2015!

I've been horrendous with blogging over the last half of the year - it's been a mix of heavy workloads, getting used to uni life and just having no motivation or decent things to blog about. I have idea but when I come to write them I just don't know how to write it. I have about 4 posts that are in my drafts folder that I've been working on - some aren't even relevant anymore so will need to be deleted!

You may also notice that I've changed the title and description on my blog - I re-read them and found them rather embarrassing so I decided to change them a little instead!

It's the end of another year so I thought I had to at least post something now - it's always good to look back at the year and think about what I want to change and improve on. Last year I posted a 2013 vs. 2014 review which I obviously can't just add to as there's quite a lot of difference I feel! 

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Confidence

This year I feel like I've come to understand myself a lot better as a person and have consequently become a lot more confident than I was this time last year. The fact that I managed to get into University helped this fact I feel as it made me realise I was good enough and could achieve the things I wanted to if I tried hard enough. I didn't actually get the grades I needed for my course but because of the extra things I'd done outside of my A levels to do with Archaeology and Ancient History, they saw my passion and accepted me anyway! Due to this, I also ended up realising that just because you aren't the best at one type of education, it doesn't mean you won't be good at another so don't be put off if you aren't very good at A levels like I wasn't - I'm now doing well at Uni because the teaching style and the way you're graded works a lot better for me! Asking for help to make sure you get all the help you need for exams is also useful - I probably annoyed my teachers last year by how much I asked them for help! However, this is another thing I learned this year - don't be afraid to ask for help because the teachers want you to succeed and if you show willingness to improve, they will try and support you so you can get the results that you want.

Another thing I've noticed over this year is that I've also become more confident in my body. I'm not a size 8, 6 ft tall model with long, flowing hair but I'm happy with my body in its entirety as I'm the only one that has to live with it so why live hating it? I wear things that look good on my body shape and wear make up because it makes me feel happy and prettier. I already did a post earlier in the year about how I feel about lipstick and how it boosts my confidence! Of course there are things I wouldn't mind changing but for now, I'm happy with myself. 

Work and independence 

Last year, I said I needed to focus on my work but I may have taken that a little too far during the last few months as I've been known to not leave the flat for a couple of days and not sleeping until 3 to make sure I could finish essays on time! I think this year I need to prioritise better as I'm now living more or less independently so I need to balance work and looking after myself as well as remembering to save some time to see friends. 

I also need to organise my work so I have time to do more background reading as I didn't get a lot of chance to this term. This also needs to include planning essays in advance so I don't have a mad rush at the end of term like I did in the last week of this term. It will be a lot better for me if I do little bits along the way instead of huge amounts at the end that get me overly stressed and run down.

Health

I want to try and get a bit healthier in 2015 as I know I could vastly improve what I eat - I think I'm going to try and post recipes when I find ones that are healthy but still nice! I'm already trying to cut down the amount of snacking I'm doing and the amount of sweets/chocolates I'm eating. 

I need to start going to bed earlier which links with my organisation goal - if I do more work earlier in the day then I'll be able to sleep earlier which would be a lot better for me - hopefully I'll be able to get a proper sleeping pattern sorted by the end of this term if I can work properly!

One last thing I need to do is to learn how to take breaks from work and just wind down sometimes. I am constantly working at uni so if by organising my work and life better I can add in break every so often, that would be incredibly helpful!

What are your goals for the upcoming year?
I hope you all have a wonderful New Years!
Jess xx

2013 vs 2014.

I know my Blogger challenge post is meant to be a substitution for resolutions/goals, but I find that it's always nice to have them written down somewhere so I thought I'd share mine from last year (2013 resolutions) and come up with some new ones!

2013

Revise work from the beginning - I sucked at this last year and it hasn't really changed if I'm honest. I just need to revise earlier.

Read more - Time is a problem for me. I work a lot and spend the rest of my time blogging. I did manage to read a few books just for the fun of it this year and I loved them all! I also read a few books surrounding my subjects which were good!

Take more photos - I fulfilled this when I went to Sicily with college but apart from that, I didn't get many chances to just take photos with friends. I've taken lots more photos for my blog though if that counts!

Don't get as easily distracted - I've been getting better at forcing myself to work but when I'm not motivated, I'm in trouble.

Be confident in myself - I'm so much happier than I was last year about the way I look and just myself in general. I feel like I know my style and what suits me better now so bring on 2014!

Talk to people more - I've spoken to some more people and made some good friends so I think I accomplished this!

Make an effort with friends - I met up with my friends quite a bit this year but still not as much as I would have liked. However, to get decent grades and get into Uni, work comes first (which they know) so I'm quite happy with the amount I did see people!

Blog more! - I blogged more because I had a full year instead of five months of blogging this year, but I added up the number of posts, and I did the exact same amount August - December which I find really creepy!

2014

Revise earlier - As I said above, I need to start revising earlier. Last year I assumed that I could fit all of my revision into less than a month which ended pretty badly. This year I'm going to start revising much earlier so I have time to revise it all more than once (I hope!) or at least have a firm understanding in what I've done.

Take better control over my health - I've mentioned before that I'm diabetic and sometimes it seems to become completely out of control. I also think that I need to start being more healthy so this year, I'm going to try and keep record of my diabetes and eat better and possibly try and exercise more when I get time. 

Be more organised - I bought a weekly planner last year and even though it was great to start with, I neglected it a bit in the last months of using it which is rubbish because it helped me keep on top of work and I even wrote blog ideas down! It was seriously useful and as my life is set to only get busier, I think it will be great to start organising my time and sticking to my plans using it. I also need to make sure all of my work is organised so I can fin everything I need to revise easier. 

Improve my blogging - My blogging has been so patchy but as I now have more followers and viewers than I've ever had, I really want to try and improve my blogging pattern, style and just generally how and what I blog about! I'll obviously still do the same sorts of posts because I love writing about nearly everything, but I'm going to try and be more organised, maybe write a post every other day or so? I'll have to try things out and see how they go! I'll also need to see how I can fit blogging in between my homework and revision too. 

Focus - Even if it means forcing myself to sit at a desk and write or read anything, I need to focus on my work more, no matter how much motivation I'm lacking. This year will be the most important for me so slacking really isn't an option. 

I feel like 2013 has gone by so fast and I'm sad to see it go as it's been amazing - I've made better friendships with some people, found confidence (or at least the start of it) in myself and been much happier than other years. Hopefully 2014 will be just as good to me and I'm excited for it to start!

Jess xx

Favourites of 2013

I would do posts with specific topic favourites but there isn't enough time left in this year to do that so I thought I would put all of my favourite things from this year into one bigger post!

Make Up

BadGal Lash Mascara - Benefit 

I love this so much and always reach for it when I'm wearing make up. It makes my lashes look so much longer while still looking natural which I think is really great! It also doesn't give me panda eyes and only comes off if I rub my eyes so for a non-waterproof mascara, it's amazing! My new MAC mascara might overtake though because it's also amazing!

Bahama Mama - Essie

I know I didn't get this too long ago but I love it so much that I couldn't not include it! The colour is probably one of my favourite Essie shades that I've tried out to date and it's such a great colour for this time of the year. 

Alice in Wonderland eyeshadow palette - Urban Decay
I've actually had this for years and will do a proper review eventually, but I started using more make up this year and these eyeshadows are by far my favourites. The colours are all limited edition and they're so gorgeous, mainly shimmery which I love, and so long lasting!

Kate Matte Lipstick in 107 - Rimmel
I've already reviewed this here but I have to include it as I wore it so much this year. I love the colour, the smell, how long it lasts, just everything! If you only ever buy one red lipstick, make it this one because it's probably my favourite.

Whipped Creme Foundation in Natural - Max Factor
This is the first foundation I've tried that actually covers up the redness and dry patches by my nose so that says a lot. It's so light and the shade is perfect for me so I'm really happy to have discovered this beauty!

Baby Lips - Maybelline
These have been saviours on more occasions than I can count. They smell amazing, look amazing and give a subtle wash of colour if you aren't feeling too adventurous. They also make my lips super soft which is great!

Sexy Mother Pucker Gloss Stick in Nudists and Raplumzel - Soap and Glory
I love these so much. Both colours are fantastic, applying them is super simple and they last for quite a long time for glosses. I reviewed Raplumzel here.

Books

How To Fall In Love - Cecelia Ahern

I bought this for 99p on my kindle a few of days ago and I finished it yesterday. I'm not usually a fast reader but I tend to read faster on my kindle and when the book is good and boy, was this book good. I love Cecelia Ahern and the new book of hers is no exception. It's such a sweet story about helping someone else and inadvertently helping yourself at the same time. Cecelia definitely knows how to write a good character and a realistic storyline, I recommend this book 100%!

The Last Letter From Your Lover - Jojo Moyes

I read this book over my half term holiday as it was the only one that looked interesting in the sadly lacking selection of books that they had at the holiday home. I'm so glad I decided to pick it up though as I was, again, completely hooked! I didn't like how it was written point of view wise but once you get over that, it's such a great read and has a great ending that was unexpected and so heartwarming! There are a lot of lost memory, self discovery books out there but out of the ones I've read, this is probably my favourite one by far! It follows two storylines in different times and the ending brings them both together in such a great way! It's almost a love story mixed with a detective story and I found it so exciting, I had it finished in about 5 days, in between going out and doing holiday homework!

Films

Despicable Me 2
I loved the first one and this one was possibly even better! The minions are my favourite things in any film, they're so adorable! Apparently they're making a minions film so I'm super excited for that!

Monsters University
I saw this twice, once at the cinema near college who hold a free film night once a month and another later on. First off, it started with a short film called "The Blue Umbrella" which is honestly the sweetest thing on this planet. I loved this film so much, it was funny to see all of the characters we know and love earlier on and to see how they became that way (Randall anyone?!).

General

Costa
The mid-week saviour for me and a couple of friends. It's quieter than the Starbucks just down the road as less college students are there so it's perfect for chatting and getting on with work as it feels more relaxed and laid back. Another plus point is that their coffee doesn't make me feel ill which is always nice!

Car boot sales
I only really went to these in Summer with Mark as my mum doesn't like them but they were always so much fun! I got some amazing deals on a lot of books and just trawling through all of the stuff at each stand made it just that bit more satisfying when I found something great.

My Burgundy Crew jumper
I've only had it for a week or so but I love it and it's probably my favourite jumper I have. It's super warm, looks great and is a really pretty, neutral colour. Definitely going to be a firm favourite for 2014 too!

I hope you guys enjoyed looking through my favourite things from this year, it was quite hard to choose as I've changed a lot and have quite a short memory span so thinking back to Summer is hard, let alone January!

Jess xx

2013

I know this is super late 2 weeks in to 2013 now but I've actually come up with some goals for this year! I'm not going to call them resolutions because these really are general things I just think will be good for me to work constantly. I don't want to say I need to do this within the year because I need to carry some of them on. But I suppose some could be counted as the usual type of resolution...
So here goes; My goals for 2013 and beyond.

Revise work from the beginning
I'm pretty horrible at revising. I end up leaving the bulk of it until about a week until the exam and then having a mental breakdown at the amount of work I have, resulting in me becoming a complete social recluse who only comes out of their room for food. I've decided that the stress isn't worth it so this term I'm going to try and revise what I learned in the lesson that night. Hopefully this way the information will start to sink in and I won't have to work as hard to remember everything!

Read more
Obviously because of the subjects I take, I have to read a lot of books that are on the syllabus. However, I get very little time to just read a book because I want to read it. This year I'm going to try and read more purely for the sake of reading instead of for a subject. It will be a nice way of taking a break for working while still doing something valuable and productive.

Take more photos
Not all memories stay in your mind so photos are the best ways to preserve memories of days, people, places or times. I don't take many photos of (or with) people I know so I'm going to try and change that.

Don't get distracted as easily
I know, easier said than done, but I really have to stop getting so distracted because it doesn't help with my work. Yes, breaks are good, but I need to know when to stop and know when to get back to my work.

Be confident in myself
I need to be more confident with what I look like and myself in general. I need to just accept who I am, because no matter what, I'm stuck like this for life, happy with it or not, and there's no point being awkward/miserable about what I can't change.

Talk to people more
If I know them, I can talk to someone for days. Annoyingly, if I don't, I'm as awkward as anything.  want to try and be more confident when meeting new people because you can meet some lovely people if you just talk to them!

Make an effort with friends
I feel like I neglect my friends due to my work load which I feel really guilty about. I'm worried that if I carry on just solely focussing on work then I'll lose my friends which I really don't want to do. I love them all loads but my work always take priority over everything which is good if I want a good education and good results at the end, but I don't want to become a social recluse that only works and doesn't ever meet up with people. Hopefully I can change that this year and see everyone more!

Blog more!
Even though I had over 100 posts last year, I feel like I've neglected the blog quite badly this year and I feel bad! I lovelovelove blogging but sometimes it's so hard to think of something new to write about. However, I also feel bad if I just leave it for ages until  come up with something! I'm compiling a list of ideas that I can write about if I ever get stuck though so fear not! I'm going to aim for a post every other day at the least, but I really want to try posting at least once every day; it's a nice break from proper work and I can just write for ages about whatever I like instead of a book or source I've been set!

So hopefully I'll be able to actually stick to these goals, it will be fun and exciting to try new things and do more of things I love!
Jess xx