A day with Kate #4!

I got to meet up with Kate again on Wednesday as exams are long gone so instead of Guildford, we went to London to go somewhere different and mix it up a bit! 

As she's never been before, I took her round Covent garden and the surrounding area - next time she's taking me to Camden as I've never been there, I'm super excited! 

While I was waiting for Kate to arrive, I went to Forbes bookshop in Waterloo station and bought The Secret History by Donna Tartt as I'd heard about it from a friend reading it and it sounded super interesting! I read a bit on the train home and I love it already! I will post a review when I'm done.

We looked around my usual favourites (Kate Spade, Banana Republic etc.) and went to Ed's Diner in Soho for lunch which was really good! We meant to take photos of our lunches but we forgot - it was so good though, they never disappoint! The music also helps with the 50s American diner vibe they give out - bar seating and booths galore!

We went to H&M where Kate got 2 dresses, then went to TK Maxx where I found the softest jumper which will be perfect for when the weather gets colder again, I can't wait to wear it! I spent way too long looking at the jumpers and figuring out which looked the best and which was softest - I'm so happy with my choice as it'll look perfect with jeans and boots come Autumn! It has just the right amount of slouch to look laid back but still pretty and I love it! TK Maxx is such a great place to find cheaper pieces from more expensive brands. My jumper was £7.99 and was from Vero Moda.

We also went to Laduree so I could get my macaron fix and I got some sweets from a shop just off the main part of Covent Garden - the marshmallows are so yummy and are quite addictive, the raspberry jelly stuff inside makes them less sickly and just nice! I also didn't go overboard like I usually do, I'm trying to cut the amount of sweets I'm eating slightly in an attempt to become a bit healthier and get better control over my diabetes.

We then went to Oxford Street and to Selfridges to look around and it was crazy how expensive the items in there are! I was really close to buying a set of Ciate nail polishes (even though they're a bit harder to put on, their lasting time is amazing!) but decided against it eventually as they were £18.

We then went to sit around in Southbank while we waited for my train and found a cooler corner in the building away from the scorching heat.

I always love meeting up with Kate and despite the crazy heat, I had such a good day!
Jess xx

The Liebster Award #3!

In the last two weeks I've been set about 5 essays and a million years worth of reading to do so I haven't had any time to blog - I'm sorry for my absence! I have a few posts lined up for the next couple of weeks or so, hopefully having one written every few days to give me little breaks from revision over the Easter holidays!

I've been nominated for the Liebster Award by the lovely Kate again which is awesome and very kind of her! 

The Rules

You need to link back to the nominator 

State 11 Facts about yourself

Answer the 11 questions given to you 

Nominate 11 new bloggers with less than 200 followers 

And give those nominated 11 new questions

11 facts about me

1. I have a serious love for Pink Marc de Champagne truffles from Charbonnel and Walker currently, they're the nicest things and they aren't too expensive!

2. I spent most of last week in the library when I wasn't in lessons and it actually wasn't bad! I used to hate it in there but I've learnt to love it this year.

3. I lost a couple of followers this week and it makes me sad that people have stopped liking my blog because I can't post frequently.

4. I have my exams in a month and a half and I don't feel as stressed as I know I should be - this blog will definitely be part of my exam breaks!

5. I'm actually looking forward to spending two solid weeks revising...I love my subjects so much so it will be good!

6. I'm deathly afraid of spiders. I was in the library three days ago and I almost cried because a big one was on the wall next to me.

7. I have a strip of clear floor going round my room but that's it...I need to tidy up.

8. I haven't read any books for fun since The Rosie Project and that makes me sad - I hate not having time to even pick up a book!

9. I'm determined to organise myself properly with these upcoming exams and I plan to make lots of resources, lists and timetables to sort myself a schedule!

10. I've managed to find a make up look I like and only takes 5 minutes at the most for when I'm running late! It also all fits in my tiny make up bag so I can do it at college if needed!

11. My favourite piece of clothing at the moment is my pair of lounge trousers! They're the comfiest thing to wear around the house when I'm not going anywhere!

Kate's questions

1) What's your favourite song at the moment?

Umm....I have So Long by Ingrid Michaelson stuck in my head currently so I'll go for that!

2) How happy are you on a scale of 1 - 10 right now?

I'm pretty happy but I'm also relatively stressed which always brings my mood down a bit so maybe a 7?

3) What's the saddest thing you've heard in the past week?

There hasn't been anything that I can think of which is actually really good! 

4) Write about the person you think of the most.

Oh gosh. I will probably say a group and they're honestly some of the best friends I have. I don't see them often at all now I'm at a different college but when I do get together with them (like my birthday film day), it's as if I was never away from them and I think that's when you know they're true friends and you belong in the group with them. They're the only group I truly feel like I belong in and don't have doubts about ever which doesn't mean I don't like my other groups of friends, but I fit with this lot like clockwork. 

5) Do you overuse any words or phrases?

 

I can't think of any! I'm quite sarcastic though...

6) Where do you want to be in ten years' time?

 

Either travelling and doing Archaeology or working in a museum - as long as I'm near history I don't mind what I'm doing at all!

7) What's your favourite time of the day and why?

Probably when the sun is going down - the sky is so pretty and it changes colour daily, sometimes it's orange like the sky is on fire and other times it's bright pink and purple!

8) Do you have any disgusting habits? Please divulge.

I click my fingers and toes quite a lot which is bad...

9) Talk about your earliest memory.

When I was in playgroup, we had a day where we got to dress up in saris and my friend took the one I liked - I still remember that it was red with gold stars but I can't remember the one I had in the end!

10) Is anything hurting you right now?

I haven't seen my boyfriend much this week even though we're at the same college which is a bit of a bummer...

11) How does blogging impact on your daily life?

I randomly think of good blog posts and have to write them down, I'm on the look out for good pictures and absolutely anything can inspire me to write a post. I've actually written several posts on my notes on my phone when I have 10 minutes of inspiration!

My nominees

Amy (Blending Beauty)

Caitlin (Fox tales)

Caitlin (Thistle and tea)

My questions

1. Do you believe in fate?

2. Favourite smell?

3. If you could, what would you change your name to?

4. Current favourite song?

5. What was that last book you read?

6. Favourite sweet?

7. If you could have two superpowers, what would they be?

8. What is one thing you wish you were better at?

9. Favourite piece of clothing?

10. If you could go anywhere in the world right now, where would you go and why?

11. Top three favourite blogs?

Thanks for reading and hopefully you'll be seeing more of me over the next couple of weeks!
Jess xx

Book review: The Rosie Project.

Love isn't an exact science - but no one told Don Tillman. A thirty-nine-year-old geneticist, Don's never had a second date. So he devises the Wife Project, a scientific test to find the perfect partner. Enter Rosie - 'the world's most incompatible woman' - throwing Don's safe, ordered life into chaos. But what is this unsettling, alien emotion he's feeling?

I bought this book when I went to Guildford with Kate in half term after wanting it for ages and I'm so glad I did! 

This definitely isn't a typical romance story as Don is the most brilliant and different protagonist I've ever come across in a book. He leads an incredibly structured life, planned out to the minute and a complete sticker to the rules - most likely living with undiagnosed Aspergers syndrome. He's blunt and quite incapable of interpreting people's emotions which creates a comical but loveable character. Then Rosie enters his life at the same time as he decides to create 'The Wife Project'; a 16 page detailed to help him find the perfect wife (non-smoker, omnivore, doesn't drink/drinks moderately etc.) and throws his life into chaos. Don is obsessed with a new project - the Father Project which leads him on an adventure across continents and closer to Rosie.

The book is written in first person so we feel a connection with Don as he struggles with his inner conflict between helping Rosie or carrying on with his constant, structured lifestyle in his overly formal and somewhat geeky narration. The character development of Don is also brilliantly done by Simsion as each slight change is analysed by Don, showing his base personality is still there no matter how much his life has been thrown up in the air. 

The other important characters (Rosie, Gene and Claudia) are each given fantastic plots and their own quirks which make them equally loveable. Even more minor characters such as the Dean have little pieces to give them a 3D personality instead of being flat, filler characters with no real purpose but to move the plot on. 

I finished this incredibly quickly as I found it quite an easy read despite some technical genetics discussions! I was funny, quite sad at times and generally brilliant - I can't recommend this book enough - it's probably made it into my top 20 books and I will definitely be re reading it!

I hope you guys pick this up as it's such a great book!

Jess xx

A day with Kate take 3!

Half term is always a good time to meet up with people so once again, me and Kate decided to go to Guildford to get some time away from working and the stress of A levels on Friday.

I'd been saving up for this trip for quite a while so I actually got to buy some stuff which I'm happy about! 

Essie's Chinchilly, Rimmel stay matte pressed powder in Silky Beige,
Maybelline Baby Skin, MUA lipstick in Shade 6, Sleek blusher in Suede.

A lot of this has been on my make up wish list for a while so I was really happy to get it all! Ever since I bought Essie's Bahama Mama, I regretted not picking up the duo pack with Chinchilly too as they looked so perfect together. I'm so happy I now have both now! 

Everyone raves about the powder and blusher I picked up and they both seem really nice so far! The blusher is quite subtle so I'll have to see what I can do with it - I'll do a proper review once I've used it a bit properly! 

After buying a MUA lipstick (shade 10 I think...) a while back, I decided to pick up another as it was only £1 and this was the last one left of Shade 6 with the plastic wrapping still on! Its such a pretty pink and I love it so much! The quality of these lipsticks is really good for the price!

I'm probably going to end up taking Baby Skin back as I tried it on my face when I got home and it made my face go really red and basically did nothing to my make up! As it was £7.99, I'm going to try and get a refund from Boots on Monday when I go back to college so I can use the money somewhere else!

I was so happy to finally pick up The Rosie Project, I've been wanting it for ages! I've read the first few chapters (maybe the first 10...) and I'm loving it so far, it's really entertaining and very hard to put down! I can't wait to do a full review! I also picked up Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell as I've heard that it's really good! 

Being true to the traditions of Guildford, I also picked up some sweet treats from the American sweet shop but most of them were meant for my whole family and aren't in the picture. I did figure out that popcorn and candy corn are an amazing combination though!

Me and Kate had such a great day catching up and visiting old shop favourites, it was a great way to take a break from doing my work! 

Jess xx

February Wish List

This half term, I'm going shopping with Kate again so I decided to make a wish list! 

I actually have a bit of money so being able to hopefully take some items off this list next week is exciting! 

The Rosie Project - Graeme Simsion
£7.99

I've been wanting to read this book for ages and every time I go into a shop, I read a little and it seems really good! I can't wait to read the entire thing! 

Sleek Blush
£4.49

The only blush I own is part of a palette so I would love to have a range of colours that suit my skin tone more and look more natural!

MUA lipstick
£1

I've already reviewed one of these lipsticks a while ago and I really want some more as they're great quality for their price!

MUA luxe velvet lip lacquer
£3

These have been catching my eye for a while and at that price, I can't resist! I just need to figure out which colour I want to buy! 

I know it isn't a very long list but hopefully that means I'm more likely to be able to buy everything on this list and maybe some more!

Jess xx

Google searches.

I had a quick look at my page stats and one of my most popular posts was my review of the Collection cream puff lip cream. I wanted to know why as it wasn't anything special or out of the ordinary with hundreds of comments...(unlike the Holiday post that got me and Kate talking...ahem.) so I googled the lip cream....and there my blog was, third hit down, under a link to the boots website. The only other blog review above mine was one from a blogger with 1700+ followers so that didn't surprise me...but every single other blog review under mine had at least triple the amount of followers I do! 

I don't know how this happened and I'm still in shock, my blog is a first page google hit!!!!!!!! It's not really much to be proud of but I'm so happy right now! 

It's right there and I can't believe it! Right under Boots!

Jess xx

Recent Lipstick Buys

Over the past month or so, I've been going into Boots during some of my frees and when I've had the money, I've bought some too!

Left to Right: MUA lipstick in shade 10, Rimmel Kate Matte Lipstick in shade 107,
Natural Collection in Rose Bud and Natural Collection in Raspberry

Same as above.

MUA in 10

I've heard so many good things about the MUA lipsticks and for only £1, I couldn't resist! I will definitely be buying some more of this range when I stop by a Superdrug again! 

I'm really surprised at how much I like this lipstick, it's amazing quality for the price; it's really creamy and soft! It doesn't last very long but you can't expect it to as it's so cheap!

Rimmel Kate Matte in 107

I cracked and I bought it! I've had this for a few days and I've worn it pretty much every day; I love it! This is probably my favourite lipstick I've ever bought; it stays on for such a long time and it looks amazing! I love the colour so much and it's so perfect for Autumn and Winter. It's creamy and I love the matte look - most of my lipsticks have a shine so it's a nice change!

Natural Collection in Rose Bud

This is one of those 'lip colour but better' lipsticks. It's a really pretty shimmery pale pink which is so lovely. Natural Collection do the nicest formulas for lipsticks. They don't last too long but they're so moisturising and creamy, I love them!

Natural Collection in Raspberry

This has been talked about a lot by bloggers for a while so I decided to buy it and I wasn't disappointed! This colour is a gorgeous bright pink and it's another great Autumn/Winter shade. Natural Collection lipsticks are only £1.89 so it wasn't wholly surprising that it broke at the base a day after I got it, just disappointing! It's still usable though which is great! There are always lip brushes if worst comes to worst though!

The Natural Collection lipstick isn't online which I find really stupid but they're available in Boots!

Hope you guys liked reading about these! I love all of these colours and suggest all of them, none of them are expensive, the most expensive is the Rimmel one at £5.49!

Jess xx

Things I've had my eye on recently!

I haven't had the money to buy anything recently but I've been keeping my eye on a few things that I really like!

Make Up

Rimmel Kate Matte Lipstick in 107.

I love this lipstick, it's such an Autumn/Winter colour! I've heard really good things about this lipstick and when I found it in Boots, I tested the colour and it was a really deep pink-purple which looks amazing. It's £5.49 from Boots (link below).

Picture from here.

L'Oreal Nude Magique Eau De Teint.

I don't wear foundation much but I tested it at it's such a perfect match to my skin, I was so impressed! I have some nasty dry patches around my nose so I hope that this foundation doesn't stick to them like my current one!

I hope I can get this eventually!

Clothes

H! by Henry Holland Navy Belted Panda Dress.

I've had my eye on this dress pretty much since the current line was released. I need to save up so I can buy it because this dress is so me - animal print (actual animals, not things like leopard print!), navy and a skater style skirt! The long sleeves would also be great for winter as they add a little bit of warmth!

I love this dress so much.

H! by Henry Holland Navy Fox Knit Tunic Dress

Henry Holland is my favourite designer that is featured in Debenhams and I own a dress and a pair of shoes that are both gorgeous - this dress is amazing, who doesn't love a Fox?! I've seen this in the shops and it's such a soft material, I love it!

Who doesn't love a fox jumper?!

Books

Audrey the 60s

I found this book in the bookshop by college a few weeks ago and in my frees I sometimes go back to have a quick flick through it. It's a gorgeous big hardback with gorgeous pictures, some never seen before. I think this is a really great coffee table book and I really hope that I'll be able to own it one day!

I really want this book!

This is all I can think of at the moment and hopefully I can at least buy some of these over the next few months!
Jess xx

Blog's first birthday!

It's been a year since I wrote my first blog post (I was the ultimate cringe, forgive me!) and what better way to spend it than with my one and only friend made from blogging, Kate! We went to Guildford and did quite a bit of shopping which was loads of fun!
A year has gone by stupidly fast and even though I only have 10 followers, I appreciate every single one and anyone who reads my blog for that matter! Every page view makes me happy! -virtual hug-

Getting in to Guildford was rather stressful - my train decided that it would be delayed for 20 minutes before showing up and Kate also had train problems so yeah....that was a good start! We ended up wandering around for a bit and then decided to go to New Look where we ended up buying the same skirt! Luckily we don't see each other often enough for it to matter, just another thing to show our similar tastes! I've been looking for a floral skirt that I like for ages and this one is perfect; I have lots of nice tops that have pinks, reds and white in them so they'll go perfectly with it! The skirt is made of a really light and soft material and is really swishy (if that's even an adjective...) so it looks really pretty!

I love it so much!

I love the pattern so much! 

It wasn't a true trip to Guildford without a visit to the American sweet shop. I haven't bought any for ages so I think I was well restrained! That, and the fact that the stock they had wasn't terribly good. I got my usual favourites and also picked up a box of berry flavour sour patch kids which are really good!  

I've heard countless bloggers rave on about these tinted lip balms for months now, but they've only been available in UK shops since the beginning of the week. There's a 3 for 2 on Maybelline at Boots so instead of just getting the 2 colours I wanted, I also got a 3rd free of charge! 

Baby Lips are supposedly super moisturising and make your lips softer and I can tell you, the hype was definitely worth it because these are the best lip balms I've ever had (either equal to or better than my tinted Burt's bees lip balms but yeah, still really good!). Their claims are pretty big but they're definitely up to scratch; I've been wearing one for an hour and a half or so now and my lips already feel softer. Quite a few lip products are quite sticky but these aren't at all, they feel light and you barely notice them! It takes a couple of goings over to get a really strong/bright colour but it also means that you get a choice with the strength of the colour you decide to make your lips which I find really good!  

From left to right: Pink Punch, Cherry Me, Peach Kiss

How cute is the packaging?!

They each have a smell corresponding to their names (Pink Punch is just fruity) and they're just fantastic! I think overall Peach Kiss is my favourite because the colour is more wearable every day as it matches my lips almost exactly and I'm a sucker for anything peach so it's perfect! Cherry Me is also a lovely smell but it takes longer to get it to an equal colour over all of my lips so it isn't as good for me. I really like Pink Punch but I have a feeling I'd need to be in the right mood to wear it because it is pretty bright. The colour and smell are still nice though! 

We went to H&M because there are usually pretty good deals in the sales and boy did I find one! This deep orange jumper was originally £7 in the sale but it had 2 holes in (one on the shoulder, one on the left of the jumper on the pic) so I managed to get the price down to £5 because they were pretty bad! Luckily my grandma is a dab hand at sewing and sewed the holes back up so now it looks brand new and I got a big discount from it! It's quite baggy but still looks good, plus it has a really cute neck too! I can't wait to wear it through autumn with some leggings and my brown boots, hopefully it'll look good!  

As I said earlier, I'm a sucker for anything peach and when I was at Sicily, the only alcohol I liked was Bellini (Prosecco and Peach puree). I came home from my trip today and mum had bought me this! It's a non-alcoholic version of Bellini but it tastes almost identical, even keeping the slightly sharp/bitter aftertaste and fizziness of the Prosecco! It's also amazing because it apparently has 1 of your 5 a day so it's even healthy!

All in all, I think today was a pretty brilliant way of celebrating my blog anniversary, thanks to everyone who's been a part of this so far! I hope you keep reading! 

Jess xx

P.S. You know I said I'd keep you updated on the Barry M nail polish? Yeah...it hasn't worked out so great! 

Left hand

Right hand

As you can see, they haven't lasted very well! I haven't used a top coat because I don't own any but they had already chipped a little bit the night after I had put the nail polish on which doesn't bode well. The nail polish also stops looking as shiny and nice quite quickly and now looks dull and smudged even though I didn't touch it at all while it was drying (I left my nails for about half an hour before checking them). I'm quite glad that it's only cheap because it wouldn't be worth any more sadly! It's a shame because the colours are amazing! I might just have to invest in a top coat so my Barry M nail polish isn't a waste!

Sunshine Blogger Award

So my friend Kate has nominated me for the Sunshine Blogger award which has made me so happy today! Apparently people are nominated for their blog if someone thinks that it "positively and creatively inspires others in the blogosphere" (had to nick that from you, Kate, I haven't seen anything else about this award apart from this!). I feel really happy and proud that she thinks that my blog is good enough to qualify for that!!
Another part of the award is that the nominator sets the nominee 10 questions, so here are mine!

1. What was the best day of your life? The first day I think of when people ask that is Prom. It was so amazing and it was spent with some of my favourite people in the world! 
2. Your favourite thing about your bedroom? I love my room but I can't choose anything that I like the best! Probably my bed though...it's a good bed. 
3. Your proudest achievement to date? I'm not sure if I have a proudest moment! I would probably say when I got my GCSE results back because I had proof that all of my hard work had payed off! 
4. Favourite TV show? I love a lot of TV shows, including Sherlock, Merlin, Bones, House and Doctor Who, but my ultimate favourite is NCIS. It's so funny and has amazing, constant story lines, plus it's had 10 seasons now which is awesome, season 11 will begin filming in September so I'm super excited! 
5. Something you're addicted to? (or practically addicted to!) American sweets, internet window shopping, Starbucks and sleep are probably the biggest ones! 
6. Who's your celebrity crush? I don't really have a celebrity crush...I have people I think are awesome (Hugh Laurie, Robert Downy Jr, Matt Smith...hello? All awesome and funny!) but no one I have a crush on!
7. Where do you hope to be in 10 years time? As my friends like to say; "digging a hole in the ground somewhere!"... Yeah... Something to do with archaeology hopefully so if that's fieldwork or museums, I don't mind as long as I'm enjoying it!
8. Your favourite ever smell? Oooh.....I really like the smell of coffee shops, bakeries, orange, scented candles (most Yankee candles smell sooo nice...I spend so long in their shop smelling each candle until I feel like I have to leave due to the cashier giving me evils...) and my favourite perfume ever, L'elixir by Nina Ricci. It even comes in an Apple shaped bottle! 
9. Something you own more than twenty of? Scarves. Or shoes. I have so many, I swear I have a problem....
10. If you had to pick one song to start the 'soundtrack to your life', what would it be? Oh gosh, that's such a hard question! Umm.....I don't know! Definitely something by Ingrid Michaelson, Regina Spektor, Gabrielle Aplin, Hudson Taylor, Orla Gartland or Lauren Aquilina... Maybe King by Lauren Aquilina, it's such a nice song!

Hope you guys enjoyed this! I have no one to actually tag or nominate which is slightly rubbish! 

Go and check out Kate's blog because she is awesome and is so lovely. If I had to nominate someone, I'd nominate her again but I wouldn't want her to have to do even more questions so yeah! 

Jess xx

My weekend!

First off, sorry I haven't been blogging for a little while, life and homework took over for once!
I finally met Kate (http://smilingismyfavourite.blogspot.co.uk) on Saturday which was awesome. We started talking on BlogSpot in September ish, then twitter and finally Facebook around October time. We went for a shopping trip around Guildford with the limited money we both had and it ended up being a great day of laughing at horrible clothes and buying some amazing stuff!
Being me, and it being Guildford, I obviously bought some American sweets (who would have guessed?!) for about £8! I was quite proud, I was expecting to buy so much more because I've recently been having withdrawal symptoms and cravings for American sweets which isn't good!


There were a few sweets that didn't make it home for the picture...
all very yummy though!

Only 2 packs of Swedish fish, most of the Nerds, 2 Laffy Taffy strips, the can of Mello Yello and half a bottle of Pineapple Fanta left now! I go through sweets so fast despite being diabetic! (My blood sugar is still under pretty good control though which is awesome!) I also originally had another can of Mello Yello and a pack of berry Starburst (SO GOOD.)

I also bought a gorgeous dress from New Look for £13, because of my Student Card I got it for £11! I'm still not completely sure about what I'm going to wear with it but I'll find something eventually, it's gorgeous!




Thankfully changing rooms have good lighting so I could get a decent picture of an outfit for once!

How cute is the pattern on the dress?! I just fell in love with it!

I love the navy and bows, 2 of my favourite things when it comes to clothing! It's so cute with the white collar as well, I love it!

I also went to a party with my old school friends Saturday night which was a lot of fun! I do love how I can go back to them and it will always feel the same being back with them! Annoyingly because of my horrible cold and sore throat, I had to leave early, but when I was there, it was awesome!

On the Friday, I went to the Crew warehouse sale at Ascot Racecourse with my parents and I got some super pretty stuff - it's all been taken and hidden away until my birthday so you'll have to wait until then to see any of it! I can say that I've found a new love in the form of a dress that I tried on though, it's perfect and I'm in love with it!

I spent quite a lot of Sunday doing homework but I also went to John Lewis and also found such a pretty purse from Radley but that is also being saved for my birthday! It's adorable though!
I did find some Kate Spade mugs when I was looking around and they were super cute - £20 for a mug though! It's a shame because if they were cheaper, I would have probably got one! They also had some really nice paperweights and keyrings too - why does Kate Spade all have to be so pretty and stylish and expensive?! Why why why?!

Hopefully I'll be more up to date with my blogging now though! I miss it so much when I don't blog - even for a day or two!
Jess xx

I'm back!

I hope you enjoyed my little group of posts, it was really fun doing it actually! Now to catch up with life!

It's my birthday in a month!
I'm actually so excited, I get to start officially driving! I sorted out my health form today so hopefully that doesn't take too long to process, then I can get my provisional!! I'm scared but excited about starting to drive on the roads...hopefully all goes well!!
I also hit 3,000 views so I'm super happy! I can't believe I only started this 6 and a half months ago and it's amazing!
I also got my Classics essay that I did before half term back and I got 39/45 which is 1 mark off an A so I'm super happy! I'm predicted an A so it's really good!
I'm finally getting to meet Kate on Saturday!! We're going shopping for the day which is going to be super fun, I can't wait! It's going to be the first time we've met so I'm really nervous and excited! It'll be so awkward if we don't recognise each other though! People always look different in the flesh so it'll be awesome and interesting to finally meet!

I also was walking to the train station today and I saw this in a shop window!

I want to hug the maker of that sign!

I found it so funny because I wasn't paying attention then I saw it, did a double take and had to take s photo!!

Another thing I found in Tesco's today were these! BBQ LLAMA CRACKERS.



So yummy, AND LLAMA SHAPED. What more could you want?!

I keep walking downstairs when I'm writing this and grabbing little handfuls of llamas because they taste so good and they're addictive too!!!!!!
I'm mentoring a year 11 at a local secondary school tomorrow so I have to try and find my way there from college...Google maps is my only friend!!!

It's amazing what you miss in 4 days! I've also finished my English coursework and it's under word limit which is such a huge relief!
My ancient history teacher also let me call what is essentially the Spartan's secret assassins the 'Super ninja death squad' and he said it was right! I was so proud of myself! It's also funny because I'm now going to actually remember what it is!

Jess xx

Inspiration

I've been wondering recently, What actually inspires me to blog?
I've thought about it, and the simple answer is everything!
Every day, I see new things that inspire me and give me new idea about what I want to blog about. Sometimes the ideas can't wait and I have to write the post there and then! (What my phone blogging is for!) Other days, I have absolutely no inspiration at all and I end up doing a rubbishy blog about my day! Boooooooring! :P (I never have anything exciting in my life that I can blog about!)
A few of the main things that inspire me when I'm out and about though are:

People

If people actually stopped and looked around at the others surrounding them, they'd be surprised at how different everyone is. I urge you, on a day that you aren't busy, to go to a coffee shop and just sit in the corner. Watch the people that come in and see what they do, just look around and see how different everybody acts. Chances are that the only thing they all share in common is that they all share the same love of that particular coffee shop. Even then, they're all going to like different drinks! 

I like imagining what they're doing there, what they're like, where they're going, things like that! Makes a boring day so much more interesting. 

Nature

It's so pretty, isn't it? I always find that sitting outside, alone, surrounded by nature is where I get my inspiration. It's so peaceful and calm, it really gives you a perfect opportunity to have a think about everything and anything. I love it when the only sounds you can hear are purely natural, instead of the usual noisy pollution from cars and people. If you just stop concentrating on your busy life and look around, you realise that the world is really beautiful and needs a little more attention from people! 

And of course, if you're a photography enthusiast, you can always snap a few pictures when you're out! Always a bonus!

Books

I love love love to read. I don't have the opportunity to read as much as I'd like to anymore because of my AS levels, but I try and read whenever I have the chance. I nearly always carry around my kindle or a book that I don't have to read as a prescribed text so I have something completely different instead of what I have to analyse syllable by syllable. 

I love how reading can transport you to a completely different country, time, or even world, and introduce you to new people and places that you've never been to before. It takes you away from reality and puts you somewhere new, discovering new stories and connecting you with new emotions every time! And every time you open an already read book, it's like you're welcoming back an old friend, or old memories.

Reading inspires me as I can write about the book, or what it makes me think about! Reading actually inspired me to start a blog in the first place! (I will probably end up making a whole post on reading some time in the near future...look out for that!)

Daydreaming

This picture just about sums me up; especially the Iron man one ;D how cool would it be to be an Avenger?!

^ This just proves this point, daydreaming and going off on tangents brings on random thoughts and inspirations. Sometimes, the thoughts are good enough to expand and blog about! Obviously daydreaming when you're meant to be working is bad, so be like the guy on the right! But if you're not doing anything that requires concentration (travelling by public transport, again, in a coffee shop) or just lying in bed one night, just let your mind wander, it might lead to something good! 

Just think, JK Rowling came up with Harry Potter on a journey one day, think about where that's got her!

Music

(I just found this picture on google, and I LOVE it, so pretty and cute!)

Music. Need I say more? 

There are so many genres, so many styles. There is something for everyone! 

Music is amazing for inspiration. Some songs lyrics are so touching and moving, you can't help but think about what they mean. Others just capture you, or relate to your mood or emotion. It can change your bad mood in to a good one! There's even songs for different types of weather! It can be applied to practically all life situations and if you don't listen to music a lot, I highly recommend you do, some of my blogs have been inspired by music, as my usual readers would know! (Lots of jazz in Starbucks is apparently good for blogging!) 

It basically just gets you to think, which leads to blogging (for me, anyway!)

Friends

True friends are always there for you no matter what. They are there in every day life and if they aren't, when you see them, you make memories which is even more special! Funny moments happen with friends - blog material! Embarrassing moments - blog material! Everyday life - blog material! 

You get my drift...

Either way, friends play a big part in your life even though you may not realise it, memories are mainly based around what other people have said and done. Friends make you happy because you know you aren't alone, and when you feel alone they're there with tissues, chocolate and hugs to make you feel better. Always value your friends and tell them how much you care! (If you're reading this and I know you in real life, I LOVE YOU) Value your friendships because chances are that they won't last forever, but you can be sure as hell to try and make them last as long as possible! I know that I'm still close with some of my friends from my old school and I haven't seen them in about a month! But don't take them for granted! Friends are fantastic! 

Other blogs!

I'm doing Hamlet in English Lit at the moment...sorry, I couldn't resist...I love being a nerd sometimes! *giggles to myself*

Reading other blogs give me ideas for types of posts to do, what sort of things to write about and how to style my posts. It's been really handy for my writing style as well! My favourite and most looked at blogs are definitely: 

http://smilingismyfavourite.blogspot.co.uk/ (Kate, my only friend on blogger!), http://www.thecollegeprepster.com/ (Carly does some fantastic posts and her blog is quite old now, about 3/4 years I think!) and one of my new favourites that I found this morning: 

http://www.classygirlswearpearls.com/ (Sarah has THE most amazing fashion sense, I spend about an hour just looking through her pictures and her outfits, I wish I had the money to be able to afford the clothes she wears! That's exactly the style I love!)

So there you go! My main inspirations for blogging! If you blog, I hope this has helped you to think of ways YOU can get inspiration next time you're out; as you can see, you don't have to be anywhere in particular and sometimes, an idea just hits you completely out of the blue! 

If you don't blog, then welcome to my mind and why aren't you blogging yet?! Seriously, it's one of the best things I've done, it's fun and interesting and I looove it! 

Anyway, sorry this post has been so long, and if you read through all of my rambles then I salute you! 

Jess xx
P.S. Sorry about the pictures not working yesterday! They should be running fine now, and if anything is a bit out of place, sorry because the writing kept moving when I was changing the pictures around!