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.