I know where I want to be when I finish university and without putting in the work now I'm never going to get there so my motivation is going to have to be my concentration for the next while! Right now it's going to be tough and there are days I wake up thinking why did I pick this?! and do I have to study?! But in a few months when the Dean of the university hands me my piece of paper I'll be able to appreciate the work I did and my poor depressed and stressed out self will be long forgotten! 

In a few weeks I'll be finished for Christmas and the thoughts of finishing are keeping me together. Plus I've a few things planned after exams so at least I have something to look forward to! 

What about you? How do you deal with study and exams? 

❤

The Battle of Sleep vs. Looking Great

Sleep. The word every student loves. Every student knows sleep is one of the most important things during their university life. And it is only when we start university that we realise this! (Also day time naps are appreciated a lot more!) Every extra minute we have in bed is a blessing. However, us girls don't have it as simple as guys who can roll out of bed at the last minute and throw on a pair of jeans and a jumper and still look good. We have so much more to think about! Our hair and make- up! 

There are those dreaded mornings during winter where the thoughts of doing your make- up is the last thing on your mind. All you want to do is crawl back under your toasty blankets and drift back to sleep. This was all I wanted to do this morning the minute I hopped out of bed and the freezing cold hit me! So I rushed around and got dressed, made coffee, checked emails and after all this I sat down and looked in the mirror. What I saw was a face with the expression of "do I have to?" written all across it. Now don't get me wrong, I love make- up and applying it but I'm not it's biggest fan at 7am when it's still dark outside. And so that leads me to how I got the inspiration to write this post. I wanted to show you ways that you can look your best but in the fastest way possible! So you won't have to suffer, but at the end look amazing and ready to take on the day! Plus when you have fully woken up, you will be thanking your sleepy self for doing this. 

This is also great for those mornings where you only have 10- 15 minutes to get ready!

• After I had *cleansed and moisturised, I applied my foundation. I like to use MAC Pro Longwear Foundation, colour NC15, it lasts the whole day and gives enough coverage without being looking caked on. I hate it when it looks like you could scrap the make- up off you face. This foundation leaves a quiet natural finish. I apply this with a MAC 187 brush.

• After this I apply a few dots MAC Pro Longwear Concealer, NC15, under my eyes and blend to give them a fresher appearance. Also great if you're lacking sleep from study, makes you look like you've got your 8 hours!

• If I have any blemishes, I like to use MAC Studio Finish Concealer, NC15. I apply this using the tip of my ring finger. I don't like using brushes when applying concealer as it could spread the blemish.

• I then set my foundation using MAC Prep+ Prime Transparent Finishing Powder, which is great for taking away any shiny areas and also makes my make- up all day, even after all that running to and from lectures. I never have to worry about touch ups.  

• This all takes around 5- 6 minutes and now you have plenty of time to decide if you want to do your eyes or lips. For me when I'm rushing a good tip is to pick 2 features which you want to accentuate. So you could pick from eyebrows/ eyes/ cheeks. But this morning I picked my eyebrows and lips.

• I naturally have big eyebrows, and I don't wax them (once a few years ago and never again!). So I lightly filled them in using the eyebrow set from Catrice Cosmetics. This is really handy set to have as it gives you 2 colours, has a small mirror and also comes with a tiny eyebrow comb and tweezers. Remember when filling in your eyebrows that they are sisters, not twins! And try and avoid the 'scouse brow'! It's better to have a more natural finish.

• I recently purchased Rimmel's lasting finish by Kate Moss in colour 08 Rossetto. It is a beautiful nude mixed with a hint of pink. Perfect for daytime wear. It applies evenly and it lasted throughout the day, only needing a touch up after I'd eaten.

• To finish off my look I used 'They're Real!' mascara by Benefit. This adds instant length and volume without having to wear false lashes!

This is me before coffee!

So this took me in total 10 minutes to complete and with 5 minutes to spare I simply tied my hair up, spritzed some perfume and headed to my lectures. 
I hope this helps! and that you will all be looking amazing throughout the entire day!
Shhh... no one needs to know you only had 5 hours sleep, it'll be our little secret ;)

*If you want to find out more about the cleanser and moisturiser I use, read about them here!

❤

Do You Have Sensitive Skin?

Your skin is extremely important and so it should be looked after with the utmost care. I have very sensitive skin and have found that some cleansers and make- up removers give me an allergic reaction, like Simple's eye make- up remover pads. 

Luckily I don't suffer from acne, but I do get the odd 1 or 2 spots. In an ideal world we wouldn't get any, a girl can dream! But the least we can do is try and help reduce spots we get and keep our skin healthy and refreshed looking! 

I haven't had an allergic reaction in over 2 years and I put it down to the day I changed my cleanser and moisturiser to La Roche- Posay. Their products don't contain any nasty ingredients that can harm your skin. It has changed my skin for the better. 

Most days I wear a full face of make up, so I needed to change to a good cleanser and moisturiser and one which didn't give me an allergic reaction. The day I changed to La Roche- Posay I actually had a reaction on my face. I hadn't been wearing any make up for a couple of days but the reaction had only cleared slightly and it was getting me down. I was recommended to use La Roche- Posay Physiological Cleansing Gel, which retails around €15.25 (check your local chemists) and also their Toleriane Ultra Intense Soothing Care, around €18.50.

After 1/ 2 days using both products I noticed a huge improvement. They leave your skin feeling clean and fresh and applying my make up has become easier and applies more evenly. I use both products twice a day, in the morning and then again in the evening before bed. 

Both products are soap-free, alcohol-free, colorant-free and paraben-free. They are perfect for ultra sensitive or allergic skin. La Roche- Posay have a huge variety of products available, including make- up for sensitive skin.

Recently I began using their new Hydreane BB Creme in the colour light, around €18 . I use it after I moisturise and before I apply my foundation. It really evens out my skin tone and I know that it's not damaging my skin which is great! and it has an SPF 20. It's also perfect for during the day if you don't want to wear a full face of make- up as it gives a subtle glow to your skin.

Hope this helps you fellow sensitive and allergic skin sufferers and that you'll be on your way to healthy, calmed and refreshed skin in no time!

❤

The Perfect Way To Relax

It's that time of year again! The time where magic comes to life! So you better dust off that Santa hat and get into the Christmas spirit! I know I know, I'm *"pre- jingling", but being a student with impending exams I need to take my mind off study for a while and what better way to do it than with a lovely glass of hot mulled wine. 

Mulled wine is the perfect drink after a long hard day at work or university. For me it is just what I need to home to after freezing my nose off in the bitter winter wind and also to take my mind off study, if only for an hour.

If you don't want to have the alcoholic version you can swap the wine for juice such as cranberry instead.

Mulled Wine:

• One bottle (750 mL) of red wine (of your choice; merlot, rioja, etc.)
• One peeled and sliced orange (you can keep the peel and add to the pot for extra flavour)
• 1/4 cup of brandy
• Around 10 cloves
• 2/3 tbsp honey or sugar (or how much you would like for your taste)
• 3/4 cinnamon sticks
• 1 tsp fresh or 2 tsp ground ginger 

All you need to do then is add all the ingredients to a large saucepan and heat until nearing boiling point. Make sure you don't boil it as it will burn off the alcohol! Heat for around 20 minutes while stirring occasionally. Make sure the honey or sugar has fully dissolved and when it is steaming it is ready. And voilà! Your mulled wine is ready for you to enjoy, just pour into glasses, sit back and relax.

Even if mulled wine isn't to your taste the smell in your kitchen will be devine! And it will continue to waft through the entire house, almost as if Christmas is gently floating through.

The Easy Peasy Way:

If you want to make this super quick, all you need to do is head to the shop and look for Schwartz Mulled Wine Spice. It contains 6 sachets of mixed spice and all you have to do is pop 2 sachets with your wine into a saucepan and heat like before. You can add slices of orange and even apple if you wish while it is cooking.

The instructions on the packet say to add water but I feel that would somewhat weaken the flavour so I would advise to leave it out. 

And there you have it! Quick and simple recipes for the perfect Mulled Wine. Hope you enjoy yours as much as I did!

Happy "Pre- Jingling"!

    ❤

*"pre- jingling" is celebrating Christmas way before it's even close to Christmas, so basically decorating your house in November or if you are an ultimate Christmas person straight after Halloween.