First week back!

The first week back was a mix of introductory lectures for my new modules this term and getting grades back from last term's modules!

I ended up getting a 1st in 5th Century Athens and a 2:1 in Ancient Song which I was really happy about because the lecturer was terrible for it so getting a 2:1 basically off my own back makes me feel incredibly proud. I also got a 2:1 in Practicing Archaeology but I was given that grade last term. I'm happy with those as my first grades of university!

I look back at my posts from last term and I already feel like this term will be better as I've proved to myself that I can do university and I can do it well! A levels obviously just didn't suit me and University does luckily! I just hope the exams go the same way! 

I feel so much more optimistic and I'm going to push myself to do more of the reading as I slacked a lot last term - I only really did the work necessary to pass and didn't do a lot of background reading which will give me a better understanding of the topics. I think it also helped that I'd done the Athens module at A level so I knew the information I needed to get the grades - this term I don't have that help so I'm going to need to work a lot harder to get the same level of grades! I just hope I do it as they're all really interesting subjects!

I'm having to balance University, work and various medical appointments whilst not becoming a complete recluse so it could be difficult to do as much as I want over the next few weeks but hopefully after that, I'll be able to really crack on with working!

I also applied again for halls next year so I'm going to actually have somewhere to live which is exciting! I'm going to be sharing with one of my flatmates from this year which is nice as we get on really well.

Jess xx

A 2014 overview!

Last year was pretty amazing overall. There were obviously some ups and downs as there always are but the good definitely outweighed the bad. 

This year I...

- I passed my driving test (March)

- I turned 18 (March)

- Met Lewis Watson (July)

- I passed my exams (August)

- I got into University (August) 

- Saw Medea in the theatre (August)

- I got my first job (September)

- I got a boyfriend who is completely amazing (November)

I hope this year goes just as well because I already have some amazing things lined up! 

Jess xx

Petite Anglaise by Catherine Sanderson - review.

I said in my previous blog that I have many reviews that are in the works - here's the first!

Petite Anglaise - Catherine Sanderson

You may have seen my first thoughts of the book but now I have finished it, I'm sharing my thoughts of the book in its entirety! 

I'm not sure how I feel about this book if I'm perfectly honest. 

On one hand, I really loved the writing style and descriptions, it made me want to visit Paris even more than I did already! On the other hand however, I hated the characters. They irritated me to no end and I only kept reading because I wanted to see how it ended (and Catherine's writing style was really easy to read which made it a hard book to put down ironically...) and if any of them had a pivotal moment where they suddenly became likeable and nice people. 

I also liked how realistic it was but obviously being a memoir it was going to be. I felt like it was purely an escape for the author to brag about her sudden internet fame and her failing love life. 

Catherine seemed to revolve her life around the men she was involved with at the time and her success as a blogger which, for me, gave her an inhuman feel, as we find out less about the actual person, and more about the blogger. She seems to be under the impression that blogs are places that people hide behind as a shield for their true selves which annoyed me as I know plenty of people who use blogging to enhance their personality and become more confident in themselves - I know I have. 

I think throughout the book, Catherine comes across as self-centred and selfish, making her very unlikeable and in turn, make the reader unsympathetic towards her. You end up feeling sorry for her daughter as Catherine seems to not realise the effects that her actions will have on her once she is older. She seems to naively think that balancing a booming social life and raising a small child is possible and simple when it obviously isn't, especially when she is a single mother with no one to look after her daughter properly. 

Overall, while the writing style was lovely, Catherine was far too irritating and the book drips with self-deprecating rubbish as an attempt to justify her actions.

After I finished the book, I went on to her actual blog and found her quite funny and a seemingly lovely person. The book definitely shows that some people aren't who they make themselves out to be sometimes.

The bottom line is that I'm happy to have only spent 20p on it as I would have been highly disappointed if I had spent the original £12.99.

Jess xx

Revlon colorstay ultimate liquid lipstick in Brilliant Bordeaux

I'm a major sucker for lipsticks and lip colours in general but I've never tried a liquid lipstick before. So far I'm quite impressed! I bought it from boots earlier today because as I said yesterday, I wanted a darker lip colour for Autumn. I saw this and I was intrigued so I took the plunge and bought it!
I tried it on and it took about three coats to get the colour even and the same as the bottle. It was a little tricky as it dries quite quickly so you need to work with it quite quickly to get it looking perfect.
It's a long lasting product so it's quite drying but it isn't uncomfortable. It's also a good idea to make sure your lips are moisturised before using it though because dry patches tend to show up more. I wore it for about 2 hours before taking the picture below and you can see how well it's lasting! Afterwards, I put another coat on to see how much it had worn out and it was practically the same colour!
It feels slightly sticky when you're wearing it but I actually like the feeling so it's actually a plus point! I also had a drink in between applying and taking a photo so it lasted amazingly well! I can't wait to see what it'll fair like tomorrow in my only full day of college - hopefully it lasts the whole day!
The only problem I have with it is that it's really hard to get off, I need to use my make up wipes to remove it and even then it still takes quite a while to get it all off.
I assume I'll have to moisturise my lips quite a lot with this because it is quite drying but it's gorgeous and I assume I'll only wear it with a few outfits so it shouldn't have a big effect on my lips!

Such a pretty colour!

I love how bright this is!

It costs £7.99 from Boots! 

Jess xx

A Ray of Sunshine.

I got the best news today and it's made me happier than I've been for quite a while about my general school stuff! 

I've been sure that I was predicted BBB since I started college but after tutor time today, I spoke to my teacher about my Uni choices and predicted grades, and it turns out that I'm actually predicted AAB!!! I was so shocked and happy because these grades mean that I have more of a chance of getting offers from most of my Uni choices! 

I've been quite worried about not getting any offers so I'm really excited that if my personal statement goes well, I actually have a chance! My top three are Cardiff, Reading and Exeter so I should hopefully get the offers from them because their grades are lower which is great! 

It's put me in such a good mood and it's inspired me to work even harder this year so I can achieve these grades! 

Jess xx

Barry M gelly - Pomegranate

I love those days where you don't go out anywhere and just relax. Today, all I've done is get into my comfy lounge trousers and captain america jumper then watched TV (old re runs of Nickelodeon shows anyone?).
My nails have been boring for the last three weeks or so with all of my travelling making it impossible for me to have a spare minute to sit down and paint them and the fact that I just spent a week digging doesn't really give me any opportunity to have a nice nail colour and keep it on for too long! I'm happy that I've been able to just take an hour or so out and paint them today, they always look so much nicer with a fresh coat of colour on them! The colour I used was part of the Barry M gelly hi shine range in the colour Pomegranate which is a darker but bright pinky-red. I also have Prickly Pear from this range which is a really cute lilac colour. Barry M do the nicest range of colours and for quite a cheap price (£3.99 for the gelly paints, £2.99 for the regulars), I was pleasantly surprised! The brush is the perfect width and the colour went on really well without any problems! For someone who usually has to re-do at least one nail, this is pretty impressive! After only one coat, the colour on my nails looks like the bottle colour which I've never had before! It dried really quickly and is so shiny too but you would expect that from a range that call the line 'gelly hi-shine'!

How pretty is this colour?! I think I have a new love

I'm going out tomorrow and Friday so I'll report back for how it fares later on! I'm impressed so far though, it's been on for a good few hours now and it looks perfect!
Jess xx

Books vs. Kindles

I always found this such a funny argument that comes up all the time. I own both and don't see why people have to have either one or the other! They're both great and I wouldn't want to have to choose between them!

Books
I love the smell and feel of books. There's just something about opening a new book and getting that fresh page smell. The sound of pages turning is also great. I could spend hours in bookshops and I actually ended up using up nearly the whole hour I had in between the train I missed and the next one just browsing the local Waterstones the other day.
The smell of old books is also amazing. I don't even know what it is but the browning pages and musty smell is so nice.
The downside to books is that they are so expensive! However, trawling through sale shelves and secondhand bookshops always produces some hidden gems! Some of my favourite books were found in an amazing secondhand bookshop in Northumberland!

Kindles
The most obvious difference: Kindles are one size and can store thousands of books without changing shape which makes them so much easier to carry around and fit into bags.
The books are cheaper on the kindle and the one I have doesn't have a lighted screen so it's literally an electronic book which is really nice! It's also a really handy feature that you can download a sample of any book then once you've read it, you can buy the book fully!
I also think they're really handy because it is connected to your amazon account and 3G so if you want to buy a book, you can search for it on the kindle shop and download it there and then, then read it straight away without having to go to a shop and buy it, or ordering it and having to wait for days on end for a book you want to read then.
The downsides are that it isn't the real book so you don't get the feel or smell of pages. I also find the more recent versions of kindles that are trying to be cheaper iPads because that isn't what kindles are for! They were designed to be a device that you could store and read books from, not play games! I think the lighting is a good idea but the rest of it is pointless. It defeats the whole point of it being a reading device!

I love them both and they're both good, just at different times and in different situations! I tend to carry them both around in my bag because I tend to have multiple books on the go, normally one actual book and at least one book on my kindle! I don't have a preference particularly but I like having my favourite books in book form; it's just nice to be able to have them there physically.
Tell me your thoughts!
Jess xx

Birthday!

It was my brother's birthday today! He's now 15 and insists (as he does every year) that he's now only a year younger than me instead of two!
We went out for lunch which was nice, I had these really yummy ribs and then a hit waffle with honeycomb ice cream. It was bright orange but it was so tasty!
I also drank the can of Mello Yello which made me sad because its so yummy!!
But yeah, it was a good day! I got to see my auntie and uncle again and me & my brother didn't get annoyed at each other even once which was nice ^.^ it was a good day all in all! :)
Jess xx

Biology sucks!

I've been doing my biology catch up work from friday the whole day now...I'm beyond bored! I have no idea how I'm going to end up with a decent grade for this, I'm so crap :/

Anyway, on a brighter note, one month until Christmas! I'm so so excited! I love Christmas, definitely my favourite time of the year :3

I'm still ill as well :( I was fine yesterday but I'm back to feeling rubbish again, I hate this :(

Anyway, I have to finish my homework....
Jess xx