My Birthday Wishlist!

It's my birthday this month and I'm so excited! Not because I'm turning a year older, and not because of presents, but because I'm hosting a big party! Okay well not that big, but as someone who is working towards becoming an events manager, I absolutely love the whole aspect of planning a party and making it epic! The theme is going to be "Coachella" and you can imagine how wild I can go with the decorations, food, music and clothes! But I'll save that for a completely different blog post.

Even though I'm not exactly fussed about getting any presents, it is my birthday and I can't help but secretly wish for a few things can I?  I mean I might as well share them with you.

1. The first thing on my list is the tartelette in bloom clay palette! I'm not going to lie, the first thing that caught my eye was the packaging, I mean just look how beautiful it is! I'm also in love with all of the shades as they're all colours I would actually use whereas in most palettes there are always one or two colours I would just never touch. All of Tarte's makeup is cruelty-free too, and that straight away is something I look for in a makeup product. 

2. Everyone is in love with the Kylie Jenner lip kits at the moment, and even though I think that's great, I personally don't want to go through the stress of actually trying to get my hands on one. However, Too Faced have recently brought out their own range of liquid lipsticks called the Melted Matte Liquified Matte Lipstick, which look just as great. The shade I'm lusting over is "Cool Girl" shown above. Who needs a Kylie Jenner lip kit aye?

3. Fujifilm Instax Mini 8 Camera! I have been asking for a bloody polaroid camera for the longest time! I remember asking for one when they first started becoming cool again, but I was told there was no point. But I did not care and still do not care to this date! Yes, I know that now you can get your photos printed in a polaroid style but that's not the same! I need one in my life, okay?

4. Aren't these Zara Martin Rose Gold Kitty Headphones dreamy? I can just imagine myself pulling them out my bag, putting them on, and everyone thinking I'm the coolest person around because my headphones have cat ears. If I saw them on someone else I'd think that at least. I actually don't even own headphones, only a crappy pair of Apple earphones that only play out of one speaker. Therefore, these headphones are a necessity rather than a want. I'm totally joking I just really want them. Pretty please.

5. I left the most expensive till last. Look me in the eye and tell me that these Zoeva brushes are ugly. Well, 1. You can't because you're reading this through a screen and 2. You'd be lying to yourself and we both know it. I'd also like to point out that all the cool beauty bloggers have a set, and beauty bloggers know what they're on about. I do actually need some makeup brushes through and I'd be more than happy to receive them as a birthday gift! 

So that's my top 5 on my birthday wish list! Some of you may be thinking "But Lauren, a lot of these things aren't that expensive and you can buy them yourself!". Well although that is true, I really struggle to spend money on things I don't need, and treating myself is something I have real trouble with doing. However, I am saving up so I'll work on it!

Have a great week lovelies, and tell me which one on the list is your favourite!

Lauren xx

How I Revise: Science

Since I've got my GCSE's coming up in the next month, (which may be a shock to some of you as a lot of people think I'm a lot older than I actually am and a lot of my readers are older than me) I've decided to do a revision series. I'm also going to aim more of my posts at teenagers around my age. I realised I haven't been doing that and it would make a lot of sense for me to do so! However, I'll still be writing posts for all of you who don't fit in that category too, so don't give up on me just yet! I  feel like switching things up this way will make blogging a bit easier! Anyways, here is the first post in my revision series!

How I revise: Science

Science is one of my least favourite subjects, and the fact that it's split into three different subjects, with nine lessons across my two-week timetable, makes it that much worse. However, it's the subject that I find myself revising for the most due to the fact that it includes the most material to remember. When revising science I like to do an hour at a time and have breaks in between, however sometimes when I'm on a roll I can revise for two hours straight. That only happens on really good days, though.

I always make sure I've got the following things with me when I revise for science:

• A cup of decaf coffee
• A snack (today I chose smarties, I hope it helps)
• A lit candle (right now I'm burning one from Primark that smells of oriental spice and ginger)
• Some highlighters
• My notebook, revision guide, and a pen
• Optional: sometimes I'll play my revision playlist, it's completely instrumental so I'm not distracted.

I recently bought a notebook with plastic dividers to separate each subject (biology, chemistry and physics) from each other. What I like to do is go through all the different sub-topics in my revision guide, and write up each page as a shortened down version. This way I save myself the pain of writing down every single word so that I'm focused on the key points! Right now I'm writing up all of B4 (which might make sense if you take OCR science). After that, I'll write up C4 and P4!

Once everything is written up I will go back through my notes and highlight all the important key points that I must remember, such as equations, keywords, definitions and so on. This means that I return back to my work and recap all the information.

Once again I will go over my notes, but this time, I will summarise it all on an A3 mind map! I like revisiting my notes in a hope that somehow the information will find itself stored in my brain, to be remembered when I sit down for my actual test. Hopefully, it will all work out for me.

I also make myself a contents page at the front of my notebook, so that I can find the information I need quickly.

 With subjects full of so much information, my main technique is repetition. Everyone revises differently, and this is my preferred way of revising science!

If you're taking your GCSE's soon, I hope this has been interesting for you! Maybe you'll try this way yourself, or maybe you think your way of revising is better! But if you're reading this and have already done your GCSE's, how did you revise science? I'd love to know!

Have a good week lovelies,
Lauren xx

5 favourite memories from my skiing trip in Bulgaria

On the 25th of March a I left for Bulgaria with about 60 students and teachers from my high school. On the trip were a mixture of different year groups, all of mixed abilities of skill in both skiing and snowboarding. We went for a week and it was such an amazing and unforgetabke trip that I decided to pick 5 of my favouite memories from the trip and share them with you. I could  have written an entire essay but luckily for you I've kept it as short, sweet and simple as I can. I hope you enjoy readind about my favourite experiences of my week in Bansko!

1. Learning how to ski in the beginner group is a great memory in itself. The opinion of our instructor Kosta was a bit mixed within the group, but personally, I found him to be such an amazing character and I completely vibed off his enthusiasm, humour and personality. I really thank him for giving me such great confidence and teaching me how to ski! At the beginning of the week, I didn't even see us going past the nursery slopes; and trust me the first few days of learning was dire and so dry. Yet on the last two days that we were up on the slopes and I managed to complete a red run, which I wouldn't have even dreamed of doing beforehand!

2. One of my favourite memories on the slopes was on a blue run. It was empty of people apart from our group, so as we were skiing along Kosta shouted from the front that for the stretch of snow ahead we should ski straight and feel the speed. I'm telling you now, feeling the wind blow straight through you at that speed, with you arms outstretched at your sides feels so exhilarating! I couldn't help but feel so alive. I'm a sucker for a good adrenaline rush and that was a feeling I will not forget. I almost started welling up from utter happiness.

3.On one of the nights, we had planned to travel down to some mineral baths. So that evening we headed on the coach to our destination. As we were driving and looking around, we couldn't help but feel that the area looked a bit dodgy. But never the less we pulled up feeling rather skeptical and got changed in what I can only call a changing room the size of a toilet room. It was not classy at all. It's safe to say that none of us wanted to be there, we had complained throughout the entire coach journey, and we couldn't believe that the three different sized pools that we saw outside were supposed to be "natural mineral baths". However, as soon as our bodies hit the water everything changed. IT WAS SO WARM! As well as so relaxing. All I can say is don't judge a book by its cover because the time we spent there was an absolute blast.

4. For the last night we spent in Bansko, we headed into the old village to have a traditional Bulgarian dinner. The town was absolutely beautiful, I just wish we had someone to explain its history, the beautiful buildings, and why the trees had string tied to the branches. The starter was delicious, however I wasn't too keen on the main course. I'm all for trying new food and learning about new cultures though, which is more than I can say for the majority of people I knew there! But my favourite memory from that night was the trio of men playing a harmonium, clarinet and drum. They played us a mixture of classic bulgaian songs as well as other well know tunes such as the macarena and the chicken dance song! I cheered them along the whole way and they brought with them so much entertainment and hapiness!

5. Last but not least, a highlight of my trip was getting to know everyone! In school everyone seems to stick to their own group of people, however when on a trip together people are a lot more laidback and open. I spoke to a variety of people younger and older than me and everyone seemed to get along! I spoke to people on the plane, in my ski group, and just in general, who I've seen around school but would have never thought of making conversation with before. For that week we spent together it was like we were one big family.

How I became productive.

Only recently have I seen a peak in my productivity. A few months ago, I was one of the laziest people when it came to doing homework and revising for tests. But thankfully, I came to the realisation that things needed to change. A lot of my friends have noticed my productivity increase, and often ask me how I did it. So I'm going to tell you some of the things which I have done to improve my productivity.

A couple of weeks ago, I printed off monthly calendars throughout the months March to June. I blue tacked them onto my wall above my desk and filled out all the dates when I have exams. This motivates me to get work done, as each time I cross out a day done, I can see how close I am to my next exam. This is really helping me realise how close they're actually becoming, resulting in me really knuckling down.

The next thing I do is something I don't think many people consider. I used to change straight into my pyjamas or a lazy outfit as soon as I got back from school. However, I've come to realise that for me the way I dress affects the way I work. If I'm dressed lazily, I'm likely to work lazily too. So I've started to change out of my uniform and into something comfy yet casual. I find this really helps.

To-do lists are my saviours. Writing down a list of things to do honestly makes productivity so much easier because watching each thing being crossed off the list is ever so satisfying to do. It's like releasing a wee that you've been holding in for a very long time, you know?

Lastly, what I like to do is work in a clean space. Clean room clean mind am I right? I shouldn't really be saying this right now actually, because as I'm writing this my room in an absolute WRECK. But!! I think I should be excused, as I had a 5-hour art exam and I'm using this evening wisely to do NOTHING. (Oh and to write this blog post).
On that note, I better get productive and clean my room!
What are your productivity tips that I could put to good use?
Lauren xx

Why I've been gone

I've found myself avoiding this for so long. I went a week without blogging, then a week turned into a couple of weeks, which then turned into a month, which therefore ended up with me pushing any thoughts of my abandoned blog to the back of my mind. Because with each week that went by, the harder it was for me to open up Blogger again to write. But here I am. I'm not entirely sure what happened if I'm going to be completely honest with you. I do know that I had a dreaded block of creativity and that I was also put down by a lot of negativity that I saw on twitter. I witnessed a lot of drama and spits between bloggers, which was not nice to see and put a dampening on the idea of blogging again. I even stopped reading blogs for a while too, because each one I read made me feel guilty about my own lack of writing.

I've done a lot during my little break. I visited Poland for a week and took a huge amount of pictures for Instagram. I had a week of mocks in school last week too and hence found myself drowned in revision. I've also got a ski trip to Bulgaria to look forward to near the end of March, and the idea of that has helped me to keep going every day. Apart from that, it's just been work work work. And no I'm not talking about the Rhianna song.

But enough about me, what about you guys? I hope you're all feeling fine and dandy, with trips to look forward to and amazing people surrounding you. However if you're feeling down, a bit blue, or under the weather, I hope that turns around for you so that you can start feeling like yourself again. If  you have the time why don't you comment all the things you're looking forward to this year, how you're feeling, and maybe tell me something you're grateful for too?

To make up for my lack of words over here for the past few weeks, here are some photos I took in Poland. (They were taken on my phone though so don't expect too much haha)

I've seriously missed blogging, and I hope I keep this up now.
I love you guys.
Lauren

Ways to start your day off right!

Mornings are tough. Especially waking up knowing you've got a pile of work to do when you'd rather be woken by birds cheeping away outside your cabin in the woods, or to the sound of the gentle sea of the Maldives.  Reality check. It's the middle of Winter and neither of these things is happening anytime soon (unless you're part of the lucky few), so it's pretty safe to say we need to motivation in the mornings to start the day right! Here is how you can do just that!

• Wake up with some stretches! You can download a yoga app and go through a full routine which is what I've started to do, or simply stretch your body by touching your toes or doing some lunges. It's a great way to awaken your body.

• Eat a big breakfast that will fill you with energy to see you through the day, so that you're not nodding off at your desk, or find yourself napping when you're not supposed to be. Seriously though breakfast really is the most important meal of the day.

• Write a to-do list of all the things that need to get done. Therefore, you have a clear visualisation of how to make sure that you're doing everything you need out the way, and this can help limit the stress you might feel about getting it all done. Also, the satisfaction of ticking one thing after another of the list is great.

• Make yourself a morning playlist full of energetic songs that make you want to get up dance while you're getting ready or eating breakfast. This can put you in such a good mood, trust me! The song that gets me ready for the day is Peanut Butter Jelly by Galantis, it just makes me want to dance around my bathroom! (and sometimes I do just that).

• Drink your water boo! Hydration is so important, especially when you want to start your day off the right way! Some benefits of drinking water in the morning include rehydrating your body making you feel more refreshed, as well as refueling your brain so it's easier to be more focused.

Those are just a few ways in which you can start your day of better, all of which I use myself! I hope your mornings are full of sunshine, and that it carries on shining throughout the day! Are there any tips that you would include on this list?

Much love,

Lauren x

Tips to making and keeping resolutions!

So in my last post, I talked about the importance of switching off in time for the holidays, and I myself decided to take a little break from the blogging world and twitter. But I'm back! We're already 5 days into the new year and I'm pretty sure a lot have you have made new years resolutions. Hey, maybe you haven't but either way I have come up with some tips and tricks to making and keeping up with your resolutions in order to make this year the best one yet!

1. Make resolutions that you believe you can achieve. There's no point in making a resolution that you don't think is even manageable. BUT YOU CAN DO ANYTHING IF YOU TRY HARD ENOUGH!

2. The best resolutions are those that will most importantly benefit you, and even benefit others. Whether that is beneficial to your physical or mental health, or providing help to those in need.

3. Don't be generic. If your aim is to lose weight, your resolution could be to go to the gym at least once a week. If you aim to go out more, your resolution could be to visit a place you've never been before once a month. If your aim is to see each day in a happier spirit, your resolution could be to smile at someone new every day.

4. Instead of making your resolutions at the beginning of the year, why not try making resolutions every month? This way you can alter your goals or even change the way you want your year to be. You don't have to stick to one thing, that's why I find switching things up now and then can really help you become more motivated!

5. If you're truly passionate about sticking to your resolution, keep constant reminders of why made that decision nd to keep you motivated. But don't just keep it in your phone notes where you're not likely to see it again, put them in places you look every day; your lock screen, your mirror, the fridge etc.

6. Remember that everyone slips up. Hey, you might have slipped up already! But just because you made a mistake doesn't mean you can't pick yourself back up and move on. Heck, my resolution was to wake up when my alarm actually goes off and not twenty minutes later, but I've already overslept once aha! But I'm not going to let that defeat me.

7. Similar to number 4, resolutions don't have to start at the beginning of the year, the beginning or a month, or on a Monday. If you feel like you want to make a decision to help change your life, don't put it off and wait until it's a new week or month. Start now. There's no better time otherwise, you'll end up putting it off!

8. Have fun with it! Resolutions don't have to be something that makes you sick to your stomach! Enjoy and embrace your choice to make a change!

I hope these tips will help you! Have you made a resolution this year?

Much love,

Lauren xx