New Year- Chat About Shit

Hey guyssss

So with less than two hours left of 2015, I thought I'd write a short-ish, chatty, kinda pointless post about the year I've had, whether I completed my last years resolutions and what my new 'New Year Resolution's are for 2016 and why I've chosen them.

I am one of those people that l-o-v-e-s New Year. Who doesn't like the idea of a fresh start? The chance to put behind anything bad that's happened and start afresh- New Year gives hope and positivity. I can't stand people that want to shit all over New Year and say the same old 'I hope the next year is better than this one'. LITERALLY- shut up. Why can't people just stop focusing on the negative and stop moaning for 5 seconds. 

But enough of that. Let's not waste time moaning about the moaners. So, what's happened this year? Nothing majorly horrible has happened in 2015 for me which is always nice. I got the two things that I really wanted and one of them turned out to be not what I wanted at all. This is all pretty vague because I don't want to tell the big wide web my whole life story.. But what I will say, is that I have always struggled with confidence and self esteem. My whole life I've basically had this negative voice in my head that tells me really horrible things, most of which aren't true. And I don't mean that I'm psycho or anything like that, I'm talking about a voice in my head telling me that I'm not worth much, that I don't deserve things or that I'm not capable. 

To be honest, I'm not really sure where this voice developed from but I started to read Demi Lovato's book 'Staying Strong 365 days a year' which is a collection of her favourite quotes and a bit of writing underneath from Demi to go alongside it. It's a really lovely 'pick-me-up' book for people that struggle with positivity. There was a page that talked about 'being your own best friend' which admittedly, sounds extremely lame at first, but the idea is- when you're talking to your best friend, you wouldn't dream of telling them the things you tell yourself. Would you tell your best friend that they're not capable? That their not worth anything? The answer is no- So why would you tell yourself that? You have to be kind to yourself and honest. The doubts that cross your mind aren't facts. 

This quote really spoke to me and really made me realise that I've always been un-necessarily harsh on myself. This year, I've really come a long way in regards to my thought process, motivation, self worth and positivity. My confidence and self esteem has increased massively over the past year but I still have a very long way to come. I just hope I can make as much progress in the new year.

So, what have I learned this year? I have learned that love isn't enough sometimes to make things work. I learned that boys and relationships are not as fun as they sound. I learned that you can only really be at peace with yourself when you don't care what people think and when you can truly be yourself. I learned that I'm capable of so much more than I thought. Oh, and I realised that I'm a very difficult person to put up with- especially in a relationship! 

Last year, my New Year Resolutions were (1) Find A Job (2) Read More (3) Stay Positive. As I talked about before, I am very content with the way I achieved resolution (3). As for (2) I read so much at the beginning of the year, but then I realised that I am now an adult with adult responsibilities and adults don't have the time for luxuries like reading. Okay- that's a bit of an exaggeration. I could definitely find time for reading, but I decide to watch Made In Chelsea instead.. And finally (1), this was the most important resolution to me and I completed that too! Granted, I don't work in the most glamorous of places.. but I quite enjoy my job, it's interesting (sometimes) and (half) full of nice people.

My 2016 Resolutions;

(1) Go to the gym x2 a week

Yes, this is a very over used and boring resolution but it's just something that I want to get back into. I'm not very body concious but I find that I'm generally happier and feel more productive when I'm going to the gym regularly. 

(2) Eat Healthier

Alright, alright- I've picked very unimaginative resolutions this year. But I'm not sorry. I eat SO badly. I polish a whole pack of Viennese whirls, shovel a family size pack of crisps down my throat on a regular basis and I eat chocolate for breakfast. I'm definitely not going to be one of those knobs that posts pictures of vegan salads with avocado and goji berries (weird salad) but I just want to invite a bit more fruit into my life, drink a bit more water, eat a bit less crap. That kind of thing.

(3) Write more (at least a week)

I've written a journal since the age of about 10 but ever since coming to uni, I've neglected it savagely. It's really annoying because uni has been the best year of my life and I'm not even going to have any written record of it! I've just been too busy/ lazy (mostly the latter). I want to start writing more so that I have exciting stuff to read when I'm 80 years old sitting in my rocking chair :)

Anyway- that's enough from me.

Happy New Year to you all- Have a good'un

Jade x    

ROOM HAUL

Hey guys!

I'm back with a Room Haul which is basically me showing you what I've bought for my room at our new student house. I really like looking at home décor posts so I was quite excited to post my own.. 

I took this from my uni room last year but I really liked it so I brought it along with me for second year. It's just a cheesy positive quote really..

I picked up these cute frames from Tesco for £2 each to match my white one above and I've put postcards from Paperchase in them (I'll post a picture soon). I got a triple dressing table mirror that matches the pattern on these frames too! (Again, will post a picture)

I picked this up at a gift store in Yorkshire for £2. I just think it's super cute- I have it hanging above my mirror in my room. 

This cute thang was £1 from Primark (b~a~r~g~i~n). I really love quotes to do this exploring and adventures so this was exactly what I wanted.

I picked these up in Dunelm and to be quite honest, I chose them because they matched the colour scheme in my room.. But they also smell really fresh and modern

I got this tray at B&M for £3.99. I wanted to put my perfumes on it so they could look super cute on my dressing table. 

Every. Girl. Needs. Fairy Lights. These are the cutest things I've ever seen- they're feather fairy lights and I've hung them around my dressing table mirror and around my wardrobe.

Just a plain grey bed sheet ^ I feel like grey is such a safe colour when it comes to bedding because black and white are equally as hard to keep looking clean.

I'm a sucker for the colour mint so I bought this to put my dirty washing in.

I fell in love with these cushions as soon as I saw them! They're massive and just generally pretty and they were £7 each at Primark. 

Grey shorts to match my grey everything. £4 (I think) from Primark

Aaaand fluffy socks because our student house is freezing and you can't NOT have fluffy socks in the winter.

Thanks for reading guys!

I'm going to do another room post to show you guys what everything looks like set up and then I'll be doing a few fashion related hauls as I've accumulated a fair few things over the past month!

'Til next time,

Jade x

Drugstore Beauty Haul

Hey guys!

So here is my drug store haul. I don't usually do these because what I buy isn't usually that interesting but I thought that Lush and Essie definitely spice things up!

LUSH Titsy Toasty Bath bomb- I bought myself this bath bomb so that I could treat myself after a long shift at work. I used to love bath bombs from Lush but now they just bother me because they're so messy. I cant just have a bath and get out, I have to have a shower after to wash off the residue and then give the bath a rinse down too but this one seemed to be on the less messy side. It's also really subtle smelling and relaxing. It has dried rosebuds trapped inside which are pretty cute- not so cute when they're stuck in your plug hole tho..

LUSH BBseaweed Face Mask- This is one of the fresh face masks so they only last 3 weeks but I really like to treat my skin to one of these when I've been wearing make up for long periods of time. I just think that it keeps my skin calm and us girls love to feel girly and a face mask is the perfect way to spend an evening after work! It smells very beachy/earthy which I like and has bits of seaweed in which is all cool.

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer- This beauty has been my trusty concealer for a while now. I used to use Boi-ing by Benefit but it was just WAY too expensive. The collection one is only £4 and I use it for both under eye and concealing blemishes. I get through a lot of concealer because I use it as an all over base underneath my foundation to give a better coverage for my skin, and with the price being so low, I can afford to do that.

Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge- So this is pretty much my new best friend. I used to use the Real Techniques Stippling Brush but when I saw that all the make up artists are using Beauty Blender's I decided I should try using a sponge. Beauty Blender's are WAY too expensive for my liking, especially as you're advised ro buy a new one every month for hygienic reasons.. No thank you! But anyway, I LOVE this sponge. It just blends everything so much better. 

Essie Nail Polish- 'Sparkle on Top'/ 'Spin the Bottle'- I've literally just painted my nails with these colours, using Sparkle on Top only on my ring fingers. I love the colours! I naughtily swapped Spin the Bottle with 'Mint Candy Apple' as I wanted a nude colour to go with the sparkle. 

Thanks for reading guys!

More blog posts soon :)

Jade x

Small Haul- Powder Blue

 

Het guys!

Okay, so firstly I owe you a MASSIVE apology- I am so sorry for not posting in the last three weeks! BUT, in my defence, I have been pretty busy. I was away in York and Wales for two weeks and I've been attending Job interviews which meant that I was short on time for blogging!

Without further ado though, I'd like to tell you about these three b-e-a-utiful items that I purchased recently. I was going out at the weekend and started to panic because I didn't have anything (new) to wear. I spotted the bag first which I thought was just so pretty! Snake print- my fav. And then I got the top to go with it as it matched in colour and wasn't actually that expensive. The earrings weren't part of the outfit plan but I was just drawn to them like I am with anything else iridescent.. And I wore these to my job interviews- something pretty but not too statement. 

I wore the bag and top with my white midi skirt and some black sandal heels. The bag opens up (picture directly above) with a magnetic clasp, which gives you a lot of room but isn't really the handiest when you've had a bit too much to drink and you're trying to find your keys/money. However, I do really like the fact it comes with a longer strap so you can change it from a clutch to a shoulder bag- WIN.

Clutch- Newlook £12.99

Earrings- Newlook £3.99

Top- Topshop £8

Thanks for reading guys! 

I shall be back soon with an OOTD (of course) and a Drugstore beauty haul :)

Jade x

Premium Beauty- Small Haul

Hey guys!

So lately, I've been treating myself a little bit.. I have make-up items to show you; 2 from MAC and 2 from Nars. I didn't own any Nars cosmetics before so this post is very exciting for me!

MAC Lip Pencil- Boldly Bare

I am really in love with this lip pencil. It comes out as a red-toned matte dusky pink and is really flattering against my teeth. When I swatched MAC's lipstick in 'Brave' on the same day I bought this pencil, I could have sworn that they were an exact colour match and 'Brave' is a matte finish too. I decided to get the pencil instead because I have quite a few lipsticks and I thought I had more versatility with a pencil. But 'Brave' is definitely next on my list! I've put MAC lipsticks 'Faux' 'Creme d'nude' and 'Hue' over the top of this lip pencil, to try different variations.

Nars Audacious Lipstick- Barbara

I have wanted one of these lipsticks for SO LONG. I love everything about it, the packaging, the shape, the engraving ahhhh. I was very tempted to get this lipstick in a violet or deep purple colour but then I accepted the fact a natural lipstick would get a good run for its money and a purple would just sit in my drawer looking pretty! I haven't actually swatched or tried this lipstick yet because I'm scared. It's so pretty mannnn

Nars Blusher- Nico

Okay, so sometimes in life, when it comes to make-up, things just make their way into your make-up bag not because you need it, but because its pretty. Not gunna lie, that's pretty much what I did with this beauty. It comes off very subtle, especially on my tone skin so I'm probably going to use it as a blusher or bronzer in the winter months.

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish- Lightscapade 

This is hands down one of the prettiest things I have ever seen.. I didn't think that I'd use this much. I have incredibly oily skin and even half an hour after powdering my face, it goes back to being shiny so the thought of highlighter has always scared me. Buttt, I've actually been using it a fair bit! I like the way it looks on the skin and it comes off as a really beautiful iridescent white. I CAN'T STOP STARING AT IT

I hope you enjoy reading this post as much as I enjoyed buying the things shown above! My next posts are likely to include a couple OOTD's and a Powder Blue themed small haul.

Until next time.. :)

Jade x

OOTD- White Ripped Jeans ft. Turtle Neck

 Hey Guys!

So I'm back with a monochrome based outfit. *surprise* I wore this outfit into town to do a bit of shopping and sit at Starbucks with a coffee and a muffin, whilst doing a bit of blogging. I am wearing my Air Max Commands which are featured in my last blog post, with my Asos white ripped jeans, and a grey marl turtle neck that I got at H&M which was quite a bargain actually. I'm also wearing my new MAC lipliner which will be featured in my next blog post, so look out for that!

Thanks for reading,

Jade x

Depop Buys! Shoes/ Phone Case/ Alexander Wang x HM

Hello everyone! So as promised, here is my Depop Buys post. So, for those of you that don't know, Depop is an app that you can download aimed to sell and buy items rather easily. There is no bidding involved, just a simple 'instant buy' that can be discussed with the seller via direct message. It's a great way to make a bit of extra money by selling clothes, shoes or whatever else sitting around your house that you no longer use. 

Personally, I prefer to buy rather than sell on depop. I once bought a pair of black Levi Mom jeans on there but then deleted the app soon after as I didn't use it much and I didn't feel 100% comfortable with the app. Not for any major reason, I just knew that sellers on sites like Depop can't always be trusted, just the same as buying off of ebay.

Anyway, my best friend was telling me about her recent purchases on Depop and I suddenly regained an interest in the app again so I decided to re-install it onto my phone. I have now purchased 3 items from Depop and all of which I had no problems with. They arrived quickly, the sellers were polite and friendly and I'm pretty much in love with all of them! So, without further ado.. 

Nike Air Max Command- Black/ Grey/ White

So, as I've talked about before, I am a massive lover of trainers, particularly Air Max. These retail at £55 and I got them for £35 including P+P. I really love them, they're comfortable and monochrome which means they pretty much go with anything. I styled them in my last OOTD post and you can definitely expect a few more to come.

Alexander Wang x HM- Sports Bra

When the Alexander Wang x HM collection came out, I was really excited about it but wasn't particularly interested in buying anything just because I knew it would be rather expensive. I was looking at Sports Bra's on Depop when I came across this for £18 inc. P+P!! Most were selling it for £40/£50 because it had sold out everywhere so I snapped it up quickly. I just feel like it's so me- I love sports wear, I love monochrome and I love designer labels. It also has a reflective zip strip so the 'Wang' writing in white glows in different light and I love that the back has an interesting panel.  

Mermaid Iridescent Phone Case

This is genuinely one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. I felt like a moth drawn to a flame when it arrived! So, I spotted this in Newlook (I think) and wanted it so badly but I didn't have an I-phone at the time. I just happened to come across this on Depop when searching for a new case and was sooo excited. I bought it for £6 which isn't too bad and the best part? IT'S IRIDESCENT OF COURSE. Which means it's basically me.. in the shape of a phone case.

I hope you liked this post! Look out for my next uploads;

-OOTD White Ripped Jeans ft. Turtle Neck

-Small Premium Beauty Haul 

'Til next time!

Jade x

University: Jade's Top Tips For First Year

Disclaimer: These tips may be specifically for University away from home.

        1. First impressions are everything. This is my most important tip, which is why it's placed at no.1. University is a fresh start for you. For many, including myself, I was dying to get away from school, from college and pretty much my entire life. The thought of making new friends is exciting but you have to remember to be yourself. You're going to have to spend at least 3 years with these people, that's far too long to keep up pretences! Remember- the best people you can have around you are the ones that like you for who you are. 

2. Make an effort! I can't tell you how important it is to get yourself out there ASAP when it comes to university. First of all, you need to appear approachable to your flatmates/ house mates and try to start a conversation as soon as you meet them. Once you've appeared a certain way, it's difficult to rectify that. Accept offers to hang out/ go to parties and try to include them in your plans too. I know loads of people that didn't get on with the people they were living with. For some cases, this might simply be a case of personality clash but in others, there was not enough initial effort made.

3. Make a food list and stick to a budget. I found that shopping for two weeks instead of one worked out much better. I had about a £30-40 weekly budget and I always made sure I wrote a list. I found it helpful to look at recipes online/ in books and then buy according to that. I also kept around £5 to restock on any vegetables during the second week as their shelf lives aren't long enough to last the two weeks. 

4. Trust your instincts. For me, I really wasn't sure whether I wanted to stay at home or not (in Plymouth). I had an interview at the college I went to previously for two years and I knew instantly, as soon as I walked into the room that I didn't want to be there. So, that ruled out the only university in my home town that I could study Fashion in. I applied for Falmouth, Bournemouth, Rochester and Bath Spa too so I went to a further 3 interviews. I liked Falmouth, hated Bath Spa and adored Bournemouth. 

The whole feel of the place was just so chilled and artsy. There was live music playing, it was sunny and there was a certain buzz to the place. I didn't get to look round the town much but I looked at pictures on the internet and fell in love with what I saw. Bournemouth was 100% the best place for me and genuinely the best decision I've ever made. For me, it was partly luck but I strongly suggest that you do a lot of investigating when it comes to chosing where you're going to spend the next 3 years.

5. Don't let the stress get to you. Obviously, first year at uni is a big deal. However, I can't tell you how many times other people have told me 'first year doesn't count'. You tend to find the general feel of first year, is that as long as you pass, it doesn't matter too much. This is all good and well when you get grades back that you aren't particularly happy with but I spent my first term playing harder than I was working and was not happy with the results I received. 

First year for me, was a test to see where the boundaries are, a chance for me to trial and error how hard I needed to work in order to get each grade boundary. I soon realised that I needed to work a lot harder than I was in order to get a grade I would be happy with. So, I'd say the best thing you can do is find a balance. It's first year, have fun, make friends but work hard too.

I hope you enjoyed my top tips for Univeristy!

Until next time,

Jade x