Something Special

I had to share this gorgeous swan that I was given as a gift from my boyfriend a week or so ago. I think its beautiful and I really do love this kind of stuff. It has lights inside it.

This is it when the lights aren't on. 

And with the lights on. I think its gorgeous :)

The picture quality isn't great, courtesy of my phone! The swan's made of a clear plastic, it's quite sturdy. The inside has LED lights. The thing I like most is that whether the lights are on or off it looks lovely either way. I like that with the lights off you can't really see where the lights are... so when eventually the lights die on me it won't be a problem. I'm a sucker for this kind of stuff, I just have to find a nice spot in my bedroom for it now :) If anyone is wondering the swan is from Laura Ashley.

Busy Busy Busy

This month for me has been extremely hectic, I'm in my final year at Uni and so I've been spending pretty much everyday doing research, reading, making notes etc. I have a huge dissertation due in... with two or so months left to complete it in. It's all very boring, repetitive and sometimes stressful, but not long till it's all over I suppose.

I think what gets me through weeks and weeks of work is learning how to 'manage' what you can. These are some ways that I manage to get things done:

• I try to set achievable goals - so for example by the end of the day write 200 words of an assignment, or have a few targets to complete within a few days.
• Give myself a break, I used to overdo it and not give myself a break (mainly because in the past I have left things to the last minute - which left me no choice). But I find making time for a break makes you feel more in control, refreshed and I find I get a lot more done!
• The above point leads me on to time management - sometimes people don't give themselves enough time to do things in.
• Timetables, okay I'm a list person. Telling myself to do 3-4 hours of work a day (if I can!), writing this down and ticking it off when completed honestly helps me more than you'd think.
• Something to look forward to. I make myself stop at a certain point, if I've been working hard all day I make sure that when the clock hits a particular time I'll stop, put the books down and chill. Sometimes its nice to either get away from where the works taking place, or just have a lovely hot bath.

Although, it's okay to:

• Have the odd day were you just feel really unmotivated, sometimes it's good to recognise this and just have a break. As long as you have enough time it's okay. There's been a few days were I've woken up and thought I really can't do this today, so I don't!
• To feel a stressed or a little worried. This is really normal, I do have days when I will be thinking that I don't have enough time to complete everything in.

I've had a few years experience, and these 'tips' have helped me. But of course everybody is different. Good luck to anyone out there who is in the same boat.

"There are no goodbyes"

{Source: Pinterest. Original Source: Unknown}

As depressing as this post may seem I find myself wanting to share a few quotes I've found around on the net that help me when I'm 'grieving'. The reason to this post being that in the last year or two, and more recently this week, I've had to deal with the loss of a loved one and as hard and sad as it is I do sometimes find comfort in some of these quotes, like the ones below. They somehow become relevant to how I'm feeling. None of these are my own but I thought I would share them nonetheless. 

"There are no goodbyes for us. Wherever you are, you will always be in my heart." 

--- Gandhi

"To Live In The Hearts We Leave Behind Is Not To Die"

--- Thomas Campbell

"Always on my mind, forever in my heart"

--- Author Unknown

"When someone you love becomes a memory, the memory becomes a treasure"

--- Author Unknown

"Unable are the loved to die. For love is immortality"

--- Emily Dickenson

Many of these quotes are from this website: QuoteGarden.com. I think my personal favourite is the first one by Gandhi. As hard as it is for people to accept the loss of someone in their life I suppose it's nice to think that despite them not physically being with and around you a part of them will always be with you, within your mind and your heart. 

This is for those that I have lost, you will never be forgotten. Thanks for the memories ❤

The Big Cover Up - Bobbi Brown Corrector & Concealer

I had to write this post to share my love of two recently purchased beauty items! Both of which are Bobbi Brown products. One of which is a creamy concealer, the other is a corrector. After hearing nothing but good things about Bobbi Brown's creamy concealer I thought I would try it out... well that I had to try it out. I really am a concealer person as I do feel that I need a bit of cover up under my eyes and many of my previous concealers don't really do the job to be honest and I have tried a fair few. To begin with I did put it off but in the end I gave in. I must say I am glad that I did give in as I truly do love it, to me it is well worth the money!

Bobbi Brown Corrector: This costs around £17 and it aims to neutralise and brighten the skin tone before applying concealer. It's pinky peach and colour and is a lovely creamy but thick consistency it stays on well and I genuinely notice an improvement with my under eyes when applying this. I haven't found this to crease either!

Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer: This is also priced at around £17 also. It's similiar sort of consistency to the corrector and very easy to blend. This gives a nice strong coverage. 

I'm also a fan of their packaging, it's sleek, simple and compact. I also like that there is a mirror attached so it can be used on the go! I will definitely be repurchasing these when I'm finished with them.

Bobbi Brown UK website: Click Here

A New Year Is Here!

So 2012 is here! I can't believe how quickly 2011 went by. I hope a happy new year was had by all. I for one feel so relaxed and chilled which is a nice way to start the new year. December was a great month for me as it was nice to have a bit of a break from University and to celebrate my birthday and Christmas with all my loved ones! Back to reality now that the new year has arrived. I'm in my final year of University now and after a few months or so I'll be finished...hallelujah! So I especially enjoyed having a week or two off to chill out before I'm back to having my head buried in the books again! 

I haven't really got around to setting any new years resolutions so far, I suppose like everyone else I set them and then either forget or just don't end up sticking to them. But if I was to set any they would be as follows;

1. Stay focused - Uni wise. I haven't got long left now and it's going to be a busy couple of months ahead.

2. Worry less - I confess I can be a bit of a worrier at times. 

3. Take more photos

4. Be healthy

5. Make some more time to blog - I've only really just started doing this and there is something lovely about taking some time out to blog. 

It'd be nice if I could stick to at least one of these :) I think it's nice sometimes to take advantage of the whole 'new year - new start' concept and just motivate yourself to do or to achieve something.

Pinch Punch... First Day Of The Month

So here we are, December 1st... This year seems to be absolutely flying by. A bit too quickly for my liking to be honest, before we know it we will all be celebrating the start of 2012!!

I've been a busy bee recently (lots of essays and research for Uni) so when I have had some time to chill out and relax I've found myself either having a lovely hot bath or tucked up in bed reading a good book (currently reading: 'One Day' by David Nicholls).

When having a relaxing bath I often have some kind of Lush product in there. So I popped into Lush recently to pick up a few bits, which if you haven't heard of is a shop that sells 'fresh handmade cosmetics'. These include soaps, bath bombs, shower gels etc. You can't really miss walking past one of their shops as it smells gorgeous. Anyway, when in Lush I bought a few bits for when I am able to find some time for a lovely, relaxing bath. Below is what I purchased. 

'The Rocketeer' - This one is a Christmas special, or at least I think it is! It's a bath ballistic and I haven't used it before so I can't comment on the outcome. This looks great but I must admit its been crumbling.  £2.75

'The Comforter' - This smells lovely, it smells like love heart sweets to me. Gives your bath lots of bubbles and turns your bath water pink. You can get a few baths out of this one. To use it you normally break a bit off and crumble it under running water. This is one I always repurchase.  £3.99

'Abominaball' - This one is a Christmas special. It's a bath bomb and smells like toffee and vanilla. This is my first purchase of this one so I'm not sure what it's like in the bath.  £2.95

If you have yet to try Lush products I strongly recommend it. Especially if you're a fan of baths as they have such a variety of bubble bars and bath bombs! The great thing is that they have a variety of scents to suit different people, so if you aren't a fan of sweet scents then there are other minty or citrus scents in other products.  Lush Website - UK

  Until next time... Happy December! 

A Slow Starter - Current Favourites

Since first creating this little space of mine I've noticed how I never seem to have any time to actually write on here. I'm always so busy (I'm in my final year at University - this doesn't help) I barely even have time to just chill out and have some time for myself to be honest. But that's life sometimes I suppose.

But anyway, here I am. A quick post just to list a few of my favourite things so far in this month of November. Random I know!

• Despite it being absolutely freezing, I must say there is nothing better than being tucked up in a warm bed listening to the rain and wind outside. Kind of relaxing I think.
• Shopping. Okay who doesn't. But... It's not all for me. I'm trying to be super organised and get some Christmas presents sorted nice and early. This is actually very rare for me. But I really have enjoyed walking around the shops seeing all the Christmas lights and decorations. And all the cute little gifts that are floating around at this time of year.
• Spending what time I do have with my family. So despite being quite busy I have had the chance to spend some time with my brother who I don't often see. Which of course was lovely. 
• Music... I think this one will always be a favourite of mine. So I do a fair bit of driving around and I often have my iPhone plugged in to my stereo so I'm usually always getting new music and playing around with my playlists. I've been listening to Katy Perry - The One That Got Away pretty much all  of the time. I've also just purchased Rihanna's - Talk That Talk album which will probably soon become a favourite of mine. I've had Farewell and We Found Love on repeat.
• That AMAZING feeling when you've completed a piece of work/assignment. Something that literally takes over for a few days or weeks. There is nothing better than that feeling when you've completed it and handed it in.
• Lush products, popped in here the other week to get some presents for friends, and I thought I'd treat myself to a Cinder's bath bomb and The Comforter. Lovely.
• Probably one of the greatest things ever - Cosy Pyjamas.