Let's talk... I want to get to know you!

I think we need to talk...

I'm not breaking up with you, no, it's not you, it's me.. This blog has been around, in one form or another, for 7 years now. I've become really proud of my little space on the internet, particularly in the last couple of years, it's become something I really love. However, recently, my heart just hasn't been in it. I've really wanted to blog! But, I have a new job, which is mostly spent in front of a computer. The last thing I want to do when I do some evenings, after I've dragged my butt to the gym, had dinner and made my lunch for work - is to fire up my laptop and do, what sort of feels like work at the moment. I know it won't always, and I just need to get into a routine, but I used to do shifts and I was on my feet more - which means the gym and my healthy eating needs to be more of a priority, or it slips. Some nights and most weekends, I want to socialise, too (shock horror). 

Anyway, the last few weeks - I noticed my follower count dropped marginally - and this concerned me. I found this weird as I've never really cared about my follower count - it was something I was aware of but never put much weight in - as I've always just blogged for me, about me, about my life, and rambled on in my own little way. However I noticed this number dropping and it bothered me and I couldn't work out why - and I think at this point I realised that I didn't know who you are, my readers! I often see similar faces in my comments as I do on Twitter, I try and reply to all my comments (although I've been shit at this recently!) and I do read a lot of your blogs regularly, however I really want to know you all better!

So I've come up with a little survey - and I'd love it if you took the time to fill this in! You can leave it in the comments (or fill it out on your blog if you have one, and link it in the comments!) because it would be amazing to find out more about you lovely people. 

1. Your name, age, country, if you feel like sharing. :)
2. What is your most recent purchase?
3. What is your favourite book and why?
4. On a Saturday morning, where are you and what are you doing?
5. What TV show are you currently binge-watching or what book are you currently reading?
6. Do you prefer to be controversial or liked-by-everyone?
7. Are you more introverted or extroverted?
8. What was your first job?
9. What is your favourite painting?
10. Leave links to where I can find more about you (your blog/twitter/instagram, etc).

And here are my answers - so incase you didn't know about me, here are a few little insights...

1. My name is Clare, I'm 25 (first time I've written that since my birthday, oh god I feel old!), and I live in Hampshire in the UK.
2. My most recent purchase was a fancy lunch out for my parents 30th wedding anniversary - and 2 blouses from the Topshop website, somewhat sleepily, last night.
3. Until recently I would have said The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, but The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt comes in a very very close second.
4. Recently I've been all over the place, from spending time in London, but more regularly I'm probably having a lie in, doing some shopping, or catching up with my friend Gemma.
5. I'm about to start on the second series of Orange is the New Black - and I've just finished re-reading the Harry Potter books.
6. Liked by everyone. I am too worried what about what people think to be controversial!
7. I'm somewhere in between, but definitely more introverted than the opposite - I much prefer to just chill in bed with a book or put a film on than go outside and be sociable.
8. My first job was at Waitrose, being a Sunday deli-girl.
9. My favourite paintings are a series by Mark Rothko called the Seagram murals, in particular this one which is called Red on Maroon. A lot of people think they're very overrated or cliche, but I like them for some personal reasons.

So there we go! I'd love it if you took part.. :)   

how to create and use an editorial calendar

I've wanted to talk about how to create an editorial calendar for blogging for the longest time, because it's really changed how I plan blog posts, how I schedule content and keep myself organised in general. 

I mentioned last week how I love to use a little handwritten planner to keep track of things I want to do, ideas that spring to mind, or content that I need to write, and I do really love that method for the creative side of things. However, once the copy is written, photos are taken, and posts are are ready to be published, I like to bring my up editorial calendar to have a look at when I'll post. 

There are so many ways out there to create an editorial calendar, from traditional diaries, printables, and even apps like CoSchedule, but I prefer this method, which I had sort of attempted doing before I found the lovely Gillian' tutorial over at Elevator Musik for how to set this up properly and a lot of this post is inspired by hers, so please go check it out, it's all much prettier than mine! I've been using this for blogging since May 2014, and it's been so brilliant! The amount of posts I wrote in 2014 tripled from 2013, and I think this is in part to getting organised. Some of this organisation may seem like over-kill for something that is a hobby of mine, but I enjoy getting myself organised!

GET YOUR SPREADSHEET SET UP

You can use any format you like, obviously, but I love to use my Google Drive for my calendar, as it's accessible from anywhere, saves automatically, and is just really easy to bring up when I'm blogging, as I have it bookmarked on my toolbar. Go to your Google Docs, and from the drop down menu at the side, select Sheets, then press the green cross in the bottom corner to bring up a new spreadsheet - it's pretty much as easy as that. Name it something obvious, that you can find, like Blog Calendar 2015, then you're ready...

MAKE IT LOOK PRETTY

This is the fun bit, you can make this look like whatever you like. I copied Gillian's format for this, in having the days across the top, and then Week 1-5 down the left hand side. I made it match my blog colours/font, cause I'm ridiculous like that, simply put. You can make all your cells the same size, highlight all the columns/rows you want, then right click and select Resize columns, and enter a defined value for them. You can use the colour picker to select a colour that suits your blog, and make the font match and all sorts.
At the bottom (which I annoyingly cut off in these images, but you can see in my main image, at the top of the post) you can see that I created tabs for each month, and I fill in the dates manually using the calendar on my phone or laptop. 

FIGURE OUT A SYSTEM YOU'LL USE

Like with my blog planner, it takes using the calendar to find out how to make it work for you. I set myself up with a key, using different coloured highlighted squares to figure out how to plan my content. For example, you can see that his month I didn't post any recipes because I was posting other kind of content that I enjoyed writing, so it's all sort of swings and roundabouts. I have regular features on Friday and Sunday, so I fill those columns in ahead of time, as I know that they'll be frequent features. You can see that the beginning of January was a bit all over the place, because I was getting back into the swing of things, post-Christmas, but it really does help me stick to my posting schedule. When I've scheduled a post, I strikethrough the whole box, and it makes me like I've accomplished something! 

SOME EXTRA TIPS:

• I like to be able to see the last month, to compare the kind of content I've posted, but anything before that clutters up my workspace. Right click on the old page tab at the bottom of the page and select hide sheet. To view the sheet again, select View > View Hidden Sheets... From the toolbar, and you'll have access to them all again.
• I used the Notes column more frequently untilI set up my blog planner, but I like to still have there, just in case I need to add comments or reminders to myself, and I haven't got my planner to hand.
• I've recently started adding the 'buffered' comment to my calendar, to remind me that I need to scheduled tweets for that post, also. 
• I use italics to add in posts that I write, that are 'last minute' additions. They're ones that I haven't planned on posting necessarily, they're written then and there and published on the spot. 
• I highlight boxes bright red, as opposed to their corresponding colour, if I know I haven't yet completed everything for that certain post, and it reminds me that the post needs something doing for it!
• I like to stay about one-week ahead of schedule, so I have some time to write some posts if I feel like I'm short on content that week. You can see that like 95% of my content is scheduled, and I know from recent Twitter chats that some people have a problem with that, but I don't see how it make a damn bit of difference! haha

And there we go, hopefully this helps a little bit! There are hundreds of ways out there to make an editorial calendar work for you, though - if this doesn't float your boat, try looking on Pinterest for inspiration, or turn your hand to making your own. 

Do you use an editorial calendar? Share how it helps you in the comments below, I love finding out new things! 

how to: make a blogging planner

I've been trying really hard to keep my blog organised this year, it was one of my goals for the year, to try and keep up with my blog whilst working and looking for new jobs. It's hard to keep everything organised and ticking over, and I was always making lists that I would lose or accidentally delete on my phone... Fed up of this, I looked into blogging planners, and all sorts of things, before deciding to make one of my own.

For this, all you need is a notebook (I like a squared one), a black pen and a coloured pen (or several, if that helps motivate and organise you!). It's really that easy and simple! I like to use a plain notebook, because this way I can adjust it to suit my needs and I'm not constricted by other peoples design. It does take a wee bit of configuring, to find what sections you'll use most, and what you don't. I've been trialling this for a few weeks, and I've found these headings the most useful for me, but you may want to play around with it for a bit until you find the right system that really works for you. 

TO WRITE: These are blog-posts that I need to write for that week or the coming week. When I've finished them, I cross them through, or I highlight them to make a note of overdue post. I also make a note here if for example, I've written and note scheduled it, or it needs photos to be put into the post, etc.

TO DO: These are things that I need to get done, which might not be writing blog posts, etc, maybe it's replying to a certain email, finding an image for a post, editing some photographs or images, or updating an on-going series post... Just little things that I need to get done, that have a deadline on them.

TO REMEMBER: These are tasks that are important, but not imminent. It might be that I need to check when one my advert campaigns ends, or to take part in a twitter chat, follow up links from a chat, or to schedule something for in the future. Like the to do section, but less time sensitive.

TO PHOTOGRAPH: This tab is pretty self-explanatory, but it helps, particularly in the winter when light is a precious commodity. If I need to photograph something, I can make sure I get ready to take the photographs the day before, and won't have to faff about and wonder what else I need to get photographed! 

You could make this a daily system, but I don't have that much to do in a day, so I make it for the week, writing the date for a Monday at the top of the page. At the bottom of this page, I also make a note for Sunday night, to check my followers on Bloglovin'/GFC, and a total, so I can see if I gained a certain amount of followers that week, whether it was due to a certain post, or chat, etc... It's just helps to keep me motivated, I find.

On the opposite page, I use a few different headings that I'm still sort of configuring...

IDEAS: A little vague, but obvious at the same time - this is where I brainstorm and make notes of future blog posts, it might be a title or it might be a list, or a sentence, or just a word, it's just some space for me to jot down ideas when they come to me (this is usually whilst I'm writing other blogposts, so it's good to have this to hand). 

TWITTER CHAT SCHEDULES: For the longest time I was awful at forgetting when all the chats were, despite very helpful people taking the time to make blog-posts scheduling them all! I've taken to writing down the times and days of the chats that I actively take part it (mainly, #bdib and #lbloggers, but #healthyselves sometimes, I always forget about #fdbloggers). I like to tick them off when I've participated, to keep a track of when I can make it or not.

HAVE YOU...: This is to remind me to do all the blog admin that I need to do, basically! I'm shit at remembering stuff, plain and simply. My friends will know how rubbish I am at replying to texts, and blog admin is no exception. I think I'll adjust this in the future depending on how much use I find it, but I have a few main things to check off; Replied to comments, checked emails, scheduled tweets (the bane of my life, I always forget!), pinned posts (likewise!), shared on twitter. 

Have you tried a blogging planner, or have any tips on how to use one? I've found it's really motivated me in terms of planning posts and checking off lists. For example on Sunday, I knew I had a lot of things to photograph for future posts, so I made a small list of what things I need to photograph, for what posts, and blasted through all those pictures in about an hour! I'm finding it really useful, and hopefully I'll keep using it.

How do you keep organised on your blog?!

couch to 5k - week 1 in review

(Run 2 vs Run 3!)

One of my new year resolutions was to take up running. I had a friend at uni who was really into running, and I always sort of envied her. I love walking and being outside, and I really just wanted to be able to go for a run somedays, if I felt like it. I've lost six stone, and improved my fitness in the gym, so I wanted to try my hand outdoors...

I wasn't expecting it to be as hard as it was - it seems to use completely different muscles to running inside, and it's harder to breathe, and I feel like I'm 6 stone heavier again..! I'm documenting this here, because hopefully one day I'll be able to run 5k, and I'll have this as a record. Some other people may be on the fence about starting running, like I was, or overweight and wondering if they can do it.. well maybe this will give you some inspiration!

RUN 1: 11/5/2015, 1pm on a Sunday afternoon, windy and overcast. 

I think I only ran for about 4.5 minutes in total, and I found that pretty tough. Slightly hungover today. Fast-paced walked where I couldn't run. That afternoon my shoulders ached and the back of my thighs/bum. Next day, my thighs still ache and my hips and knees a bit.

RUN 2: 16/01/2015, 12.30pm on Friday lunchtime, cool, but bright and sunny.
I managed better this time around, running for 6.5 minutes in total, out of 8. I fast-paced walked where I couldn't walk, but with the sun I felt warmer so I don't know if I was as fast as on Sunday (when it was freezing and trying to keep warm!). I'd been to the gym early in the morning and my legs were a bit achey, made sure to do lots of stretches when I got back because  after the last run I seized up! Aiming to do my next run on Sunday or Monday, weather depending. Later that day, I am much less stiff.

RUN 3: 18/01/2015, 10am on Sunday, cold, drizzle, windy, miserable.
I bought myself some new gear this weekend, and it makes me feel so fly. Running tights and a jacket, it seemed to help as I was faffing less with my clothes. A lot of dogs out, some not being controlled by the owner, which pissed me off so I managed a good 7 minutes of running on that anger (maybe a bit longer, I tried a new app and couldn't hear it very well, I only walked 1 interval, though). I looked up lots of hamstring stretches and did those post-run and I feel much better, only my left hamstring is tight now, but I have some muscular pain in my hip. 

Thoughts at the end of the week:
I think I'm going to repeat maybe another couple of Week 1 runs, to make sure I can run the 8 minutes, before moving on to the Week 2, as I don't want to, excuse the pun, run before I can walk! My homework for the week is to look up some more stretches and try and improve my flexibility. Going to look at investing in some better shoes as I had soaked feet by the time I got home on Sunday.

Weight loss?
Just under 2lbs! 

I'm not sure how long I'll keep up the couch to 5k plan, I'll be honest, but I am going to give it my best shot! I feel like my body wasn't meant to run, but maybe that will improve. It was one of my goals for this year, to at least give it a go, and I've started! I reckon I won't be able to do all the runs in one week, so I'm a bit iffy about that, but I'm gonna try and stick to it as closely as possible.

If anyone else is trying this plan, please let me know, I'd love someone to talk about this crap with - particularly if you're a complete beginner like me! I also want to post a picture every time I run on Instagram, so follow me there, too!

8 tips for beating january blues

Today is supposedly the day that in the UK, everyone feels the worst, post-Christmas, and has been dubbed 'blue monday'. Whilst this has sort of been exposed as pseudo-science, I understand the theory behind it. All year, I am prone to bouts of depression, and even in the summer I can find myself in a black mood - however January seems to emphasise it, and make it all seem so much worse. Maybe it's the constant wind, the grey starts and dark evenings, or the rain at your window most nights, but somehow, it all conspires to make me feel so awful.

January is a long, dark month, and it seems to never, so you need to take care of yourself and be aware of when your mood might be slipping. Here are my best, tried and tested tips I've learned over the years to try and shift that mid-January-funk.
(Please check the disclaimer at the end of this post for further information and links to mental health websites.)

1. SLEEP WELL: I find that I never get enough sleep, ever, but that is just me. I often beat myself up over sleeping in at the weekends, but that is my body's way of screaming at me to listen to it! It needed that 12 hours! Conversely, if you find yourself sleeping at lot, and are still waking up tired, this can be your body's way of telling you that something isn't right. Be aware of your sleep patterns, practise good sleep hygiene, and hopefully you'll notice an improvement.

2. GET OUTSIDE: Fresh air, sunlight, and Vitamin D do wonders for your body, your mind and your general health. Even if you're just doing an extra five minute walk in the daylight, getting out of your office at lunch and walking once around the block, or to the corner-shop, it really helps. Also, fluorescent light like in offices, etc, and the blue-light from your laptop does something weird to your circadian rhythms and your hypothalamus (the bit of the brain that regulate sleep patterns, melatonin, serotonin levels, other hormones, and all sorts of stuff in your body), so trying to keep them in line with good, natural sunlight is generally not a bad plan.

3. BE SOCIABLE: I find that the best thing to lifting me out of a sharply spiralling mood, are friends. Even just reaching out to them by text or Whatsapp and having a stupid conversation makes me feel miles better. I'm naturally quite an introverted person, and don't like to rely on other people if I can help it, but sometimes, you've got to lean on someone else and admit when you're not coping. 

4. BUY A NEW LIGHT: I've never tried these, but I know several people swear by clocks that wake you up with daylight-level artificial light and lamps that use daylight-bulbs, which helps boost those chemical levels we were talking about earlier. I have no experience of this, so I don't really like to comment, but if you're working in an indoor environment, travelling to and from work in the dark, this could be the way to boost your daylight levels.

5. FIND A ROUTINE: I find that I work best when I'm going to bed at a reasonable hour, waking at a good time and getting into a little routine when I get home from work. It takes the guesswork out of the evening if I know what I'm having for dinner, what time I need to get up and do things. At the weekends, I try to get up at a reasonable hour and make the most of the daylight. Make a schedule, if you need to, but I find if I'm sitting about at the weekends, wondering if I'll do something, I get really stressed that I won't see the sun for a whole week, so schedule things in.

6. COMFORT FOOD VS HEALTHY FOOD: I think in January, you shouldn't be super strict on yourself and force yourself to detox with weird all green spinach and kale juices (though this is proven to be a load of nonsense) that suck the last remaining joy (eating all your Christmas chocolate and the leftover cheese you found at the back of the fridge) by eating very little. However, getting your vitamins is important, so make sure you up your fruit and vegetable intake, and screw it, eat that cheese, go for Nando's or pizza with your mates if you want, cook a giant lasagne, if you want. Who am I tell you what to eat?! Just find a balance that suits you.

7. MAKE PLANS: Having things to look forward to is a great idea, even if it's just a day out or doing something that you enjoy. I am a firm believer of spending time alone, so try and schedule something you really love, maybe a day out to an exhibition or a museum trip, or having a little day out at the weekend, just to have something to look forward to that you really enjoy to help recharge your batteries, and remind you of the good stuff in life. 

8. BE KIND TO YOURSELF: I said it before, but be kind to yourself, look after yourself. If you're feeling rubbish, make friends and family aware, because they do care about you, even if your brain might be telling you otherwise. Don't strip all the joy from your life, make time to recharge, do things you really love, sleep in at the weekend, eat chocolate in bed... February is a short month, and then it's easter, and then it's basically summer, so you'll make it, don't worry. 

If you do get very low in the winter months, you may want to consider that you could have seasonal-affective-disorder, which is a medical condition characterised by depression, generally thought to be caused by a lack of sunlight in the winter. Just something to consider though, if you get very bad every year.

Obviously, I am not a professional, or a doctor or anything like that. These are just my tips after having suffered from depression for many years now. For more information on depression and mental health, please check some of these links out, as they give better advice than nearly anyone ever could: Samaritans, the NHS, Childline and the Mental Health Foundation. (I don't really rate Mind after they endorsed some problematic stuff, but they do have some good advice on the matter.) Also, if you are worried about anything else to do with your mental health, please seek the advice of a GP.

new year, new me? insert eye-roll here

Lets get it out of the way: Happy New Year! Hello, 2015! Are you still feeling fragile or are you well and truly recovered? Already tired of those "new year, new me" updates all over Facebook? Well, here is mine..  

Just kidding, I don't think that I'm going to be an entirely new person in 2015. In fact, I always kind of thought resolutions were for losers. Not in a mean way, exactly... Just that maybe they existed for those people that lacked conviction: like, why do you need it to be the 1st of January to make a difference in your life? Well, you don't, but I found last year that it helps to kick you up the bum. I made a resolution in 2014 to lose weight, and I lost about 6 stone. So, I've reevaluated my feelings on resolutions. Maybe they're not a bunch of crap, and maybe these people were onto something all those years, after all. 

1. Lose 50lbs. This sounds a lot, but I lost eighty-five pounds (well, eighty if we're not including the five I lost, then gained throughout December, which we're definitely not, because winter weight, am I right..?!) in 2013. Another fifty would put me somewhere I'm comfortable with, and then I can re-evaluate. 
2. Start running. This is something I've been considering the last few months, but always thought seemed like something I couldn't do. Fat girls, etc. I've realised though that that the only thing that's really stopping me there is my confidence. Do I care if people laugh at me for trying to get fit? No, I don't, so that shouldn't be the thing that holds me back. 
3. Get a bra fitted properly. This goes in conjunction with running, but I've lost a lot of weight around my middle and from my boobs, and as such, I have no clue what size I am anymore. None of my bras fit me properly anymore, and I want to be correctly supported when running. 
4. Move out. Who am I kidding, maybe just get a new job? Hahaha...Again, who am I kidding.. Maybe just, save some more money for when I DO move out? 
5. Read more. I have so many books on my shelf half-finished, half-started, half-abandoned... I want to make peace with them all, haha. If I enjoy them, finish them, if I don't, fully give up on them, don't leave them in a half-read limbo.
6. Apply for an allotment. I really miss the time and effort spent at the old allotment, and I want to apply for some new ones. It takes years to get one round here, but you never know... 
7. Consume less, buy less, leave less impact on the world, live more minimally. I say this every year, but I buy way too much stuff. I just want to own less, take up less space in the world, and leave less impact, so I'm really going to strive to make a difference with this, this year. 
8. Make more things, and make presents for people, too. On a similar theme as consuming less, I want to make more stuff and buy less. I want to knit more and make presents for people too, because I love receiving hand-made presents, and I have skills and talents that can be made into presents, so I really should just do it. 
9. Keep on with my blog, and keep up to date with the blogging world. Whilst I don't think I exactly let my blog slide when I started full-time work, it definitely shifted in priority for a couple of weeks, and I gained much more admiration for bloggers who also work hectic jobs. It's taken me 4 months (well probably longer) to actually catch up on my Bloglovin' feed, and I don't want it to get like that again!  
10. Become a pro photographer. Well, not a pro, but I want to become really au fait with my new camera. I want to know how to take the perfect photo on manual and all that jazz, because I'll be honest, I'm not great.
11. Love myself. This one sounds weird, I know, like a weird euphemism for something, or a hippyish phrase from Eat Pray Love, and I'm sorry on both accounts, but it needs to be said. I've made a lot of progress this year towards liking myself, lumps and bumps and scars and emotional baggage and all, and I want to keep learning to be comfortable with who I am.

It's a long list, some are kind of silly and throw-away things, but I've meaning to do for ages (allotment, bra), some are steps on my weight loss journey (running, lose 50lbs), some are about me trying to be a better person in the world, and some are just self-centred pursuits to a healthier mental place (but that is good!), but all are important.

What are your goals and resolutions for the coming year? If you want support, or just like to chat about stuff, I'm always here and willing to moan about weight-loss plateau's or failing to understand correctly what SEO's are..! 

all about that glitter: lips, nails and eye make up for new years eve!

Like Meghan Trainor and her penchant for bass and booty, at Christmas and New Year I am all about that glitter. I've recently been trying to mix up my makeup and try and get away from the eyeliner-flicks that have become my uniform, and what better time than December and January, when the festivities make it acceptable to wear glitter all day, every day. Plus, introducing flashes of glitter into your everyday makeup can help January not seem so long, dark and cold.
Read on for my favourite picks of nails, eyes, lips and some face staples to suit you for any situation at New Year..

E Y E S

My favourite thing is a glittery eye - whether thats mixed into a smokey eyeshadow, smudged along the waterline, or a wash of glitter along the lid with a sweep of liner. I particularly love creamy bases, my go-to's are the Illamasqua liquid metals - I have them in Superior (the blue), Surge (the gunmetal silver), and Solstice (the gold). They're great swept all over the lid or used as a base. I'm also a giant fan of the Chanel Illusion D'Ombre in Mirifique (black) and Epatant (silver). These look like an eyeliner or a cream base in the pot, but dry to a powdery consistency on the eye, which I'm a big fan off, as they are quick and easy to smudge into a smoky eye. I particularly love to use the silver Epatant with Urban Decay Zodiac - an amazing glittery green eyeshadow - all over the lid, with MAC Carbon (what should be a staple in everyones makeup bag, a true matte black) smudged along the lash line.

I also recently picked up this wonderful, matte grey Bobbi Brown Shadow Stick in Shadow which I've been using with my own little quad. It consists of MAC Copperplate (a cool-toned matte grey), Beauty Marked (an amazing glittery purple-black), Smoke and Diamonds (a beautifully soft, rich and pigmented shimmery grey) and a Grand Entrance (soft, shimmery champagne silver-pink): altogether they create a really beautiful smokey eye, particularly when paired with my new favourite eyeliner, the Bourjois Liner Clubbing and lashings of my favourite waterproof mascara, 17's Va Va Voom in Black.

N A I L S

Nails are one of those things you can definitely go all out with, I always think. If you're not that comfortable chucking glitter all over your eyelids, or worry over a red-lip, stick to eyeliner and paint giant chunky gold holographic glitter all over your fingertips. That particular culprit in question is OPI When Monkey's Fly, it's got amazing bits of gold foil and holographic glitter in, and looks great when layered over any dark polish. I'm really into dark greens at the moment, like Barry M Racing Green, and Essie's Styleonomics will forever be a favourite, with it's dark and gothy green-black. I received the green and white glitter Urban Outfitters polish in Snow Globe from a friend for Christmas and it looks particularly awesome over the Barry M green. You can never go wrong with a silver or gold at this time of year, but I find silvers suit my skin-tone better, so I'm more likely to reach for Leighton Denny Diamond Diva, with either an amazing H&M holographic glitter polish called Jo Is In The House layered over, or Essie's Hors D'ouevers (a sort of shimmery silver gold champagne colour) on top. And even though Christmas is done and dusted by December 31st, a dark or glittery red is a classic in my book, and my two favourites are China Glaze Ruby Pumps and the vampy dark red that is Essie's Wicked.

L I P S

This is where the glitter theme sort of falls apart, because please don't wear glittery lipstick, I beg of you. As you can tell, I'm not being that adventurous with my lipstick this year, and thats because I'm shunning all the dark vampy lipsticks in favour of nudes and pinks, and it's weird for me but I'm going with it. I'm adding my favourite reds in here though, just because.
On the red spectrum, my all time, absolute holy-grail of dark red lipstick is NARS Fire Down Below (bottom of picture). I actually hunted for years for this, and it's the best true dark red I've found, not a berry or pink hue in sight, but has enough brown and blue in to make your teeth whiter, and not make you look like you're from the 80's. Honourable mentions go to Illamasuqa's Encounter, a good all-rounder red, but if you want a more sheer lipstick, you could try something like the YSL Volupte Sheer Candy in #7, which can be layered to that darker red, but goes on sheer.

However, I'm big into the pinky-nudes (I blame a Kardashian sister, though I'm not sure which one) and these are all my current go-to lipsticks from MAC. From the top down (to the left of the gold YSL colour) is MAC Blankety, a new favourite and is a bit paler than my lips, which  I love. In the middle is an oldie but a goodie in Plink!, and at the bottom, my true my lips but better lipstick, MAC Hug Me. I've been using them with the GOSH lip-liner Nougat Crisp to make it last as long as possible. I've just realised that maybe this is was being an adult is like, and not doing an neon pink lip on a daily basis...

F A C E

When you've got a lot going on on your nails, lips, eyes, etc, I think it's always best to tone down the contouring for a day. That doesn't mean not making the most of what you've got though. I love Yves Saint Laurent's Le Teint Touche Eclat foundation - I wear it in BR10 because it's got a great, buildable coverage and still remains dewy and fresh faced, so you can use it accordingly where needed. When paired with it's sister translucent powder, YSL's Souffle D'Eclat, and then a little bit of NARS Albatross highlighter swept over cheekbones, it gives the dewy illusion with good staying power. I've also been really enjoying eyeshadow of late - a change from my usual eyeliner - so a good shadow primer is needed, and I've been enjoying the Rimmel Exaggerate. It's not god's gift to beauty, and there are much better shadow primers out there, but for it's price-point (£4.99) and if you're in a pinch and need it, it's pretty good. Also make sure to prep your lips before even going NEAR that red lipstick - I was given this amazing blueberry EOS lip-balm by a friend and I've been carrying it with me ever since. The egg shape still feels a little weird to rub on your mouth, but I'm getting used to it!

What will you be opting for on New Year's Eve? I mean, despite liver-damaging amounts of alcohol..!

a personal gift guide (or, what I want for christmas)

I'm in the midst of that Christmas hell, where you're not sure what presents you've got for people, and you know you need to get stuff still for people and you're not really sure what to buy them... and when you're coming down with a hideous cold like I currently am, I really can't be bothered with thinking of presents for other people. Selfish, but true. I've been sort of partaking in that 'one presents for someone else, one present for me', hence a couple of new things have worked their way into my life (see above, new vintage handbag, new candles, and new black patent loafers). But anyway, here is what I want for christmas...

• Tom Ford Black Orchid perfume, I sprayed it on recently, and it's all I can think about.
• A new job, retail is hell at Christmas, particularly when you're sick & feeling under the weather.
• A new Macbook, this one is slowly dying the more I use it.
• To lose the last 15lbs before December 31st, it ain't gonna happen, but if I can shift another five, maybe, I'd be pleased. 
• A maid, I'm fed up of cleaning my room to only make it a mess again when I'm dressing in the dark at 6AM.
• The winter solstice, I need the days to start getting longer again like I need air.
• To have all my blog posts ready for the next month, hopefully I can get ahead this weekend.
• To be fluent in Italian.
• A year's supply of Diptyque candles.
• To eat my weight in Christmas biscuits, sausage rolls and cheese.
• And approximately 2kg of mince pies. 

So if any of you lovely readers can make any of the above a reality for me, that would be amazing, thank-you!

packing woes

I'm not doing one of those 'what you'll need at uni' posts because well.. I would have a list as long as me - and I'm a tall girl. I'm also not one of those people that jets off on three holidays every summer, and then once or twice every term, and have only been abroad three times in my life, so I can't pack. 

Because I live very close to my uni (about a half hour drive, if that) I made the mistake last year of going "Well, I can just drive home and get anything I've forgotten." Cue me going home every weekend for at least 2 months to bring things I forgot! Not to mention get more jumpers, scarves and hats when it got cold. So I'm trying to be more efficient this year! But that involves me just taking everything. 

So far I have a suitcase full of clothes, and I haven't even put underwear in yet, except for the odd bra. A huge Ikea bag just for jumpers.. I can't even justify this in my head, let alone on paper. Anyway, I thought you might like to hear some of what I'm taking, so clothing wise, here's a run down of things:

• At least 7 jumpers. The studios can get cold!
• Lots of underwear, I hate washing it!
• One going-out dress - I so very rarely go out so it's not necessary to take more.
• Lots of leggings and tights, one pair of thick leggings, one pair of trousers, one pair of jeans.
• 4 pairs of boots, including two old scabby ones for when I'm printing/in the studio, one nice pair, one everyday pair.
• 3 pairs of hand-knitted (by myself and mama) of big woolly socks for around the house and inside boots.
• In the way of cardigans/jackets, I'm taking 2 black cardigans, 1 thick flannel shirt and 1 shirt each of cotton, linen and corduroy.
• 3 skirts, one red knit, one white knit, and one pleated grey one.
• A few simple, plain coloured skater dresses, vest dresses and basic tops from H&M for everyday wear/wearing with skirts. Also those £2 Primark vests are great for layering on hot or cold days.

Phew. It sounds like a lot but I really hate washing, and there isn't a great deal of space to air-dry clothes in our house, and we don't have a tumble-dryer. Also, I'm indecisive. 

Other things I'm taking (this is obviously tailored for an art-student, bear that in mind):

• A couple of new sketchbooks.
• A big back of ~art materials~ including a red box filled entirely with pencils. Not even colour pencils, sigh.
• Clothes-peg thing, the only way to dry socks and underwear in my house.
• Candles, even though we're not technically allowed to have them.
• A few books (I need to not let myself get drawn into ASOIAF until my dissertation is handed in!).
• Lots of DVD's for relaxing and gorging myself on, also we don't have a TV.
• 3 big ringbinders - I'm sure I will need them..
• A couple of new mugs, you can never have too many!
• A hot-water bottle.

There are probably more things but this post is so long already so I'll stop here. Are you returning to uni this year, or just starting out? There are lots of more informative posts out there on the useful things, like pots and pans and plasters and fancy-dress.. I'm not so helpful. (: 

Anyway, I have a dentist appointment this morning and then I'm dragging all of this back to my house at uni, sigh, so I better go!