Let's see what happens!

It's a new year and guess what that means I try and keep up on blogging! 

I always start the year with so many good intentions when it comes to this page but they never go anywhere. Like the last few years I wanted to do a new year post so went back and reviewed what I wrote last year only to be confronted with the following,

"I don't need to look back to last years post and realise that I failed each and every single one of them! I didn't reach my book target my fitness fluctuated a lot, it was a bit of a roller coaster but has ended up the same as a year ago and I made even less posts than before.

So this year I have decided that I will make no resolutions I don't want to hold myself up to an image of myself that there's no way that I'm going to realistically achieve them. It will just lead to disappointment when 2018 roles around and I didn't do anything."

Not writing any resolutions was in some way a success. I hit my reading target and have really thrown my self in finding new books and reading as much as possible - so much so that my Instagram is basically a Bookstagram, or is getting there. 

As well as that I lost over two stone. I'll say that again for those in the back I LOST OVER TWO STONE. TWO STONE. Sorry i'll stop that but it really was such a successful year health wise. Not only did I lose weight I got fitter I went from not being able to run for 60 seconds to being able to run 5k.

We won't talk about blogging I think that speaks for itself.

I was on a bit of blog memory lane and found this resolution that I made at the start of 2016,

"My fourth resolution is to make sure I find a job after I finish Uni, I really want to save up enough money to be able to move out of my parents house and live by myself. However I don't want to be stuck in a job that I don't really enjoy."

I kinda sucked with that one it's two years later, I have a job but it doesn't help me getting out on my own two feet, out of my parents house and I also don't really enjoy it AT ALL. I feel frustrated, I turn 23 this year the majority of my friends are either buying houses looking to buy houses or at least have a full time job and are getting somewhere. So this is the year for it to be my turn!

On a lighter note, here are some of my smaller goals;

• I want to get the final bit of chub off I did so well last year but it started to taper off come winter which I'm not too bothered about but I still have a little way to go. 
• I have a book target of 30 which is looking possible it's now the 10th of January and I am already onto book 3. 
• Now onto the resolution I feel like I need to make as it's tradition I want to be creative and by creative I mean blog more. That's the real thing that has been missing from my life I spent 3 years creating something everyday to then doing nothing and I miss it. I would scrap this site and start again but I'm a little attached to the blog name and don't want to give up. 

So here's to 2018 let it be healthier bookier and creativier (I realise I just made up two words there).

Let's see what happens next.

Kate xx

Movie A Day: Week Two

Saturday 14/01/17

• Good Will Hunting - I'm a big admirer of Robin Williams, this is the main reason I started watching Good Will Hunting. That and the fact that I heard it was well worth a watch. And that is was. The script is clever and witty and the acting is superb. Well done Matt Damon and Ben Aflleck although I am a little late in congratulating you on a good movie. 

Sunday 15/01/17

• Adventureland - I was doing a little perusing through Netflix and I saw adventure land and was curious about it. It's a bit of a slow burner of a film where not much happens. However it's isn't all bad if what you want to watch is something easy and un challenging a bit of light entertainment. 

Monday 16/01/17

• Beauty and the beast - oops I cheated today! I was feeling a bit ill today and didn't really feel like watching something new I really just fancied putting an old favourite on and getting comfy   I also just really fancied watching beauty and the beast as k haven't watched it in a while and I love me some Disney. 

Tuesday 17/01/17

• The Emperors New Groove - so if I'm going to do this new movie thing, I'm going to try and get through some of the animated Disney films that I haven't seen yet. I've seen a lot but most of the  90's/00's animations I haven't seen. So I'm starting with the Emperors new groove. 

Wednesday 18/01/17

• Looper - I happened to turn on my to at the same time that this film started, however it was late at night and I didn't manage to stay awake through it. That doesn't mean it isn't good. So I had to finish it the next day on Netflix. I really enjoyed it, it was a really interesting story that felt truly original which is a change for modern cinema when everything feels likes its either a book adaptation of based off of real events or people. 

Thursday 19/01/17

• 3,096 Days - a story of a young Austrian girl who gets kidnapped for over 7 years. It was truly a fascinating film and I feel deserved more than the 3 starts on Netflix. The acting I felt was realistic and very truthful. I will warn you however it is rather dark and upsetting in parts, which you can understand. 

Friday 20/01/17

• Hurricane Bianca - another one I found on Netflix. I clicked as I recognised the drag queen who stars in it. If you are a fan of drag performances or Ru Pauls Drag Race you will really enjoy it because it's really not a good film. The acting is terrible and so is the writing. The story and the idea however is sweet. 

(Sorry I posted it a few days late been a bit slacking - what a surprise)

Movie A Day: Week One

this weeks going to include an extra day as this idea came to me last Friday I thought I would include that day as well.

I thought I should mention now that I'm likely to watch more than one film a day. I did say I procrastinate A LOT)

Friday 06/01/17

• The Matrix - I was way to young when this movie came out in 1999 to watch it put i don't know why I didn't get round to it sooner. It's exactly my kind of film, I'm a complete sucker for a sci-fi. Such a a good film to start this off with. 
• Hannah Montana The Movie - I didn't say they would all be works of cinematic excellence. I have no idea why I watched this film because it was really a load of rubbish but it was SO gooooddd. If you want to watch a trashy film which you can get sucked into this is perfect. 

Saturday 07/01/17

• Eddie the Eagle - I wanted to see this one at the cinema but never got round to it. It was such a heartwarming piece of British cinema with just enough drama to keep you watching. The acting was beautiful and the writing really made you love the characters. 

Sunday 08/01/17

• The Purge: Anarchy - The sexual to the purge which I watch a while ago now. Boy was this more tense than the original. Anarchy unlike the first is about people who have found themselves on the street during the annual purge and you honestly cannot guess what will happen. Such a brilliant idea for a film, but terrible idea for a government. 

Monday 09/01/17

• Rise of the Guardians - I needed something a little less intense than the purge. It wasn't the best movie but then again I don't think I'm really the target age. It was a cute film that I would show my kids if I had them. I did however thoroughly enjoy the elves and the yeti. 

Tuesday 10/01/17

• Cloverfield - I had managed to not find out anything about this film apart from it all being found footage Blair witch style. It had everything I wanted from a disaster film. Although a lot of it was very far fetched, saying that there was a Godzilla sized monster destroying Manhattan. 

Wednesday 11/01/17 

• The Lion King: 1 1/2 - for a long time people had been telling me that the sequels to the lion king were actually good unlike others - i'm looking at you Pocahontas. It wasn't as good as the original the quality was severely lacking in comparison but it was never going to. From what I know it was a straight to video kind of thing. Saying that thought it was really sweet, instead of trying to follow the story it went through the time line if the lion king but in timings eyes if you like the lion king watch this. 

Thursday 12/01/17

• The colony - I actually wanted to watch a light hearted film but found myself clicking on this purely because I saw Emma Watson was in it. Set in the Cold War in Chile all about escaping a weird ass colony which I learnt in the credits was a real place! It was dark and intense until the end, nothing like I've seen Emma Watson do before.

Friday 13/01/17

• A Monster Calls - I read the book a few years ago on the recommendation of my uncle purely because of the beautiful illustrations. When I learnt it was going to be a film I was incredibly curious. I was not disappointed, the story is so strong that it would be hard for them to fail. It was such a beautiful movie to watch but take a pack of tissues. 
  
  

Movie A Day

I'd like to think that I've seen quite a few films in my twenty one years but there are still so many that I want to watch. Whether I missed them at the cinema or they're classics made before I was born that I'm still yet to watch.

I am such a creature of habit I know what I like so I stick to that. I read the same books over and over, I eat the same food and I watch my favourite films over and over I think I have watched inside out to many times to count. I want to broaden my film knowledge. So that's exactly what I plan to do. My plan is to watch a new film (to me) everyday. I waste so many hours a day watching YouTube or tv programmes I have already watched that I thought if I'm going to procrastinate on my iPad I might as watch something new and maybe even sometimes cultured.

So at the end of every week I want to write a post and catalogue what I have watched. Maybe write a line or two about what I thought of them. I'm not going to pretend that I know anything about film, it will just be honest opinions from an average joe - well for as long as I can keep it up.

Rest Day

I had to work yesterday (oh yeah forgot to mention I found a job, nothing much just a retail job not really the dream). For some reason the shop was open on New Year's Day and I was one of the four unlucky people who had to work. What I normally like to do is rest, not because I'm hungover or anything but I think it's nice to take a day to rest before tackling what the new year might bring. 

As I worked I didn't get to do this, although I did have a lovely evening round my brothers. So today I did just that I had no alarm set, got up when I wanted lounged around watching YouTube had a wonderful lunch eating up left over Christmas cheese (one of the best Christmas food in our house). Then spent the rest of the day curled up on the sofa sloshing. It's been great. 

I think sometimes everyone needs just a day when they don't have to worry about chores they need to do or how they should look and just put their feet up. I'm not saying I'm always rushed off my feet and never get a chance to slosh it was just nice treating myself to doing nothing. 

Another New Year

Its been so long that I probably need to introduce myself how many times have I typed that phrase - whoops!

I thought about doing a post like I have done the last two years - looking back on the resolutions I made the year before and how well they did. I don't need to look back to last years post and realise that I failed each and every single one of them! I didn't reach my book target my fitness fluctuated a lot, it was a bit of a roller coaster but has ended up the same as a year ago and I made even less posts than before.

So this year I have decided that I will make no resolutions I don't want to hold myself up to an image of myself that there's no way that I'm going to realistically achieve them. It will just lead to disappointment when 2018 roles around and I didn't do anything.

Instead I'm going to see what happens, 2016 wasn't the best for the world (as everyone knows). However it wasn't really the best for me personally. Although I graduated university with a 2:1 which I am very proud of, that was really the only success. I still don't know what to do with my life, I don't have a partner on my arm and really don't have much to show for my 21 years.

But enough doom and gloom let's see what 2017 brings and hope the world reaches 2018 without any more earth shattering events I'm looking at you America (and also Britain)!

The Job Search

The honeymoon is over, I need to find a job. It's September the time people are starting to go back to university and I'm sat at home as a graduate.

I've been putting off this whole thing and making excuses to why I haven't been looking. It needs to stop. There's a theme on this blog of me needing to get my arse in gear. What I'm finding hard is that I'm trained for absolutely nothing. The degree I chose is what I want to do in the future I dream of being on stage night after night. However that's not going to happen without a lot of blood sweat and tears. While I work on that though I need an income.

So this week I have started. And it is frustrating! just for a simple retail job you have to go through pages and pages of applications until you can submit! What i find the hardest is making it seem that I want every job I apply to even if that's furthest from the truth,.

Let's hope something turns up soon.

Kate xx

Losing weight

So I must mention eating and getting healthy or losing weight in every other post. It certainly feels that way to me. However it is something that is always on my mind. I've never been very body confident - I suppose that's not uncommon with a lot of people. I remember being 11 or 12 and feeling chubby in clothes that I was wearing, that's not right is it!?!? I look back at photos now and think that I must have been crazy to think I was fat certainly compared to how I am feeling now.

Currently I am a size 14. Over the past year and a bit I have put on over a stone and if I carry on the way I am going then the weight is just going to carry on piling on, so I need to stop and change now. I have gone through waves of eating healthy and losing the chub but I always fail a few weeks in! Every time I say that I'll stick with it and I tell everyone I'm working out and trying to lose some chub in the hope that them knowing will stop me from failing, but alas this is not the case

So today, the day this is published is a fresh start, I've bought the fruit I have the mindset (again) to workout let's hope that this time it works.

I want to play around with some ideas for my "journey" how freaking cliché 😂  Maybe I'll take a photo everyday to see if anything happens. Maybe I'll film a few workouts and see if i improve. However we all know that it will be a miracle if any of these things happen, all we can do is hold our breath.

Kate x

Creativity

I started writing this a good month ago and have only just got round to finishing it. This is what I mean when I say I put things off and have zero motivation. I want to blog but I never end up writing anything.

I would like to think of myself as a creative person. I studied a degree in a pretty creative area. However however I have been feeling incredibly uncreative (is that even a word). I don't really know what the cause for this is maybe it's a motivation thing or maybe it's just that I don't believe in myself that much.

However for a while now I have wanted to get my brain in gear, like I have said before. Whether that is just to write a few more blog posts or start to draw a little bit. I even have had ideas for little stories (whether they will ever transform into anything readable I don't know).

I have a problem though because this creativity always hits me in the middle of the night when I am cuddling up in bed about to drop off to sleep. That's exactly what happened with this blog post. And before I would just go to sleep and tell myself I will act on it in the morning, then morning comes and guess what I have completely forgotten what the hell my idea was. So today I have forced myself to at least write a draft of this post before I sleep. I can then sort the mess that this post is in the morning.

Here's hoping that the creativity keeps on coming more and more.

Kate x

It's Been A While!

Hello if anyone is still out there

So it has been quite a while since I last put up a blog post, to which I apologise profusely for. It's been about 7 months since my last post. I didn't realise it had been that long till I just worked it out. WOW! It's something that I always meant to do but kept putting it off because I had a dissertation to write or I had my final university assignments left to do. Then after uni I thought about all the posts I should do. I turned 21, I went on holiday, I got my degree results (I got a 2:1 in my degree thought I should let you know), I bought a lot of things I could do hauls for. I have even thought about vlogging but just haven't been able to actually do it.

I feel like I have built it up into this massive thing and I just need to put something out there to get passed this block that I have had.

I'm going to try and not put myself in s box of what kind of posts that I will put on hear and I don't want to have a schedule right now (maybe in the future).

Just expect a fun filled ride, so buckle up and enjoy.

Kate x

I uploaded a video!

I did it, I have put a video on youtube.

It's nothing much just a little monologue I had to film for my acting for media module but I thought it wouldn't hurt to put it out into the world for whoever to watch!

It isn't the actual one I used for class as that was filmed portrait and no one should be subjected to portrait videos on YouTube no one!

Excuse the really poor quality it was filmed on my laptop!

Anyway I hope you enjoy it.

Also sorry I haven't posted in a little while.

The New Year

So it's the new year, which means new resolutions. I am definitely someone who sets resolutions, I think it is a great time to make a fresh start. I wish I had written down my resolutions last year so I could look back at them and see if I had achieved them, so that's what I am going to do this time.

[EDIT: I realise that I did indeed write a blog post last year on resolutions, you can read that here!]

First off I am going to continue on with the only resolutions I remember from last year and that was to carry on reading a lot. Last year I set a goal to read 25 books in the year and a few days before New Years I achieved it. If you want to know what I read in the year I've made two blog posts on them (Part 1 here and Part 2 here). This year I have lowered my goal this year to 20 as with finishing university I don't really know what I will be doing after May.

My Second resolution which is not going to be to much of a surprise as it is probably most peoples resolutions. That is I want to be fitter, healthier and thinner. Last year I got a lot better. I've started doing an exercise DVD and I did lose a bit of weight, but then I went on holiday and put it all back on again! So this year I am going to really stick with it. I've been doing well with the exercise, I just need to get better at not eating chocolate. I want to feel comfortable for my 21st birthday in April, so I have four months to get healthier!

The third aim for the year is to blog more. I really want to put my everything into the blog, I really enjoy making posts. I also want to vary what I post, whether that be photo posts from days out, beauty/lifestyle related posts or just thoughts and opinions I have on things. I don't want to pin my self down to a schedule as I never and I mean never stick to schedules.

My fourth resolution is to make sure I find a job after I finish Uni, I really want to save up enough money to be able to move out of my parents house and live by myself. However I don't want to be stuck in a job that I don't really enjoy.

EDIT: I have thought of a couple little resolutions that I want to make:

1. I want to take a small video every day, so I can look back on my year as a whole, I am using the app 1 Second Everyday for that and I am really liking it at the moment.
2. Another little resolution I want to make is to keep a diary - not a journal kind of diary but a diary where you keep important dates and times. I find my self getting less and less organised as the term/year goes on and I really want to change that.
3. I also want to regularly buy flowers for my room as they make my room that little bit prettier and put together.

So those are my four resolutions for the next year, let's see if I stick to it.

I'd be really interested to know what your resolutions are!

December Birchbox

I've never bought these mystery beauty boxes before and my friend showed me that the December Birchbox was actually a Birchbag, and a very pretty bag at that. So I couldn't resist it. I've always been curious about them so I thought why not and especially as there was a student code that allowed me to get my first box for £7 instead of the usual £13.

There's a great selection of make up and beauty and by some great brands as well.

I thought I would give a little run down on what is in the bag, and any opinions I have, in case anyone is interested in what was inside.

Just to let you know that the bag did not come with a gold strap, that would have been an extra £4 not including shipping. Fortunately I had a bag lying around I don't use much so used the strap on that.

Also I don't know if you can tell, but that bag is actually a bottle green colour which was very deceptive when looking at pictures online and was a bit of a shock when it came through the post.

First up is a couple of small testers from benefit. Their They're Real Liner and Puff Off which is an eye cream.

 I like a lot of people am very disappointed with the liner, I did a little swipe on my hand and it was lovely but then on my eye the product dragged and had a terrible patchy colour. It's such a shame as the swipe I did on my hand was very long lasting and was impossible to get off.

As for the eye cream I have only tried it once but it was very nice and cooling whether it worked I don't know, as I am fortunate enough to not have any under eye puffiness.

This is Rituals White Lotus and Yi Yi Ren foaming shower gel, I have yet to use this in the shower. However I am looking forward to it as it does smell lovely. I doubt however I will repurchase as it is £8.50 a bottle, and my normal shower gel is only £1.

This is the Elizabeth Arden Hot cloth Cleanse and Polish. I think this is definitely my favourite product of the lot. It's a flashback to a bout 2/3 years a go when this was the cult product of beauty bloggers and vloggers. I still think it is one of the best cleansers and am very happy to have another one.

This is Model Co's Limited Edition Party Proof Lipstick in Smitten. It is the only full size product in the bag, and retails at £17 which is a great item to get in the bag/box. Lucky for my I got the one shade out of the three that I loved the most. It's such a festive colour as well I can't wait to wear it more.

The last item in the box if this mini Ciate nail polish in the colour Pom Pom (it's the colour on my nails). For me this colour is a little too orangey for my liking but it is a lovely quality and a nice colour to have in my collection anyway.

I hope you have enjoyed my little run down of the December Birchbox, I always like seeing what people get in these boxes.

Lincoln Christmas Market

So every year from about the 3rd - 6th of December there is the Lincoln Christmas Market which is absolutely beautiful, especially at night.

I have been all three years I have lived here and the past two I have been with my parents. The market is at the top of Steep Hill around the cathedral and the castle.

This year I went twice on Saturday, once with my parents and again later with my house mates, I didn't really buy much just a couple tree decorations, some hand and lip cream (which I am yet to test out) and of course some food. It's such a lovely festive atmosphere when you walk around, it's a great start to the festive season. So if you'r ever in or near Lincoln at the start of December you should really check the market out.

I've taken a few pictures which I hope you enjoy.

Halloween

A couple of days go as you know was Halloween! And in good old student style I dressed up. It was the final year of going out with my flatmates for Halloween so this time we did a group costume.

We decided on The Wizard of Oz! But to give it that creepy Halloween feel we gored ourselves up! I was the scarecrow. The way I gored mine out was to give myself a Chelsea smile, I've always wanted to use liquid latex so this year I went for it. I managed to find a little gem in Wilko's this year and got my liquid latex for only a quid. After the smile, I used orange lipstick for my nose outlined in a black eye liner, and to top it off I make my eyes look a bit tired. All my outfit consisted of was a check shirt, denim shorts and brown tights with holes I ripped up and stuffed with hamster bedding with a load of blood on them. I hope you enjoy the photos of my make-up/costume, sorry there's not more I got a tad drunk ;).

Apologies

Apologies (especially to Jess) that there hasn't been a post in a while.

It is currently about halfway through the first term of my final year, and everything is getting just a little (I really mean a lot) more stressful. I have no idea how I was ever stressed in the previous two years at university.

In just a few days I have a practical assessment which is nerve racking and I have also recently changed my dissertation topic a week ago so I am quite behind on that. Send help I don't know how I will do everything.

One thing that is really helping me to de-stress is the wonderful world of Netflix. Yes I am very slow on the uptake with Netflix, but i have seen the error of my ways and have now spent the last few months binge watching programmes. How good is Orange Is The New Black by the way!?!?! I'm now watching Heros and American Horror Story, loving both of them.

Anyway I better get back to my work but I will be back soon with a post about my Halloween costume, it's going to be great!

Beautiful Thing Review (Play)

I recently found out that through my University I have access to the website Digital Theatre Plus which allows me the watch theatre shows that have been filmed for free. However if you don't have access to the service for free you can buy or rent the shows on their non educational site which is just Digital Theatre.

I thought I would start with a play that I had never heard of before this was Beautiful Thing written by Jonathan Harvey and Directed by Nikolai Foster. Starring Suranne Jones, Zaraah Abrahams, Oliver Franworth, Jake Davis and Danny-Boy Hatchard.

Beautiful Thing is set in South East London on a gritty council estate, the play struggles with the struggles of growing up in a neighbourhood that might not accept you for who you are. Everything in the production felt real, the characters were not polished people who do no wrong, the kids skip school and swear and the Jamie's mother is a single parent who dreams of something better. The Love story in Beautiful Thing is one that should stand the test of time.

Both the writing and the acting of the characters Ste and Jamie perfectly embody the difficulty of realising who the are and having to deal with accepting themselves and the risk of telling people in a surrounding and time when it could have severe repercussions.

If you do get the chance to watch or read Beautiful Thing please do and you will finish it with a warm feeling in your heart that love is possible and the world isn't so bad after all.

I apologise if this review is a bit rough around the edges and not very detailed, it's my first attempt at a review.

Scotland Holiday Haul

While in Scotland for a week I couldn't help but buy a few things while I was there! It is a bit of an odd mix but I hope you enjoy.

Jewellery  

Golden Snitch Necklace, £7 I bought this at a little stall while exploring the Edinburgh Fringe for £7. However I have seen these online so if you do a little searching (probably on etsy) you should be able to find one like it.

Elephant Hand Bracelet, H&M, £3.99 When I bought this I actually thought it was your usual bracelet, I soon realised I was wrong, however I believe I prefer it this way anyway.

Gold Earrings, H&M, £3.99 I thought the earrings on the left were really interesting as they are 3D on your ear.

Hair Accessories

Hair Ties, £8.50 I am aware this is a lot of money for some hair ties but I got them at a fancy hotel in Scotland and my parents treated me to them. Quite often when I take my hair down it feels like half my hair is being ripped out at the same time so I am hoping these will help stop that.

Hair Thingy, Primark, £2 I don't really know what this is called but I thought it was a cool idea that I can hopefully work into my wardrobe somehow. Probably for nights out.

Clothing

Sweatshirt, Primark, £5 I have been hunting for a really nice wooly jumoer but I am yet to find one, instead I found this sweatshirt and thought it will be really nice for lazy days or when I can't be bothered to put together an outfit.

Make Up Brushes

Real Techniques Concealer Brush, Boots, £7.99 I always used to use my finger to blend in my concealer so I thought I would branch out and try a brush instead. I am a big fan of the real technique brushes so I knew I could trust them.

Bold Metals 101 Triangle Foundation, Boots, £16.50 I have wanted to try the new range for a while now and boots have a sale on them at them moment so what a better time to start!

Other

Toy Story Tsum Tsum's, Clintons, £3.50 The Disney store has stopped selling the Toy Story tsum tsum's which I was devestated about but I found them in Clintons. I wanted to buy them all but I restricted myself to just three.

After Me Came the Flood and Clockwork Orange, Waterstones I got these plainly because I only took two books with me and I finished them within the first couple of days.

Drinks Bottle, Primark, £3.50 I have been making a lot of milkshakes recently and I wanted a cute pintresty milk bottle to drink them from. However I am yet to fine one but I saw this one in the Edinburgh Primark and thought it was quite cute.