My Favourite Bloggers #2

Hi lovelies!

            About a month ago I shared with you my favourite bloggers (LINK TO POST: http://tinyurl.com/zsvdcdw)and over the past month I've discovered some more bloggers who've become my favourite. 

Jemma- Dorkface

BLOG LINK: www.dorkface.co.uk

I’ve been reading Jemma’s blog for a few months now and I love her blog! It’s so unique and is filled with lots of useful and amazing posts. Jemma is such a lovely and incredible person, she’s super talented and designs her own graphics and stickers (She sells sticker packets on ETSY and I highly recommend checking them out: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/DorkfaceShop)

(Graphics created by the super talented Jemma)

As well as having a blog Jemma is also the creator of the lovely #thegirlgang community on twitter. I’ve been a member for just under 6 months and I love the girl gang community. The girl gang community is filled with so much positivity and support, I’m proud to be a member!

Effi-SparkleBerry

BLOG LINK: sparkleberryblog.com

Effi’s blog is another blog I’ve been loving recently. Effi’s blog, Sparkleberry, has so many excellent posts from healthy recipes to her travels in Europe. As well as having a brilliant bog Effi is an amazing person! Seeing how healthy and happy Effi is, is an inspiration to me and I reminder that I should look after my physical and mental well being.

Nicole- Thrifty Vintage Fashion

BLOG LINK: thriftyvintagefashion.blogspot.co.uk

I love reading Nicole’s blog and I always check out her latest posts. Nicole blogs about a range of topics, including mental health. I’m so glad Nicole blog’s about mental health as it’s so so important to raise awareness and reduce the stigma surrounding mental health problems. Nicole also runs the #SpeakUp project on her blog where other bloggers share issues that affect young people (I’m taking part and my piece will be shared in Nicole’s in August, so keep a look out!). Nicole is one of the loveliest bloggers that I know and she’s always there to offer advice and is always supportive.

Please check out these bloggers as they are all wonderful, talented people and their blogs deserve a read! Who are your favourite bloggers?

Teenage Voices #1

Hello!

Following the results of the EU referendum it felt like my generation had been ignored. Before the EU referendum I took part in the #teenbrexitchat where I found lots of teenagers had an opinion on the Eu referendum. 

This got me thinking, are teenagers opinions and voices listened to?

I'm starting a series called "Teenage Voices" where I will be asking teenage bloggers all about having a voice and are us teenagers actually listened to.

Teenage Voices #1- The Lonely Lion

The lonely lion got in touch with me and was eager to share their opinion. The lonely lion is a wonderful person and I love reading their blog (BLOG LINK: readthelionsblog.wordpress.com) Here are the answers the lonely lion gave me to the questions I asked.

The older generation often believe teenagers don't have any opinions, do you think this is true?

Yes I believe that the older generation looks down upon teenagers due to the media depictions because they're seen as all the possible stereotypes from moody, disrespectful etc. Even in films they're either depicted as too good to be true or the antagonists in some case. I also think that the older generation sees teenagers as a symbol of current times so mainly engrossed in gadgets phones tables and that so therefore because of these opinions and ideas they feel as if our opinions are invalid and we don't have the maturity to make appropriate decisions.

Do you think teenagers voices/ opinions are listened to? If not why?

They aren't listened to at all for me. Because as I said we're depicted as irrational and to have a very spoilt, bratty I want this and I will get it approach. We're in my opinion the worst treated parts of society in terms of age demographic because of a few of millions of teenagers out there who are incredibly immature and assign us the label in a way


What do you think needs to change for teenagers voices/ opinions to be listened to?

I think that to get more respect for teenagers the voting age should be moved down to 16 (in the UK at least) because at that age we can leave school and make life altering decisions that require maturity. That would lead to the so called "older generation" thinking higher of us because of the fact that we would have a say in how the country is run. I also believe that the media should stop their constant negative portrayal of teenagers because that's what's giving us a bad name. Like for example I'm sure you'll agree that what we see on TV we start to believe after a while whether it's the all Muslims are terrorist label that I won't go into or all teenagers are immature, moody etc. It's the same principle


How important do you think it is for teenagers to have a voice/ opinion?


I'm a firm believer that teenagers deserve a voice without sounding too self righteous. I'm even thinking of starting a project called #teenpower which is in a nutshell meant to inspire the world to open their minds to what teens can actually do if given the freedom and respect. Moreover these 13-17 year olds who aren't given a say in anything are the future of the world not the 50-60 year olds who are closer to retirement age. whether you like it or not that's the harsh reality. Therefore we should at least be educated in school about the real world because I know my opinions are strong and can offend. But I don't know much else apart from what I see in the media. Therefore we should be given a better idea of the real world so that we can use our voices and actually know what's possible and what is not

With issues surrounding teenagers what's one issue that you have a strong/ personal opinion on?

There are so many issues but these all stem from the you guessed it the media portrayal. For example this stem leads more authoritative figures to dismiss us as people and treat us more like zoo animals in the worst of cases. They provoke us heavily and they don't show us being calm and trying to reason with them but they show the part when we get angry like any Human being and turn cameras on then. Because of this, we're not trusted to have an opinion, a voice and the opportunities to make a difference and execute our visions.

We're just humans like the rest of them why can't they just understand that

Big thanks to the lonely lion for taking part! If you want to take part, please let me know!

My Childhood

Hello!
     A couple of months ago I took part in a blogger chat, where we shared memories from our childhood. 

This gave me inspiration to write a post all about my favourite aspects of my childhood!

*All the photo's used in this post are from Google Images*

My Childhood

Games

Tamagotchi

I loved tamagotchi’s and I can remember being really excited when I was bought my first ever Tamagotchi. For those of you who don’t know what a tamagotchi is, it was a little game attached to a key ring and you looked after a “pet” (the tamagotchi character) and helped it to grow up. I always played with my tamagotchi and I was always sad when my tamagotchi died. I collected a different tamagotchi from each edition; right up until edition 6 came out.

Polly Pockets

From a young age, I loved playing with Polly Pockets and I would spend hours in my bedroom playing with them. I would always receive Polly Pockets for my birthday and Christmas and I would use my pocket money to buy my own as well. Over the years I ended up with a HUGE collection of Polly Pockets.

Crazy Bones

I loved collecting crazy bones and by the time I had finished primary school I had a HUGE collection, which I still have to this day. Every year at primary school crazy bones were a massive craze and we used to play them in the playground, until they got banned. Then we would wait another year before the craze started again. You would basically line your crazy bones up against a wall and would try to knock them over and you could play for keeps as well.

Nintendo DS

I got my first very Nintendo DS one Christmas when I was about 8 years old and back then, it was the best piece of technology I owned. Whenever I went on days out I would take my Nintendo to play in the car. On the last day of school where we could all bring a toy in we’d all bring our Nintendo’s in and then spend ages on the chat rooms talking to each other. My favourite DS game has to be My Sims, I loved that game so much!

Books

Horrid Henry

Horrid Henry books were probably the first book series I ever read by myself. I collected most of the books which usually consisted of 4 short stories. All the characters had names to match their personalities, e.g Moody Margaret. I always enjoyed reading Horrid Henry books and seeing what trouble he got into. I even watched the TV series when it came out and I thought they were just as good as the books.

Megastar Mysteries

When I was a bit older I got into the Megastar Mysteries book series and I soon owned all the books in the. The books are about teenage girls solving mysteries involving celebrities, which I enjoyed reading all about. It also had quizzes and advice in the back of the books.

Totally Lucy

The first book I ever read was the 6th one in the series (Style School) and I enjoyed it so much I decided to collect and read all the other books. The Totally Lucy series are about Lucy who wants to be a fashion designer when she grows, and her 2 friends Jules and Matilda.

Jacqueline Wilson

My childhood wouldn’t be complete without Jacqueline Wilson, my all-time favourite childhood author! I have most of her books and I was always taking Jacqueline Wilson books out from the library. I enjoyed the books so much I constantly re-read them and I could probably tell you most stories off by heart. Even in my teens I still collected and read her books and to this day I still have my collection of her books.

TV 

Winx Cub

One of my favourite TV series which is all about these girls who are basically fairies and have magical powers. 7 year old me was completed obsessed with winx club, to the point I wanted to Alfea School (where the girls went and trained their fairy powers). I was always excited when the new TV series came out and me and my best friend always played “Winx Club” in the playground at primary school.

Totally Spies

This was another of my favourite TV series which me and my friend was always play in the playground. Totally Spies is about 3 girls who are undercover spies and they would go on all sorts of secret missions. I loved finding out what missions they had to go on and whether they would be successful or not.

Raven

This was such an AMAZING TV show! I always wanted to take part in Raven. Raven is about children who would take point in different challenge, If they succeeded they would earn golden rings and if not they would have lives deducted. My favourite part was the challenge at the end (Way of the Warrior, I think it was called), although no one ever succeeded in completing it.

Food

Flying Saucers

These sweets were one of my favourites. I loved how the cheap outer shell would dissolve and you would suddenly get a sharp burst of sherbet. I also liked the pretty pastel colours they came in.

Wham Bars

These were always popular at school discos and we would bring these in on the last day of school. Wham bars come in a variety of different flavours; however my personal favourite is the original one. The original wham bar is bright pink and is a sour raspberry flavour.

Rainbow Drops

Who doesn’t remember/ love rainbow drops! I love these little puffy snacks of rainbow goodness; I would always buy them at the corner shop. They were always perfect for car journeys to munch on.

Were any of the things I mentioned above part of your childhood? What are your memories of your childhood?

My Favourite Scents

Hi guys!

Over the past few months my body spray collection has really grown, so I thought I'd share with you some of my favourite scents that I own.

My Favourite Scents

Body Fantasies Pink Vanilla Kiss Fantasies

The scent: A blend of peach, berries, soft florals, wood and musk notes

Opinion: I love anything that has a sweet smell and I was really excited when body fantasies sprays became available in Superdrug. This is such a lovely soft and sweet fragrance which smells of vanilla (reminds me of vanilla cupcakes), perfect for me! The scent is quite long lasting, as it lasts a good few hours. I also love the super cute bottle the body spray comes in.

Body Fantasies Japanese Cherry Blossom

The scent: An oriental scent with notes of cherry, rose and amber.

Opinion: This is my favourite of the 2 Body Fantasies spray that I own. This scent is lovely and bright with a subtle floral undertone to it. It’s not your typical floral scent as it’s quite light which makes it perfect to wear. If you like subtle, oriental, floral scents then this one is perfect for you!

Soap and Glory Mist You Madly

The scent: A flirty, floral fragrant spray with notes of bergamot, blackcurrant, magnolia, freesia, vanilla and musk

Opinion: This was one of the first Soap and Glory Body spray’s I ever tried and I’ve been using it for a good few years now. It has a lovely subtle floral scent which is strong without being overpowering, so you can definitely know you’re wearing it. This scent lasts a good few hours and you smell lovely.

Soap and Glory Sugar Crush

The scent: Notes of blood orange, lemon, vanilla and kaffir lime

Opinion: Whilst the Mist you Madly spray has always been a classic for me, this scent is second favourite. To me, it reminds me of summer and ice cream floats. It has a lovely sharp, sweet fragrance and I prefer to wear this one during the summer. 

Victoria Secrets Strawberries and Champagne

The scent: A tempting, fruity fragrance with notes of wild strawberries and sparking champagne.

Opinion: I’ve been lusting after this spray for ages, so I was really excited when Superdrug started selling these for £10. I also got 20% off so I paid less than half price than what they normally cost. This is definitely the strongest smelling body spray I own, however it’s not overpowering and it lasts all day. I find some of the Victoria Secrets body sprays extremely overpowering but this one is my favourite as it has such a lovely sweet and floral scent to it. 

Katy Perry Meow Perfume

The scent: Notes of tangerine, pear, jasmine, gardenia, orange, lily of the valley and honeysuckle, with a sweet base of amber, vanilla, sandalwood and musk.


Opinion: Firstly, I really adore the cute cat bottles the perfume comes in. I love this perfume as the scent reminds me of sweeties and cotton candy. The only thing that disappoints me slightly is that it only lasts a couple of hours. If the scent was a bit stronger and lasted longer then it would be perfect. Other than that it’s still one of my favourite perfumes.

I would recommend trying out these scents next time you're out fragrance shopping! What are your favourite scents?

Current Beauty Favourites

Hi everyone!

Over the past month I've been trying out a few new beauty products and I’m LOVING them!

Here are my current beauty favourites:

Superdrug Facial Cleansing Brush

I’ve seen several bloggers rave on about how cleansing brushes are amazing so I wanted to see what all the hype was about. However I know the electric ones can be expensive so I picked up a cheap one from Superdrug. I now understand the hype because my cleansing brush has transformed my skincare routine, WHY DIDN’T I DISCOVER THEM EARLIER? The bristles are super soft and it foams my face soap into a beautiful lather (I brush my face in circular motions). My face is left feeling super soft and clean every time I use my cleansing brush, it’s my saving grace. If you don’t have one already, you seriously need to invest in one (and I’ve found that cheap ones work really well!)

Argan Hair oil

Firstly I love the smell of this hair oil, it reminds me of summer. I use a little bit of hair oil every couple of days and I apply it after washing my hair. It leaves my hair feeling super soft, silky and shiny. Plus it makes my hair smell amazing!

Nivea Cocoa Butter

I LOVE cocoa butter! I found a huge bottle of this in Savers for less than £2, BINGO! Cocoa butter is another product that is hyped up and I can see why! Cocoa butter is excellent for your skin as it’s very moisturizing and leaves your skin feeling super soft. The lotion itself is very light so it doesn’t feel heavy on your skin and it sinks in really quickly.

Dirty Works shimmer lotion

I’m naturally very pale and I’m not too keen on tanning (whether that it be real or fake), as it’s just not for me. However I do like to give the impression that my skin is sun kissed and this lotion is perfect. I have to admit the smell of it isn’t exactly appealing but when applied it makes my skin look all shimmery and gives it a healthy glow. Another bonus is that it lasts all day so I only have to apply a bit in the morning.

Good Things Face Scrub

I mainly choose this product as I needed a face scrub and I’ve heard some good reviews about the Good Things skincare range. The packaging is pink and I love anything pink so I was instantly attracted to this face scrub in particular. The scrub itself has a lovely fruity scent and it does an excellent job as an exfoliator as it leaves my face feeling lovely and soft, without being too harsh on my skin. This face scrub in particular is supposed to be good for black heads, however I haven’t really noticed this.

Good Things Face Mask

As well as the face scrub I also picked up a face mask, who doesn’t love a good face mask? I was really keen to try this face mask as it contains honey and honey face masks are supposed to be super nourishing for your skin. This is another good things product that I really like! It’s a clay based face mask and you leave it on for 10 minutes, I have to say it ends up drying really fast! Again this is another product that makes my skin feel amazing.


Maybe next time you’re out shopping you might now be tempted to try these products out. What are your current favourite beauty products?

A little life update

Hello lovelies!

Sorry for being absent for a while, I was completing my A-level exams, which brings me on to today’s post. I thought I would give you an update as to what’s been going on in my life recently.

My little life update:

I’ve completed all my A-level exams- I sat my last exam yesterday and whilst it didn’t go completely to plan I’m so happy that my exams are over and I can finally be stress free. I’m so proud of myself for completing my A-levels as I had 2 stressful years at college and I had to deal with a lot whilst I was there. However having said that it’s been an incredible journey and I wouldn’t change it for anything!

I passed my QTS English Test- As many of you are aware I want to become a primary school teacher and in order to do so I need to pass my QTS skills test in Maths and English. I was so happy to passing my English as I’m now one step closer to achieving my dreams! I’ve got my Maths one booked, so hopefully I will pass that in a couple of weeks’ time

It’s 1 week until my prom- My 6th form doing a prom for us and I’m so excited to go and celebrate. Plus it will be my last time seeing my year group together (expect upcoming blog posts all about prom!)

Summer holidays- I’m really excited for the summer holidays as I’ll be going to France for 2 weeks and the Cotswolds for a couple of days. It’ll be great to go away and to be able to relax

I'm so happy to be back into blogging again and expect lots of upcoming blog posts! What have you all been up to recently?

My experience of secondary education

Hello lovelies!
               Friday was a milestone for me as I officially left 6th form (attached to my old school) and I’ve attended the same place for 7 years. I want to share with you my past 7 years in secondary education.

Secondary education is a big part of life, especially as you’re growing up and changing throughout your time at school/ college.

(Not my photo, photo from Google Images)

Moving up to secondary school was such a big jump for me, I had moved a long way from my old friends and there were only 2 of us from primary school going up into the same secondary school. Slowly I adjusted to the routine of school.

I went through so much and learnt so much over those 5 years. School wasn’t always easy for me and I struggled at times, but I still enjoyed my experience. I was picked on a lot but I also made lots of new friends. I had some of the best and worst memories there, but most of all I learnt.

I learned which would be my favourite subjects (DRAMA). I’ll never forget the day I had my very 1st lesson in drama and from then on my passion and love for the subject grew and grew.

College

Although I still attended the same place, moving up from school to college was another big jump for me. I was actually quite relieved to be starting college as it was a fresh start for me. It gave me chance to put what I’d been through behind me and move on.

Whilst I was far, far happier at college, I still found it challenging. However I’ve also had 2 amazing years at college and I wouldn’t change it for anything in the world.

You hear everyone go on about how there is a big gap from doing GCSES’S to starting A-levels. At first I just nodded in agreement but it was only throughout the past 2 years I realised how big the gap actually is. If you think studying 3 to 4 subjects at A-level is far easier than doing 11 subjects at GCSE, then think again. I learnt how hard you have to work and all time and effort you have to put in outside of college, whilst studying for you’re A-levels.

I won’t lie to you here, I found that it can be difficult adjusting to how much more work you need to put in and at times I found it really tiring. However putting all the work in now really does pay off, it feels so good to know you’ve achieved purely by working hard. Hard work paid off for me as I got an offer off my top choice university and I’m currently revising for my A-level exams, which start in just over a week.

Another thing I learnt was friendships can change a lot whilst being at college. At the start of college the majority of my group went their separate ways, some of which I’m no longer in touch with. There were 4 of us starting college together. By our second year at college it was down to me and one other friend. I found this really difficult as I’ve sometimes really struggled to make new friends but I still made a few new friends. However I was lucky with still attending the same place as I still saw a lot of my other friends who were in other year groups.

So if you’re at college and your friendship group begins to dramatically change then don’t worry. When starting college you’ll meet new people and make lots of new friends.

What I’ll miss most about college is all the little things, which are probably what count the most for me. I’ll miss all the jokes, laughter and good memories I have with all my classes, I’ll miss the times I could actually relax during free periods and I’ll miss being there in general.

Wow, I think I’ve been quite nostalgic throughout this post!

To anyone in school or college here some advice I’ll give you:

• Even if you really hate school/ college or are having a rough time, try to enjoy it. I found despite going through dark times I still had a lot of great times. Hopefully, one day you’ll look back and remember the great memories you have of being at school/ college.

• Work hard, I know you’ll hear this off everyone and will get sick of hearing it but trust me, it really does pay off

• Enjoy and appreciate all the little things, they might seem insignificant at the time but it’s the little things that can form the best memories.

I hope you enjoyed reading! What are your memories from secondary education?