A Little Motivation

Some days we can all feel slightly lacking in motivation, so today I thought I would write a motivational post. Hopefully this will provide a little pick-me-up for those that need it :)

Today's quote:

I really like this message, it is so true and I feel everyone can apply this to some aspect of their lives.

Think about it. Anything you have ever accomplished in your life will have begun with deciding to try and achieve it in the first place.

Sometimes we put off deciding to try things in our lives for various reasons. They may seem overwhelming, difficult, we may fear failure or perhaps procrastination is to blame. Whatever it is, making the decision to try is taking an initial step.

For me, writing a blog was something I have decided to try relatively recently and I am loving it so far! :)

Successes can be big or small but whatever they are, they mean something to us.

So whatever this quote means to you, I hope you gained a little motivation. :)

Feel free to leave a comment, I would love to hear from you.

Kat x

Helpful Tips for Starting University

Having recently graduated university, I thought I would put together some helpful tips for those just beginning...

1. Be prepared.

Mentally: The workload will be heavier and expectations as to the amount of work you need to do and standard of your work will be higher. It may take time to adjust to the slightly different way of learning. You will no longer be 'spoon-fed' information, independent study means you will actually have to think for yourself. *gulp*

Although this can sound slightly daunting, it is much more rewarding when you complete a piece of work you have thoroughly researched yourself. Trust me. *Said one of the few students who wrote a 12,000 word Dissertation and actually quite enjoyed it.*

Physically: Make sure you have the relevant stationery and equipment with you when you need them. Common sense I know, but a necessity. Usually pens, paper and perhaps a highlighter pen will suffice for lectures.

Always handy to bring a spare pen.

No doubt someone will need one.

Depending on your course you may need other equipment: pencils, rulers, books etc...

Ensure you know what you will need and have it ready.

You should also be prepared to work at home. You may want to invest in a laptop/computer, printer, folders, more paper, pads, coloured pens and anything else necessary to help you organise your work. This leads us to the next tip.

2. Stay organised.

In addition to being organised with equipment, one of the key things you will learn throughout university is how to organise your time. Time-management, a key skill and something that you will later be able to pop on your CV.

A diary will be your new best friend.

You can to use this to note: your university timetable, deadlines, times you are working if you decide to get a part-time job, times you will meet with a group if you have group-work, times set aside to prepare for seminars/lectures and allocated time to work on assessments. This diary will effectively help you organise your life and keep on top of things.

The diary I used for my final year. Full of lectures, seminars, meetings, work and deadlines but it still brings back great memories :)

Also, do not fall into the pitfall of only starting work the night before the deadline.

Wouldn't you much rather look back knowing you put everything you had into each piece of work and truly earned your overall grade? Of course you would.

3. Be friendly.

Everyone is in the same boat. At the beginning of university, most are nervous about meeting new people. Just try to be friendly; to roommates and particularly with people on your course. They are likely to be like-minded people and you will already have something in common, your course! Try to get to know people as seeing friendly faces in lectures and seminars will make your time at university more enjoyable. :)

4. You don't necessarily need to buy everything on the reading list.

Most courses tend to expect you to do some amount of reading. With lecturers on my course recommending one or two textbooks per module, this was expensive and a lot to read!

I would recommend you go to the library as soon as you know what books have been recommended and borrow as many of them as you can. Maybe you will find that you can get enough information from just borrowing a book. Obviously most recommended books are essentials but there may be a couple that you don't necessarily need to purchase.

5. Attend everything.

If it is on your timetable, go to it.

Some days you would much rather have a lay in... so why should you actually make the effort to attend?

At school, coursework and exams are set by recognised boards. At university, it is the lecturers that set assessments. Some lecturers may make subtle or more obvious hints for example, at topics that are 'likely' to come up in the exams. Obviously, it depends on the course and lecturers but this occurred in one of my modules.

It felt like a slight reward for those making the effort to turn up to lectures. This exam had the potential to contain questions on any topic we had covered throughout the year which was a lot! This made it extremely difficult when planning to revise in depth, at least this meant I could narrow down my revision slightly.

You don't want to be the one caught out for not attending.

Prior to this particular exam I was chatting to my friends and a girl joined us who had attended hardly any lectures. We were discussing which topics we had chosen to revise and she started chatting about something we had covered at the beginning of the year that was definitely NOT in the exam paper!

I shared a wide-eyed look with a couple of my friends, we were a bit taken aback. You can't exactly tell someone just before a three-hour exam that you are 100% sure something they revised won't be in there! I felt so bad for her. But she should really have made more of an effort to attend. So there you go, a lesson for all new students. Attend everything you can. Don't skip them for a lay in and make sure you catch up if you have to miss something.

6. Don't be afraid to ask questions.
Lecturers are there to help you. They want you to succeed and are usually happy to answer any queries you may have. There are no stupid questions and if you are nervous to ask a question face-to-face you can always send them an email. :)

7. Keep yourself motivated.
Do whatever you can to keep yourself motivated. Ultimately, you are at university to gain a qualification, usually a degree. Remember why you wanted to do your course in the first place and if you are lacking motivation, chatting to friends or your family may help. If that doesn't work, you can always try to bribe yourself. *If I spend another hour on this piece of work I will let myself watch YouTube videos and have a bit of chocolate.*

Mmmm... my absolute fave chocolate :)

8. Enjoy.
Make the most of your university experience. It will go faster than you expect! Work hard but enjoy yourself, make friends and memories that you will have for the rest of your life. :)

All that's left to say is good luck to those of you starting university!

If you have any questions, comments or other tips for students starting uni please share them below.

Kat x

 

The Harry Potter Tag

I was so excited when I found out there was a Harry Potter tag floating about the internet!

I am a big fan of the Harry Potter book series, I love the films and feel I have literally grown up with the characters. So here it is, the tag of

1. What was your first experience of Harry Potter?

My first experience of Harry Potter was reading Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone when I was around 8 years old. Both my Mum and Gran had read it first and really enjoyed it, still a sure sign of a great book today. I thoroughly enjoyed every page and was hooked.

2. Which film have you watched the most?

I have definately watched Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone more than any of the other films. I'm not afraid to admit I know pretty much the whole film off by heart. <3

3. What is your favourite Harry Potter film?

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone has always been my absolute favourite of all the books and films. It is where the magic begins, sets the scene so perfectly for the entire series and all the characters are so beautifully young and naïve in this film.

4. What is your favourite moment out of all the films?

Such a difficult question! There are so many, I don't think I can choose an all-time favourite!

However, some of my faves include:

The momentous...

Hagrid: Yer a wizard Harry.

Harry: I'm a what?

Another moment I particularly love is when Dumbledore says:
It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to your enemies, but a great deal more to stand up to your friends, I award ten points to Neville Longbottom.

 Neville's disbelieving little face is so endearing. Aww :)

Oh and lets not forget the time Hermione punched Malfoy in the face!

Hermione: That felt good!

5. If you could be any character, who would you be?

Definitely Hermione. She is clever, beautiful and ultimately ends up with Ron, a character I have always had a soft spot for.

6. If you could learn one thing at Hogwarts, what would it be?

How to cast spells. There are so many possibilities with this. Wingardium Leviosa could be fun and I would be interested to see what form my patronus would take. If I was limited to one spell though, I would want to learn Accio. It would be great to be able to magically bring anything you wanted to you. Great for when you are feeling lazy or are facing a dragon with nothing but a wand :)

7. Who is your favourite teacher at Hogwarts?

Without a doubt, Severus Snape. An incredibly complex character, I absolutely love the story of him throughout the books. In years to come when people ask me this question, I'm sure I will say exactly the same. Always. :)

Thankyou Shannon (essentiallyshannon.blogspot.co.uk) for introducing me to this tag, Genevieve (genevieveslifeblog.blogspot.com) for creating the tag and J. K. Rowling for writing this unbelievably amazing series of books in the first place!

I tag anyone who would like to do this tag! Let me know if you do :)
Please leave a comment and share the Harry Potter love :)

Kat x

Everyday Makeup Faves

Today I thought I would discuss my current favourite makeup products. These are products I have come to love and now tend to use on an everyday basis, unless I am having a makeup-free day. Also, they are all drugstore purchases therefore they are relatively inexpensive! :)

1. Maybelline The Falsies Volum' Express Mascara in Black Drama.

As the name suggests, this mascara claims to create thicker and longer looking lashes with no gaps, effectively creating a false lash look. Now I'm not sure if I would go so far as to say my lashes look false when I put this on, but I do feel they look thicker and much longer.

One of the key points about this mascara is the 'spoon brush', I personally love the size and shape of this brush. The instructions clearly show how the brush should be held and applied spoon-side upwards to achieve optimum results. Maybe it's the brush, maybe it's the formula, maybe she's born with it, maybe it's Maybelline. Couldn't resist! But in all seriousness, my lashes don't tend to clump when I apply this mascara and it does keep my naturally straight lashes curled relatively well. Also, it is pretty easy to remove which is great.

Price: £7.99. Very reasonable for the product. Also, I find that Maybelline is often on offer. Right now, Maybelline is currently being advertised for 3 for 2 in Boots so your cheapest product will be free. Honestly, I'm not being sponsored to say that, I just came across it checking up on the prices of these products.

All in all this is a great mascara, definitely worth a try.

Also, just to throw a little curveball to the end of that discussion, I would just like to say that my all time favourite mascara is actually Maybelline The Falsies Mascara in Waterproof Black. I personally find this formula much better, perhaps it is the waterproofness that helps but I have found that it holds a curl better than any mascara I have ever tried before. Pretty high praise there. I felt the need to include a little note as I love it so much, even though I don't wear this on an everyday basis. I prefer to save this for occasions or evenings out and also, the waterproof formula is much more difficult to remove!

2. Maybelline Fit Me Concealer.

I really like this concealer and feel it is somewhat underestimated compared to the widely popular Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer.

The Maybelline Fit Me Concealer is described as having a gel consistency, I like the texture and feel this covers blemishes well whilst giving a natural finish to the skin.

I am currently wearing No. 15 Fair and find this is a pretty good colour match for my skin at the moment. However, I am a pale human being and therefore find concealers are often too dark on my skin. This will inevitably be too dark when my slight tan disappears and I return to my natural paleness. I know there is a No.10 Light but for some reason this appears quite yellow on my skin so I may have to go in search of a new one for Winter.

Price: £5.99. Quite good for a drugstore concealer. I find this tends to last quite a long time so in terms of how many applications you can get out of this, you are definitely getting more for your money.

3. Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation.

You can can tell this is a well loved foundation as the writing has worn off quite a bit. I wear this foundation in 0100 True Ivory. This is usually the perfect colour for me but as I mentioned, I have a slight tan at the moment. As a result this is quite light for me right now so I have been mixing it with a very small amount of Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation in 0100 Ivory.
**Sidenote: This colour is the lightest they do in the Wake Me Up Foundation range and I find it is too dark for me, slightly orangey on my skin and I don't really like the slight shimmer it has. However, I am determined to use it and it is actually pretty good at making my Rimmel Match Perfection slightly lighter.**

Anyways, back to the Rimmel Match Perfection. A lovely foundation, particularly for those with paler skin. I would say it gives light to medium coverage and lasts most of the day, slightly longer when powdered. Also, it is scented which may bother some people but I actually really like it. :)

Price: £6.99. I think this is actually really good and have found this foundation lasts me ages! The only thing I would say is that it is difficult to tell when you have almost run out.

4. Rimmel Stay Matte Powder.

I always like to powder my makeup as I find it makes it last much longer. I use this pressed powder in 001 Transparent. As this suggests, it does not give any colour, I like that I don't have to worry about matching this to the products I decide to use.

There's not much else to say about this powder really, it does what is says on the tin. 'Stay Matte', it really does help your skin stay matte throughout the day.

Price: £3.99. Really good. It lasts such a long time! I recently hit pan on the first one I ever bought. I don't even remember how long ago I bought it, but I literally use it everyday I wear makeup. It's definitely a staple product for me.

**The prices for products 1-4 are based on Boots and Superdrug**

http://www.boots.com/

http://www.superdrug.com/

5. Catrice Cosmetics Multi Colour Blush.

This is a multi-coloured blush in 060 Strawberry Frappucino. Awesome name, I know. I love that it has different tones of pink but when you swirl it together it creates a lovely light pink shade.

I bought this in a little shop in Majorca when I was on holiday. As I can't remember the name of the shop and you can't buy this in the UK, I will put a link below to the blush on the brand's website anyway. If you aren't from the UK you will be able to see if they have a store near you. :)

http://www.catrice.eu/products/face/blush/detail/product/multi-colour-blush-060.html

Price: Approximately €5. Reasonable. Although this was an impulsive holiday purchase, I feel it was a good one :)

All that's left to say is that I really like these products and definately recommend giving them a try if you get the chance :)

What are your favourite products? Feel free to leave a comment I would love to hear from you, especially with any recommendations. :)

Kat x

The Awkward First Blog Post

Hello and Welcome to my blog! I’m Kat, I’m 21 and from England. After thinking about starting a blog on and off for a while, I realised there is no time like the present :)

I am writing this at 2.36am because inspiration and the motivation to actually start writing a blog appear to have struck at this particular time. I haven’t been awake this late much recently as I am no longer experiencing the wonderful lazy days of being a student, where evenings were the most productive time of day and if you got up before midday, on a day when you had no lectures or seminars to go to, people were actually surprised. *sigh*

“Welcome to the real world”. A few people have said this to me since graduation. Technically this was always the real world of course but it was a time of flexible working days, a time where 9am starts weren’t that common and you could wear casual clothes or whatever you wanted every single day of the week. As you can probably tell, I’m missing it already!

Anyways, I thought I would start this blog as a small area of the internet to entertain my thoughts. I love writing and now that I am venturing into ‘the real world’, I felt the need for a little creative space. So what can you expect from this blog if you decide to give it a whirl? Loves, beauty, reviews, inspiration, motivation, thoughts & general musings. A little bit of this & that. That’s where my blog name came from, in case you were wondering. :) So if you are slightly interested in what I might have to say, feel free to stick around. I’ll see you in my next post.

Kat x