Tuesday 26 September 2017

Pros and Cons of being an adult

Hey guys! I hope you are okay! I am back to uni now to start my third year which is really crazy! I can't believe I am in my final year it doesn't seem like three minuet's since I was a fresher! Since I have lived independently for a while now I thought it would be a good idea to write a post on some of the pros and cons I have found while being an "adult." Not that I feel old enough to call myself that though at all!




Pros: 
- Freedom. This is like the most obvious pro with getting older, you have more freedom which can feel really nice. Even while living at home as an adult there is still an obligation I feel to my parents to let them know where I am and what I'll be doing and when to expect me home etc but living independently it means I have a lot less "ties."



- Responsibility. This may seem like a strange one to some people but I actually really enjoy some level of responsibility now that I am getting older. I genuinely like to be in control of my money and to be more independent and to accept all the responsibility that comes with it. I (weirdly?) enjoy having to be more organized and to look out for myself.

- Satisfaction. Related to the last point, there becomes a lot more satisfaction when living on your own about doing certain things, and I genuinely feel proud of myself for things like remembering to cook and stuff. Like at first it seems like a pain but at the end of it I feel good about myself.



- Fewer worries about certain things. As you get older your worries start to switch. As I have gotten older I have found myself caring so much less about what people think of me and I am more ready to speak up for things I believe in.

- Confidence. This is another massive thing that I have gained while getting older and become more of an adult. I have a lot more confidence for things like phone calls and traveling alone and even just in social situations.

Cons:
- Expensive. Okay, getting older is expensive! There is so much that I took for granted that my parents paid for and now that I am older honestly money worries are constantly at the back of my mind. Who knew tea bags were so expensive!



- New worries. So I got rid of some old anxieties but gained a few new ones too. There are a lot of new stresses in my life at the moment, worrying about bills and considering my future more and more everyday.

- Responsibility. There are some responsibilities I don't like. Some small parts of adult life that I took for granted when I was younger such as remembering to buy loo roll and bin bags and stuff that can seem a bit overwhelming at times!




-Freedom. Freedom can be a bit of a blessing and a curse. It means that there's no one to check you got out of bed or that you're eating right and it can be hard at the beginning to keep yourself in check!

I hope you enjoyed this post!
What pros and cons have you found as you have gotten older?
Lots of love,
Eleanor x

Thursday 21 September 2017

Collection loose powder review

Hey guys! So recently I went into Superdrug and spotted some loose powder by collection. It is £2.99 and I wanted to try some loose powder so I thought I would give it a go. I haven't really seen any reviews of this so I thought I would review it for you guys. This powder comes in two shades, "translucent" and "barely there" but honestly I couldn't really notice the difference between the two shades, to be honest.



The powder comes with 20g of powder, a little sponge, and a sieve. But I don't know if I am being an idiot but I can't work out how to get the powder to come through the plastic sieve thing like I don't understand! Anyway, I had to take that little plastic thing out and I just sort of tip some of the powder into it which is super messy! On my skin tone, the powder is not pale enough to bake with really since it has some orange undertones and isn't any lighter than my skin tone so I just use this to set my face. I would not recommend this for people paler than me really, I think I just about get away with it but any paler and I think it would come across as really orange.

I do use this powder all over my face but it is better to set under the eyes I think as I have quite dry skin in places thanks to my acne medication and it does collect a bit on my dry skin. For me this powder doesn't look heavy on the skin but it feels heavy. I wear a heavy foundation so it sort of feels a bit mask like for me.

I really like the way the powder looks along my pores, it blurs my skin and looks really smooth. it does settle down what little oiliness I have but since my face doesn't really get oily during the day (i very rarely need to powder for oiliness really) I can't comment on that too much.

For me the biggest downfall really is the packaging it's extremely messy and I wouldn't dream of traveling with this powder or doing it on the go it would be a disaster. I would say to be careful as the packaging makes it hard to control the amount so you just have to be careful with it. When I tried to remove the sieve for the first time I actually spilled a load of the product down me just by opening it, and even just by putting it on my face I get powder everywhere.

The powder also says it can be used on its own too without foundation if you are looking for some light coverage for school maybe! It does have a funny old lady smell which I am not overly keen on to be honest and it is quite strong.

Overall despite it's smell and the awful packaging I do quite like this powder. I think it gives a nice finish to the face and a nice blurring effect. I just won't be traveling anytime soon with this powder.

Have you tried this? What did you think?
Lots of love,
Eleanor x

Wednesday 20 September 2017

Under Rose Tainted Skies- Louise Gornall book review

Hey guys! This post is going up a bit later than normal but I have had a fun few days in Manchester with my friend! Since I am going back to University this weekend I will be posting today and tomorrow for this week and then I am not sure how often I will be posting! I am entering my third year now and so I imagine my posts will be going down to one post a week quite soon. Today I am doing another book review. I had never heard of this book before or the author but I spotted it in my library and fancied a read! I also really love the pink cover of the book and I thought the plot sounded interesting.



Norah suffers from OCD and agoraphobia and finds it extremely difficult to leave her house. Luke is the new boy who moves next door and Norah really starts to fall for him and he, her.
I can't help but compare this book to Everything Everything which I read recently too as it has quite a similar premise although really they are not that similar!

This book has a really good portrayal of mental health, and Norah's struggle is shown on every single page. Although Luke does help Norah to start to recover, he is not the contrived hero love interest I was worried he would be. Norah starts to get better for herself, it is not like he comes along and suddenly her illnesses are forgotten or anything so obnoxious. He is a really nice character and is supportive of her throughout and really tries to understand what she is going through. I do think this book is one of the best accounts of mental health that I have ever read in a YA novel. The way anxiety attacks are shown in this book are realistic and I think this book is actually quite informative for people who want to know what it's like to live with OCD and agoraphobia.

"Mental health is usually the last place people go when they think about someone being sick"


I liked Norah as a character, she is sarcastic and funny despite her illnesses, and is a quite relatable character. I loved this closeness she has with her mum who is trying her best to stay positive about her daughter. I liked that it is talked about how Norah knows she is being irrational, but at the same time just can't get herself to fully believe it which is a good portrayal of OCD.

The ending was incredibly tense I was on the edge of my seat reading it! I didn't really expect the book to go in that direction and it was quite random. This event changes Norah and her perspective of the scary world. She proved to herself she can go through difficult situations and that when all the things she fears happens (including strangers touching her, being in a germ-filled environment ect) it actually doesn't end up being as horrendous as she thought, so I see why she choose to end the book like that.

"See, anxiety doesn’t just stop. You can have nice moments, minutes where it shrinks, but it doesn’t leave. It lurks in the background like a shadow, like that important assignment you have to do but keep putting off or the dull ache that follows a three-day migraine. The best you can hope for is to contain it, make it as small as possible so it stops being intrusive. Am I coping? Yes, but it’s taking a monumental amount of effort to keep the dynamite inside my stomach from exploding."

I am putting out a a trigger warning of self harm.

I hope you enjoyed this post! Have you ever read this book? What did you think?
Lots of love,
Eleanor x


Friday 15 September 2017

The Ultimate Harry Potter Tag

Hey guys! I hope you are well! Today I am going to be doing the Ultimate Harry Potter tag. I sort of missed this tags hype when everyone was doing it but as an avid Harry Potter fan I really wanted to do it! Plus it feels like it's been a while since I've done an actual tag like this!



1) Favourite book?
Goblet of fire for sure! I really do love this one, I think I love the first 4 books the best.

2) Least favorite book?
I really love all of the books so this is quite hard! I guess the Order Of the Pheonix just because that is when things start to get a bit darker and Harry really pushes away his friends.

3) Favourite movie?
Philophosers Stone is probably my fave film, it's such a classic heart warming film.

4) Least favorite movie?
I'm not sure, I enjoy most of the films, to be honest. Maybe Half Blood Prince, they miss out a lot of stuff that was in the book, lots of Voldemorts life story.

5) Favourite quote?
" Of course it's happening in your head Harry, but why on earth should that mean it's not real?"

6) Favourite Weasley?
The twins! Can't pick between them

7) Favourite female character?
Has to be Hermione of course, she's clever and brilliant.

8) Favourite villain?
Probably Draco Malfoy, I like a good smarmy villain that comes round in the end!

9) Favourite male character?
Probably Harry which is a bit boring but I really like Harry as a protagonist. Or maybe Ron, his character makes me laugh quite a lot in the books.

10) Favourite professor?
McGonagall! I love her so much, one of my favorite characters in the series.



11) Would you rather wash Snapes hair or listen to Lockhart talk about himself all day?
Ugh... I would not want to wash Snape's hair, can you imagine how awkward that would be! But it would be quicker than listening to Lockhart I guess...

12) Would you rather dual an elated Bellatrix or an Angry Molly?
I mean Bellatrix died fighting an angry Molly so I think I would take my chances with Bellatrix!

13) Would you rather travel to Hogwarts via the Hogwarts express or flying car?
Definitely the Hogwarts express! I want to try some of the food! Plus I prefer trains to cars and I would rather not get expelled from Hogwarts...



14) Would you rather kiss Voldemort or give Umbridge a bath?
I hate Umbridge but I do not want to kiss a gross old man so I would probably give Umbridge a bath I guess?

15) Would you rather ride a hippogriff or a Firebolt?
The Firebolt I think! I would be too scared on a Hippogriff! Also I really want to fly a broom



16) Is there a character you felt differently about in the films than the books?
I don't think so!

17) Is there a movie you prefer to a book?
No! I love the books so much and they have a lot more detail in so!

18) Richard Harris or Micheal Gambon for Dumbledore?
I don't know! It's hard to tell as Harris only got one film so I don't know how he would have continued. I think probably Micheal Gambon though, I think Richard Harris looked a bit too frail for Dumbledore.

19) Your top think that wasn't in the movies but was in the book?
Easy! All the stuff in the Goblet of Fire about Ludo Bagman and Winky and Barty Crouch! There was a lot more there in the books!

20) If you could remake any Harry Potter films which would it be?
I probably wouldn't remake any to be honest! I loved the films although I do think there should have been a few bits of information that could have been added here and there!

21) Which house was your first gut feeling you would be part of?
Hufflepuff! I could just tell that was the house for me

22) Which house were you actually sorted into on Pottermore?
Hufflepuff of course, I am the most Hufflepuff person you will ever meet.

23) Which class would be your favorite?
I think I would really enjoy potions actually as long as Snape didn't teach it (he would definitely scare me)

24) Which spell would be most useful to learn?
Expellliarmus maybe? Seems to work pretty well for Harry! Also, Alhohamora would be useful to open doors and Accio too, so I don't have to get off my butt if I want something!

25) Which character would you be instant friends with?
I think I would get on pretty well with Harry actually.



26) If you could own one of the three Hallows what would it be?
Definitely the cloak! That would be amazing.

27) Is there any aspect of the book you'd want to change?
I talked about it earlier but I really don't like that Harry pushes away all his friends in the 5th book! Also basically all the deaths!

28) Favourite Marauder?
Sirius! I love Sirius and I would love to see what he got up to when he was younger!

29) If you could bring one character to life who would it be?
All of them!! I am so sad anyone died in these books I loved them all! I would probably say Dumbledore though or Fred.

30) Hallows or Horcruxes?
I would pick the Hallows I guess, sounds less painful that splitting your soul!

That is all 30 questions! I hope you enjoyed this post!
If you want a go please feel free.
Lots of love,
Eleanor x


Monday 11 September 2017

The Sun Is Also A Star- Nicola Yoon book review

Hey guys! So if I stick to my blog schedule then my up coming posts could be quite "bookish". I have a few book reviews and book tags coming up this week and next so I may try and break it a little with a beauty review next week. The first of my book reviews is The Sun Is Also A Star by Nicola Yoon. If you weren't aware, Nicola Yoon is the author of the revered Everything Everything which is now in the cinema. This book is not talked about as much which is why I decided to review this one instead despite reading them close to one another.



Natasha is a girl of science and facts and does not believe in fate. She is spending what could be her last day in America before she gets deported to Jamaica. Daniel wears his heart on his sleeve and is looking for a sign from the universe about what to do about his future. The book is about these two characters with very different ideologies meeting and getting to know each other. This book is set over the course of a day which I think is really clever actually. The time frame makes it easy to become submerged into the book and hard to put down as every page of the books leads on directly from the last. The narrative of the book swaps between characters, predominantly Natasha and Daniel but sometimes other characters and occasionally little notes from the author. The swapping between characters annoyed me a little since they swap so frequently like we get a page of Natasha speaking before it swaps.

Natasha was born and raised in Jamaica until the age of 8 and Daniel was born and bred in America but has strict Koren parents and heritage which he keeps with him (it is hinted he has Korean friends and a Korean school ect). I really liked that the characters cultural history was a part of this book as it can be ignored sometimes and I really liked that two different cultures came together and it was refreshing and amazing not to read a book about caucasian characters, to be honest like nearly every book I read. It was interesting to see how the different characters were either happy with keeping their cultures as a part of them (like Daniel) or tried to reject it (like Daniels brother).

One theme that runs throughout this books is the idea that everything we do affects someone or something else. The importance of actions is something that resonates strongly throughout this and is quite interesting to think about. Something I also enjoyed was the clash of beliefs. Natasha is a strong believer in facts and science and does not believe in love. But Daniel who believes in the universe and destiny tries hard to try and change her mind, especially about love. This clash causes a lot of rifts but I think they both learn something from each other.

I think many will find the ending of the book disappointing or undesirable but I actually quite liked the ending it was sort of inevitable. I like a change from the usual fairy tale ending really, it's more realistic.

Overall I thought this book was quite good it was quite an easy read that took me two sittings. Have you read this? What did you think?
Lots of love,
Eleanor x

Thursday 7 September 2017

Fashion and beauty haul! Primark, New look, Superdrug

Hey guys! I am really excited for today's post because I am doing a rather large haul. I literally cannot remember the last time I did a haul and showed you guys my recent purchases I just always forget to! I also don't very often buy a lot of clothes at once, I usually buy the odd bit here and there so it's never really a "haul"  but since I am going back to uni I thought I would treat myself to some new clothes now we're going into Autumn Winter. Just as a disclaimer I want to apologize for my pictures of the clothes I literally don't have anywhere to hang them so you could see them well so they're hung up on my curtain rail and some of the colours don't look right so I will point out the colours if they look wrong!


So firstly I got this dress from Primark for £5! It's a netted black dress and not really something I usually go for but I thought it would be nice for Autumn with some tights and boots and a coat. I styled it the other day with gold layered necklaces and a black choker and it looked really nice!

I also picked up two pairs of jeans from the sale in New look. The first pair is these pale blue ripped jeans which I love but probably isn't the most wintery so I am trying to wear them a lot now as I am such a wuss when it comes to the cold and I won't want to wear them when it gets colder. These were £10


The second pair of jeans is an olive colour. I love this colour, you will notice I have gone a bit kharki/ olive color crazy this haul but I didn't own anything in this colour before this haul and I think it's a really nice autumn colour. These were £12


I picked up this super soft minky grey coloured jumper from Primark. It is so comfy and soft and I am looking forward to using it this winter! I have a lot of jumpers so I tried to stay away from them in this haul because I am not desperate for them but I could not resist this one. I think this was £10.

So I tried to get a few skirts this haul as I really want to get more into them! I think they're really autumnal and I am trying not go out of my comfort zone a bit more when it comes to fashion, I've always been such a jeans gal. The first is this lovely corduroy burgundy skirt. This was £8 I believe from Primark.

I picked up a few little accessories too. Firstly I got some more scrunchies. These ones are thinner than any scrunchies I have! I personally think that having a scrunchie in compared to a normal hair bobble makes an outfit look a lot more put together and can be a good way to add in a pop of colour into your outfit. I also picked up these cute fluffy owl slippers. They were £5 and I love them! They are complete with wings and tail.

The other skirt I picked up is this minky grey fake suede skirt. It has a zip detailing down the back which is really pretty and I think this will look cute with ripped jumpers. This was £8.

 I picked up this (very creased) khaki shirt from Primark for £13. I love this shirt! It needs an iron before I wear it obviously but it's really versitile. As I am only 4ft11 I can wear this shirt as a dress. If you are taller than me I don't think you will be able to get away with it as a dress! But It can also be worn as a jacket and as a top too. The front of the top can be easily tied up, making it shorter so I can wear it with jeans as a top too. I think I will get a lot of wear out of this.


 Potentially my most exciting purchase of this haul are these grey shoes. They have the studding and fake bucklings on just like the Chloe Susanna shoes. Primark also do an exact copy of the Susanna shoes with the star pattern on too, but these don't have the star pattern on. These were my most expensive purchase at £16,
Finally, from primark, I picked up a khaki ribbed top! This will look nice with my new skirts and jeans and will be great under jumpers too. This was £6.


I also picked up a few items from Superdrug too since this is me we are talking about! I got the collection power in translucent which I am excited to try. I also got a Maybelline colour sensational lipstick in the colour coffee craze which is a nice glossy finish brown lipstick. I think it will be the perfect transitional lipstick for going into Autumn. I also picked up the MUA wet look eyeliner. It was £2 and I wanted to buy a cheap one so I can practice my eyeliner!



Thank you for reading this post (if you are still reading!) It was quite a long one but I really love everything I have picked up.
Lots of love,
Eleanor x

Monday 4 September 2017

Girl Boss review

Hey guys! Today I am doing a review of the Netflix series "Girl Boss". I am a bit late to this party as it came out a while a go but I have only just got round to watching the series. It is a loose retelling of Sophia Amoruso's life, the founder of Nasty Gal. I'll be honest, when I first started watching I had never heard of Sophia or Nasty Gal. I had heard of her book "Girl boss" but I never really knew what it was about. This series got mixed reviews and I saw a lot of people not like it on my Twitter and it has actually been cancelled after one series. This series was quite popular within bloggers as it shows the inspiring story of a girl setting up her own site and being successful with it.



When I first started watching it, I wasn't the biggest fan actually. I found the acting to be really cringy and overdone. I think the main problem with this show is that they overdid the character of Sophia. She is very hotheaded and rash and doesn't come across as a very nice person. They did it to make it funny I think, but it ended up making the main character unrelatable and making the show a bit difficult to watch at times.

Despite calling itself a comedy I didn't really find it all that funny. It was quite dramatic. However, it does tell a really inspiring story. Sophia is finding it hard to find her place in the world and is running desperately out of money. Comming from nothing to making a successful vintage shop is really inspiring and as the series went on, I really got into it. I feel as though we saw some character development from Sophia too. In the end few episodes, something big happens to her (no spoilers don't worry!) but in the end she actually talks about her feelings, rather than just shouting and acting out of anger.

Although I had a shaky start, I actually really got into it and started to really enjoy it and I'm sad they're not making another series! I personally really liked this series! Tell me what you thought about it!
Lots of love,
Eleanor x

Friday 1 September 2017

Things I don't regret

Hey guys! I am doing a slightly different post today, it is about the things I don't regret doing. I haven't done a personal post in a while so I thought this would be a good idea!



The first thing I don't regret is getting into a relationship young. I think a lot of people maybe regret getting into a relationship quite young but I don't. I got with my boyfriend when I was 15, which some people may think is too young to get into a serious relationship but me and Luke getting together was actually one of the best things that ever happened to me so I don't regret it at all!

Another thing I don't regret is going to university. Going to uni is a big decision for a lot of people, it's a lot of money and it can be quite scary. I think I've become a lot more independent since going and I think that I learnt a lot about myself and it has opened up a lot more doors. Sometimes the stress makes me think that it was a bad idea but when it comes to it I think I made the right decision.

Going to uni with a boyfriend. This is another thing that a lot of people are weird about, especially if you're moving a fair distance from your boyfriend/girlfriend. Long distance does put a bit of a strain on any relationship and a lot of people are worried about the "temptations" that university can bring. But I don't regret staying with my boyfriend throughout university and we have definitely made it work despite sometimes going for a month without seeing him.

Starting a blog. I decided to start this blog four years ago thinking no one would really bother reading it. Okay so I still think that but I definitely don't regret starting a blog and putting my thoughts and myself out there. It is nerve racking to write about some things but I have talked to many people through blogging who are so nice and supportive and that have made me really thankful I started one.

Learning an instrument. My mum made me learn piano when I was six and I hated it honestly I hated learning it and my teacher. But now I'm actually really pleased that I did learn it because its such a good party trick and to release some stress.

Change. As I have gotten older some of my views have definitely changed and some parts of myself too and I think that's a good thing in many ways. I don't regret change because it's turning me into a better person!

Mistakes. This is kind of a cliche but I don't regret any stupid thing or mistakes that I have made because everything has made me into the person I am today and have made me who I am so I definitely don't regret any of it.

There are the things I don't regret! I hope you enjoyed this post!
Lots of love,
Eleanor x