tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10192845202494976572024-02-07T02:05:07.531+00:00Through Steph's Eyeslife in my own wordsStephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00551571391894540375noreply@blogger.comBlogger69125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1019284520249497657.post-22114473152621245992017-03-03T16:30:00.000+00:002017-03-03T16:30:28.485+00:00Why am I so concerned about what other people are doing?<br />
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<span class="s1">As I sit here pondering one of the biggest and most desired changes in my life, rather than being happy and excited, I find myself running through everyone in my life analysing what they have done and why they haven’t made the same choices as me. And, when I take a step away from my mind I realise just how stupid this really is.</span></div>
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<small>Carnaby Street | <b>London</b></small></div>
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<span class="s1">For anywhere between the last six months and the past year, I have been wanting to move out of my parent's house and in with my boyfriend, closing the 120 miles that stand between us, and solidifying my adult life. We have been waiting <s>not</s> so patiently for him to find a job down South, and today, he was offered a job. Naturally, my initial reaction was relief, joy, excitement. But as the evening drew on, I questioned everything, the only way I know how. By comparing my situation to everyone I have ever met or heard about. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">I don't think I’m by any means alone in this way of thinking, and from what I can see this is a result of three very influential parts of my life. The first being my continued academic career. Analysing and comparison are all we know, if you can’t locate your rationale in the literature then you just have a thought that is not taken as seriously as you would want it to be. The second is my anxiety, it makes me overthink naturally. A large reason why I feel that I have been able to do so well at university. Although, it took away just as much as it gave where that is concerned. And finally, our modern day culture, the comparison is everywhere. Every choice we make is carefully marketed by a big corporation shaming us into not making any other choice for any other product. And can you blame them? We love to compare ourselves, social media is full of it. We are not idiots, we are fully aware of the content we look at and what we buy as a result, but we aspire to be accepted, loved and appreciated. When something we do or something we buy isn’t the same as everyone else, we feel lost. I am a prime suspect of this. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">I always saw a clear and distinct path in life, go to school, get good(ish) grades, go to university, graduate, do masters, graduate. But I never seemed to fully consider what I would do after, and as all my peers had already established their own careers, I felt left behind, lost and unsure if the steps I was taking were the right ones. We have all been told that ‘if everyone was the same, life would be boring’, so why am I so terrified to take a step that might be different from everyone else's?</span></div>
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<span class="s1">I am sabotaging my own happiness to gain acceptance from everyone and no-one. </span></blockquote>
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It is in the decisions that truly terrify you and keep you up at night that your own life begins. Sometimes we need to take a step back from everyone else to spent quality time getting to know who we truly are. And maybe then, we will realise that you know what, we are doing the right things and that we are perfectly imperfect just the way we are.</div>
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Steph<br /><br />
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Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00551571391894540375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1019284520249497657.post-82931706442758202842017-02-19T09:00:00.000+00:002017-02-19T09:00:25.905+00:00My life in nine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I haven't done one of these in ages so I thought it was the easiest, quickest, most visual way to catch you up on what's been happening in my life recently.</div>
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<b>T</b><b>OP ROW LEFT-RIGHT</b></div>
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First off you have a picture from my 23rd birthday (<i>deep breath</i>). I cannot believe I am 23 so imagine 10 different sayings for saying 'holy crap where has time gone'. I also uploaded this photo and captioned it explaining how January/beginning of February for me was full of some of the highest points of my life and some of the lowest. Note how all of my instagrams are positive. We all show the best part of our lifes of social media, am I right?</div>
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Thats me and my boyfriend Stephen on the evening of my birthday. He treated me to a meal in the poshest restaurant where I live. Although I look like poo in that picture we only have about five photos together, so it was always going to be uploaded to my instagram.</div>
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This is a very old picture from when me and my mum went to New York. It was the Spring after my 21st birthday. I always look through these pictures when I'm feelin down and low, they instantly perk up my mood. I am such a city girl and can find inner peace even in the most hectic of environments. </div>
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<b>MIDDLE ROW LEFT-RIGHT</b></div>
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The iconic Carnaby Street. I was lucky enough to exhibit at a trade show there with work. It was a manic, crazy and hectic day. But I would take that over a day in the office every time. I mean, it was minus a million degrees and my phone crashed after taking this picture, but Soho is truly a beautiful place so it was all worth it.</div>
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Me and Stephen after I had just graduated. Such a magical day at the Barbican in London. Bloody freezing again mind you, and I had peep toe shoes on. But I didn't care. I loved every second of this day, and will treasure it always. Loved ones were truly missed, but knowing how proud of me they were kept me going.</center>
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Oxford street after set up for the trade show I have already mentioned. Did I say how much I love London yet?</center>
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Just my little rescue dog being and cute and stuff. Really, I honestly believe there should be a rule that for every ten posts on social media, at least one should be of a dog. Yes, I am that person who points to a dog and basically melts.</center>
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Me before I had graduated. Actually a full length photo of me that I don't want to burn, who knew that was even possible. Hashtag Fashion blogger or what.</center>
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And finally, Olympia at another trade show I visited in January with work. The scale of Olympia is truly mindboggling, you could walk round for hours and have only seen a miniscule of what is being exhibited there. Odd to think that King's sits there exams there, so lucky I didn't have to.</center>
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I really hope you enjoyed this informal blog post about my life. If you want to see my instagram in full and my hilarious attempt at micro blogging the link is just below this text.</center>
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Thanks for reading as always.</center>
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Steph<br /><br />
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Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00551571391894540375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1019284520249497657.post-12179227874949356732017-02-17T16:30:00.000+00:002017-02-17T16:30:02.470+00:00My go-to neutral lipsticks <div style="text-align: justify;">
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There is nothing better than a classic neutral lip, and I doubt anyone will say otherwise. It's timeless and doesn't spill down your face or rub off leaving you with what looks like the remnants of red wine all over your lips. So in this post, I let you into my two favourites. One that is more pink toned, the other more peach. So if that is your kind of thing, keep on reading.</div>
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When something 'ain't broke, why fix it <i>right</i>? Well, it seems to me in this fast paced world where everything happens at a million miles per hour the beauty industry is quite simply trying to reinvent the wheel and be six months ahead of the latest trend, whatever that may be. And lip colourations have been no exception. In the past twelve months alone we have seen lip stains, liquid lipsticks, those benefit lipsticks with the liner on the end, and all manner of other things. But you know what, as partial as I am to liquid lipsticks, read my post here, women have been doing absolutely fine with lipsticks and lipliners for as long as the beauty industry has been around. </div>
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Now I'm not saying that we shouldn't ever embrace these changes, I'm just saying we all have those go-to products that will never fail us. They aren't the most cutting edge, and they look a bit battered around the edges, but you know what, we love them and wouldn't ever dream to have a makeup collection without them. And I am pretty sure when you are thinking of your go to fail safe products, a natural lip colour is in there, am I right?</center>
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Well for me my everyday fallback has to be Kate Moss's No3. It is the '<i>my lips but better</i>' lipstick for me, and in my older age, I have been pairing it with a lip liner. I do believe my true transition into being an adult who wears makeup happened when I finally bought lipliners. A few years ago I simply didn't see the point. Oh baby Steph, little do you know it actually makes your lips look better and makes your lipstick last longer. My favourite lipliner to use with this combination is Collection's Lip definer in Nude Pink. <i>Bonus points</i>, it is a twisty one so you don't have to sharpen it!</center>
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When I am feeling much bolder (<i>hahaha its still on the nude spectrum</i>) I just love the Kate Moss No5. Yes, Kate Moss's range again, but to be honest if you have tried it you will know it is easily comparable to a more higher end lipstick. They all just glide on and stay put, what more do you need to ask for. The lipliner I pair with this lipstick is Rimmel London's Lasting Finish in shade X. This combination I feel is so perfect for spring as it is that little bit brighter. And I think I can feel spring right around the corner.</center>
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So there it is, my go-to fail safe neutral lip combinations. Can be worn with or without the lipliners. I always feel a knot in my stomach everytime I post anything beauty on here as I am by no means an expert, but today I figured, <i>why not? </i>This is my space on the internet after all, but please be kind.</center>
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What are your fall safe lip combinations? Have you tried any products I have mentioned? Thanks for reading as always, <i>if anyone is</i>, I wish I could give you a cuddle but for geographical and safety reasons I fear this is not possible.</center>
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Steph<br /><br />
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Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00551571391894540375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1019284520249497657.post-4420839634922569392017-01-27T17:30:00.000+00:002017-01-27T17:30:00.992+00:0023 things I have realised before my 23rd birthdayToday I turn 23, which is pretty terrifying not gonna lie. Google has a birthday signature on, and my twitter is covered in balloons. Even my boss treated me to brunch (<i>#lifegoals</i>) but in my head, I'm only 21 but I guess its time for my head to catch up. So I have compiled a list of 23 things I have realised in the past 366 days.<br />
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<small>Rockafeller Center Spring 2015</small></div>
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<b>ONE: </b>Being 22 is pretty much nothing like the Taylor Swift song, in fact, its involves more stress about <i>life, career, politics, food, exercise</i>, did I mention life yet?<br />
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<b>TWO: </b>Summer holidays away aren’t a quick fix for months/years of stress</div>
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<b>THREE: </b>Spending money is okay especially when it's on investment pieces and skincare<br />
<b>FOUR:</b> Not having your life together in your twenties is okay, and perfectly normal<br />
<b>FIVE:</b> There is no real winner in any argument with your boyfriend<br />
<b>SIX:</b> Sat Navs are not always right, in fact, they are very rarely even close to that<br />
<b>SEVEN:</b> Driving is not scary and the more miles you do the more confident you will feel<br />
<b>EIGHT:</b> Not everyone has to, or will, like you<br />
<b>NINE:</b> Friends who are flaky are rarely worth your time<br />
<b>TEN:</b> The tone of emails are always misunderstood<br />
<b>ELEVEN:</b> Phone calls are absolutely fine and not to be feared<br />
<b>TWELVE:</b> Mental health should be a priority over everything else<br />
<b>THIRTEEN:</b> Standing up for yourself is so important, your voice exists for a reason so use it<br />
<b>FOURTEEN:</b> But equally, some people won't see your point of view, and that's also okay<br />
<b>FIFTEEN:</b> Excel, when used right, is perfect for pretty much any mathematical dilemma<br />
<b>SIXTEEN:</b> Going out for a day trip on your own is perfectly okay, and very rewardable<br />
<b>SEVENTEEN:</b> It's okay to cry over nothing, and sometimes a lot<br />
<b>EIGHTEEN:</b> Not everyone in your life sticks around<br />
<b>NINETEEN: </b>Not everyone in your life should stick around<br />
<b>TWENTY: </b>Your value is not equal to the size of your friendship circle<br />
<b>TWENTY-ONE:</b> Networking is important and will help you advance personally and professionally<br />
<b>TWENTY-TWO:</b> Putting yourself out there is one of the most rewarding things<br />
<b>TWENTY-THREE:</b> I’m <b>ONLY 23</b> with no real responsibilities and a lot of life in front of me and that's pretty fucking awesome<br />
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Love you'll, and here's to being 23, I'm gonna make it the best year yet!</div>
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Steph<br /><br />
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Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00551571391894540375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1019284520249497657.post-44498071976183780852017-01-20T19:00:00.000+00:002017-01-20T19:00:47.577+00:002017 in three words<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">I know I am extremely late to this party, but I always feel that there simply isn’t time over the Christmas period for true reflection and preparation, but that is just me. I warn you this post is not New Years resolutions, per say. But rather my sentiment or attitude for the New Year.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Also can I take this moment to apologise as not blogging since <i>CHRISTMAS DAY</i> is simply disgraceful, I hang my head in shame.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">I was going to completely ignore the New Year on my blog as I feel this time of year is saturated with highly talented bloggers coherently expressing their resolutions and plans for their blog, whereas my mind (<i>as I’m sure you have noticed</i>) is more of a scattered mess of incoherent, disconnected, thoughts. Despite being a strategist who adores lists, my plans and dreams for 2017 would seem like a mess written down in a post not dissimilar to this, and it may just go on forever and end up the length of a novel. This combined with my inevitable failure of achieving such resolutions I just let the year pass and my life move on.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Then I saw many bloggers talk about their ‘word’ for the year, the Huffington Post has a pretty decent post about why you should chose a word and how to choose a word. 2016 for me was the year of ‘Change’, although not chosen at the start of the year, I would happily describe 2016 as that. I am at a crucial time in my life, I have just finished my education (<i>reflections on that to follow my Graduation on Tuesday, eeekkkk</i>), started a new job, and am happier than ever in my relationship. So in that vein I have decided to almost choose my ‘<b>key words</b>’ (<i>yes, I also got violent flashbacks to high school by using that phrase</i>) for 2017, as choosing one seems pretty impossible. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">In contrast to my personality that is addicted to spreadsheet and meticulously documenting every aspect on life, these words can not be tangibly traced, but rather I hope they just become part of me. Even in describing them, I can picture so clearly in my head just how these words feel to me, however I feel the written word is failing me. Maybe it is in this that the strength of choosing word/s is truly shown, if it is so clear to me then they are not completely unattainable. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">So without further ado, lets just jump straight into it!</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Balance [noun]</b></span></div>
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<li class="li1"><span class="s2"></span><span class="s1">Harmony of design and proportion</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span class="s2"></span><span class="s1">Mental or emotional stability</span></li>
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<span class="s1">I am so guilty of letting my work-life balance completely fall out of kilter, but not this year. Suffering from crappy boughts of depression in the past means I now stand with little to no hobbies and feeling like I have a lot of ground to reclaim, but also a lot of new passions to discover. Thats what balance means to me, working hard but playing harder. And as the Oxford definition expresses, this should help to stabilise me mentally meaning a fresher mind set for 2017.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Whislst you are thigh deep in academic texts followed by lots of deadlines it is so easy to loose sight of the ‘bigger picture’. Your life becomes a chain of “ <i>I want to get X% in this assignment, so I can get X% in this module, which means I should get X% in this year and hopefully finish with X% in my degree </i>“. I wish to spend this year re-focusing on what I wish to truly accomplish in life, I have dreams and ambitions, but this year is the year I action them. Starting my mood boards, we use them at work as a useful starting point, so I figure the same should work for me personally.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Growth [noun]</b></span></div>
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<li class="li1"><span class="s2"></span><span class="s1"> The process of increasing in amount, value, or importance</span></li>
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<span class="s1">And finally, I hope to grow. I hope to grow as a person, I hope to grow professionally and I hope to grow emotionally. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">I hope you have enjoyed this post, but please do let me know what your goals for this (already disappearing) year are. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 11px;">You can always leave a comment below, or contact me on any of my social media I am going to try to 'micro blog' more on instagram so keep your eyes peeled for some real time thoughts from inside my head.</span></center>
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Steph<br /><br />
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Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00551571391894540375noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1019284520249497657.post-19984519367941374122016-12-25T12:00:00.000+00:002016-12-25T12:00:26.270+00:00Merry Christmas!<center style="text-align: left;">
Well we all made it, Christmas is finally here. I actually hope no one is reading this post because that means they are spending time with their loved ones, but if I'm being totally honest that lull moment after Christmas dinner is optimum time for scouring the internet.</center>
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<b>So I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. </b></center>
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2016 has been such a magical year (<i>personally</i>), and although there is still a week to go, we all know that Christmas pretty much marks the end of the year. Thanks for sticking around, or joining me on this crazy adventure. 2017 is going to be bigger and better on throughstephseyes! So make sure you are following me on all my social media listed below. Lets become friends (<i>meant in the least creepy way possible of course!)</i></center>
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Now go on, grab another mince pie for me and see you shortly!</center>
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Steph<br /><br />
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Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00551571391894540375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1019284520249497657.post-15756703605687384002016-12-22T16:00:00.000+00:002016-12-22T16:00:24.147+00:00Winter essentials<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Well it's official, everyone is packing up their work for Christmas, and (<i>apparently</i>) there is a storm on the way here in the UK, and it was -1 this morning, so I see absolutely no reason why we should leave the house. So its time to pull out those cosy clothes and sit back and enjoy the rest of the festive period. So I have compiled a list of my absolute winter essentials for you to have a read of. Odds are you have most of this stuff crammed in a drawer somewhere, <i>so hopefully this will refresh your memory.</i></div>
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<a name='more'></a>I don’t know about you but the one thing that I can’t stand about winter is how cold and wet everything gets, so you may notice a theme below. As soon as the temperature dips, or its that dreaded time of the month (<i>need I say more</i>) I grab for the nearest heat-generating item. Now I have loads of these including the ones that have beads inside and you put in the microwave, or teddy bears with bits that you take out to heat up which smell of lavender. Honestly, they were a lifesaver when I was rushed into hospital with appendicitis. Who says a 20 year old can’t arrive in a hospital with a soft teddy bear - not this girl thats for sure. But I digress…. If you are a uni student, or just a human, a hot water bottle type this is just such an essential. Mine pictured is one from Tesco and I don’t think it cost me more that a few quid (<i>yes I know</i>). It appears this time of year due to its patterned sleeve (<i>which I have no doubt is very obvious to you</i>). So grab your hot water bottle and keep it tight this winter, think of those savings on the heating!<div>
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Now I am not the first blogger, nor human being to talk about the modest woolly jumper, but I couldn’t well omit it from my list now could I? I have about five woolly jumpers, none of them are expensive as I find that no matter how good care I take of them, they pluck on doors and loose their shape so easily, it often feels like I’m fighting a loosing battle. The one pictured was <i>£10 in Primark</i> this year, and I also have it in a maroon colour. To be honest with you, most of my woolly jumpers come from Primark and they have served me well. <i>After all who doesn’t like Primark ey?!</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzQCGUhCDUGVCPEbmGKzpEm95jbvkxCnNd__kwVCLqm85FQOwXOH3m1KltQX9WVl2pQ28SuUl6EUHpFJG9SB6hbhKSPXPOybRFVwpO4KzlahQj9qkRkIIPXAxdxa4Blm_dUZ96ULws-Lw/s1600/WE004.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzQCGUhCDUGVCPEbmGKzpEm95jbvkxCnNd__kwVCLqm85FQOwXOH3m1KltQX9WVl2pQ28SuUl6EUHpFJG9SB6hbhKSPXPOybRFVwpO4KzlahQj9qkRkIIPXAxdxa4Blm_dUZ96ULws-Lw/s400/WE004.png" width="277" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKaQRsqARnFAft3uPgBkEbMD4fKoJ_LxBR3n6MKpjbtwSeDfjp3t1B4mVToi9luyUidq_JcqdhFk7PXT6PmDnm62XsqTCBktZZcr_qQ4YQoAB0FV1JWNwavgSvDCWl70KK34dc5vwOW6g/s1600/WE005.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKaQRsqARnFAft3uPgBkEbMD4fKoJ_LxBR3n6MKpjbtwSeDfjp3t1B4mVToi9luyUidq_JcqdhFk7PXT6PmDnm62XsqTCBktZZcr_qQ4YQoAB0FV1JWNwavgSvDCWl70KK34dc5vwOW6g/s400/WE005.png" width="280" /></a></div>
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I am a massive sufferer from dry skin / eczema and it just gets so aggravated this time of year. The worst places for me are my hands and ears, so I have to be so careful with my skincare and shampoo (<i>yay for Boots dermatologically tested moisturiser and Dove shampoo</i>). This is precautions I take all year round, but at winter I need some pretty heavy duty stuff. <i>Elizabeth Arden 8 hour cream </i>fragrance free of course, is my go-to for night time care. I know a lot of people use it as lip save, personally I would never spend that much on an item for that use alone. But I tend to put it anywhere where my skin is especially cracked (ie hands) at night only. Its too much for the day time. I use such a small amount at a time and it still does the job, it may last me the rest of my life!</div>
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My final two winter essentials are things you will definitely have in your house. A comfy dressing gown and soft bed socks. I feel like bed socks are like marmite - you either love them or hate them - but when you are lounging around home, what better than some fluffy bed socks to keep you warm. Mine are from Primark (I’m noticing a theme) and they are perfect. Similarly, a dressing gown is such an essential, this one has cute ears on the hood and is from Dorothy Perkins. Whats better than a dressing gown, a dressing gown with ears of course. <i>BONUS it looks funny when Stephen wears its, so even better.</i></div>
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<span class="s1">I hope you are having an amazing festive period, not long now until work is done - We can get there! Please leave a comment with your winter essentials, I absolutely love every comment I get.</span></div>
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Steph<br /><br />
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Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00551571391894540375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1019284520249497657.post-9530778849217354802016-12-18T17:00:00.000+00:002016-12-18T18:08:43.677+00:00Two essential red lipsticksIT'S (<i>almost</i>) <b>CHRISTMAS!</b> So that means one thing, red lipstick, right?<br />
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Okay, lip colour is not the most important thing at Christmas, it probably doesn't even rank in the top 20 things to get ready of Christmas. But, although this year I have got into lip colours more, my go-to has always been a <i>vibrant red</i>.<br />
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<i>I bought a £2 one years ago, and whenever I went out I would chuck it on and go</i>. I got a lot of compliments about it as well, and it was only the Natural Collection one which stayed all night long and was a perfect red, but it doesn't appear that they sell it anymore, sad times. But I have two ones that I constantly reach for, especially at this time of the year, so I thought I would let you all know and remind myself in case (<i>god forbid</i>) I lose them, or they run out.<br />
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( <b>L</b>: Clinique Pop | <b>R</b>: Revlon Ultra Matte HD ) ( Me wearing Revlon, Love )</small></div>
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The first one I want to talk about is the <a href="http://www.clinique.co.uk/product/1605/35082/makeup/lipsticks/clinique-pop-lip-colour-and-primer">Clinique Pop Lip Colour and Primer</a> in Passion Pop (<i>£16.00</i>). This one is the sample size, it came in a magazine a while ago, but I fully intend to re-purchase. The sample is going down slowly so the real size will last forever I would imagine. It is a demi-matte and it is exactly as I would describe it. It has the longevity of a matte lipstick, but when it catches the light it makes your lips look luscious and healthy. I use this lipstick for evenings out, it tends to last that long and its got a pinky undertone which really works with a smoky eye and cat eye eyeliner. I don't believe in the 'unwritten rule' of either lips or eyes, both is better and we all know it.<br />
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And the second one I absolutely love is the <a href="http://www.boots.com/en/Revlon-Ultra-HD-Matte-Lip-Color_1823473/">Revlon Ultra Matte HD Lip Colour</a> in Love (<i>£8.99)</i>. These have made the round in the blogging world in a big way already, but I cannot describe just how beautiful this red colour is. With a <i>lipgloss style applicator </i>you can create a very sharp line on your lips. Its a true red and doesn't budge. I can but this on at 9am and it will still be hanging round in the evening without being dry and cracking my lips.<br />
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So there it is, my modest two options for red lip colours. Now I have written this post I feel very Christmassy, so I hope you do to. And, I honestly believe that you can never go wrong with a red lipstick. It can instantly upgrade even the simplest make up looks.<br />
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<b>Will you be rocking a red lip this Christmas, if so what one? I am always on the hunt for new red lipsticks!</b></div>
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Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00551571391894540375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1019284520249497657.post-90818829830470087112016-12-11T17:00:00.000+00:002016-12-11T17:00:03.788+00:00Salted caramel fruit cupcakes<div class="p1">
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<span class="s1">Lets kick off this Christmas baking season with <i>an absolutely stunning recipe</i> and what sounds more Christmassy than <i>salted caramel</i> and <i>fruitcake</i>. A combination between a classic Christmas dessert and a modern Christmas taste. Once cooking<b> </b><i>the spices will make your kitchen smell like Christmas,</i> and once eaten the combination of the firm fruity cake and the sticky salted caramel sauce is perfect. Also can be enjoyed with ice cream, something that I would definitely recommend! </span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><u>MAKES</u></b></span><br />
<span class="s1">About 12 cupcakes</span><br />
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<span class="s1"><b><u>BAKING TIME</u></b></span><br />
<span class="s1">15 minutes prep, </span><span class="s1">30 minutes cooking, </span><span class="s1">15 minutes decorating</span><br />
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<span class="s1"><b><u>INGREDIENTS</u></b></span><b><br /></b><span class="s1"><b>FOR THE CAKE</b></span><br />
<span class="s1">75g butter</span><br />
<span class="s1">75g caster sugar</span><br />
<span class="s1">2 large eggs</span><br />
<span class="s1">2 tbsp milk</span><br />
<span class="s1">120g plain flour</span><br />
<span class="s1">2 tsp ground nutmeg</span><br />
<span class="s1">40g almonds</span><br />
<span class="s1">175g mixed dried fruit</span><br />
<span class="s1">Dark rum for brushing (<i>optional</i>)</span><br />
<span class="s1"><b>FOR THE TOPPING</b></span><br />
<span class="s1">Salted caramel sauce </span><span class="s1">(<i>or you could make your own</i>)</span><br />
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<span class="s1"><b><u>EQUIPMENT</u></b></span><br />
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<b><u>1.</u></b> Preheat the oven to <b>170C</b> and put your cupcakes cases in the cupcake tin, <b>12 </b>should be enough<br />
<b><u>2.</u></b> Cream together the butter and sugar, then add the eggs and milk<br />
<b><u>3.</u></b> Mix together flour, baking powder and nutmeg in a separate bowl, them combine with the butter/sugar/egg mixture<br />
<b><u>4.</u></b> Ground the almonds either by hand or in a food processor, then add to the other mixture<br />
<b><u>5.</u></b> Fold the dried fruit into the mixture<br />
<b><u>6.</u></b> Put mixture into cupcake cases and bake for 30 minutes<br />
<b><u>7.</u></b> When baked, and risen and firm leave to cool<br />
<b><u>8.</u></b> Once cool lightly brush dark rum over the top and decorate with salted caramel sauce<br />
<b><u>9.</u></b> <i>Enjoy your creation!</i><br />
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<span class="s1">I really hope you enjoy my first Christmas-related baking post, I thoroughly enjoyed making and eating these and hope you do to!</span></div>
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Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00551571391894540375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1019284520249497657.post-92025766560154841742016-12-06T20:30:00.000+00:002016-12-06T20:30:36.045+00:00So, are you doing blogmas?<div class="p1">
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Let's kick off the first of my seasonal posts with a bang - <i>a post about my inner thoughts of course! (haha)</i></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>The Christmas countdown is clearly in full swing,</b> everything is covered in twinkly lights, the shops are crazy busy, and even the weather is cold and crisp. After my failed attempt last year, it would seem plausible for me to have announced five days ago that I was in-fact embarking on completing some degree of increased regular and structured Christmas blogging, affectionately known as blogmas. Although I had planned to do so, and worked out some post ideas, I suddenly lost interest. <i>The first of December came and went and I had absolutely no photo inspiration</i>. The thought of it filled me with dread. What if I failed again? Was I just setting myself up to fail? Is there really any point? Would anyone bother to read it anyway?</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>I truly respect any blogger out there who decides to do blogmas</b>, because let's be honest, it is really bloody hard. Trying to daily or bi-daily blog when I already have a million things to do, at work, at home, when would I ever have time to sleep?</span></div>
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<span class="s1">And thats when I realised, blogging should only ever be fun, and if it is simply not fun then it really isn’t worth doing. Thats when I reached a compromise, I will increase my number of posts, but on a more <i>ad hoc</i> basis. You may get <b>3</b> posts in a row, but you may also not get a post for<b> 4</b> days. Its that flexibility which I believe will see me through this month blogging-wise.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>My aim with the upcoming weeks is to spread some holiday cheer</b>, I know how it feels to dread Christmas due to a variety of reasons, but I also know how amazing the blogging community is at bringing me out of even the worst of moods. I hope to write and upload, gulp, at least <b><i><u>10</u></i></b> posts between now and the <i>25th</i>, including everything from<i> recipes, gift ideas, musings about long distance relationships and mental health, and just lots of red, white and green</i>.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">So as the weather gets colder, the nights get darker, grab a hot chocolate and join me on my Christmas blogging adventure!</span></div>
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Steph<br /><br />
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Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00551571391894540375noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1019284520249497657.post-23329332514428092782016-11-21T10:00:00.000+00:002016-11-21T10:00:47.279+00:0011 thoughts we all have half way to pay day<div class="p1">
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As we are now over half way to pay day, that hole in our bank accounts has reared its ugly head again so I bet you can relate to these 11 thoughts. Also applicable those who are waiting those agonising months for the next student loan to drop.</div>
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<b><u>ONE: </u></b>*Checks bank account* How on earth is this even possible, I haven’t spent anything this month</div>
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<span class="s1"><b><u>TWO: </u></b></span>Well, there was that shopping trip the other day, but I needed everything I bought especially the new lipstick</div>
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<span class="s1"><u><b>THREE: </b></u></span>Maybe I should sit here and work out a budget to survive the rest of the month</div>
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<span class="s1"><u><b>FOUR: </b></u></span>Crap, its November, do you think my mum will mind only getting soap this year for Christmas?</div>
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<span class="s1"><u><b>FIVE: </b></u></span>Oh and I have that drinks catch up with my friends next week, soda and lime it is then </div>
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<span class="s1"><u><b>SIX: </b></u></span>And my phone bill comes out at the end of the month, why do I forget this every month?</div>
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<span class="s1"><u><b>SEVEN: </b></u></span>Scribbles a bunch of numbers down and types them into a calculator</div>
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<span class="s1"><u><b>EIGHT: </b></u></span>So, if I live off of £2 a day, I will not have to go into my overdraft this month</div>
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<span class="s1"><u><b>NINE: </b></u></span>Frantically googles “how much are my 3 year old textbooks worth?”</div>
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<span class="s1"><u><b>TEN: </b></u></span>After all this maths and stress I deserve a £3 specialty Christmas drink from Starbucks</div>
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<span class="s1"><u><b>ELEVEN: </b></u></span>How do I end up doing this EVERY month? Next month will be different I promise!</div>
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Hang in there guys, we are almost there!</div>
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Steph<br /><br />
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Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00551571391894540375noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1019284520249497657.post-15471693382810297942016-11-13T17:00:00.000+00:002016-11-13T17:00:17.066+00:00Autumnal beauty tonesSo, <b>I have finally got round to writing my first exclusively autumnal post</b>, and a new beauty post. Phew! And what better place to start than with the colour of the season, or should I say colours. As soon as the weather changes so does everyones colours of choice, and in this post I am going to share you a few of my favourite autumnal-toned products, mostly lips (<i>that must say alot</i>) at all different levels of the berry/plum-ness scale.
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<span class="s1">What better place to start than at the <i>less bold level</i>. This would occupy the ‘<i>I’m slowly breaking myself into the autumn beauty season</i>’ realm. I love <b>Kate Moss’s lipstick range</b>, its price point and quality of product are simply unrivalled in my opinion, it also gets extra points for being super easy to get hold of. For this post though I am going to specifically talk about </span><span class="s2"><a href="http://www.superdrug.com/Rimmel/Rimmel-Kate-Moss-Lipstick-Shade-5/p/301350">Kate Moss 'number 5</a>'. </span><span class="s1">I love this colour and combined with the</span><span class="s2"> <a href="http://www.superdrug.com/Rimmel/Rimmel-1000-Kisses-Lipliner-Indian-Pink-4/p/516641">1000 kisses 'Indian Pink' lip liner</a>, also by Rimmel, </span><span class="s1">it finishes off the lip look perfectly and will stay in place all day. <i>I can’t completely verify that it will last for 1000 kisses, so you may need to check this out for yourself</i>. But if eating burgers is more your thing then the liner is perfect. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Why don’t we move onto eyes, before finishing with full on plum lips! For eyes I absolutely adore the <a href="http://www.boots.com/en/Maybelline-EyeStudio-Color-Tattoo-24hr-Cream-Gel-Eyeshadow_1253778/">Maybelline Colour Tattoo Cream eyeshadow</a> in ‘<i>Metalic Pomegranate</i>’,</span><span class="s1">I am fully aware that Colour Tattoos have had internet ‘hype’ for the longest time now. But on my quest to find the perfect <b>berry / plum toned eyeshadow</b>, this is all I could find. It simply lasts for the longest time and has an amazing metallic finish, perfect for the party season! I also love the <a href="http://www.boots.com/en/Rimmel-Magnifeyes-Eyeshadow-Palette-Grunge-Glamour_1903291/">Rimmel Magnif'eyes Eyeshadow Palette</a> in ‘<i>Grunge Glamour</i>’,</span><span class="s1"> it has an amazing selection of colours, including the red toned one. If you are on a <b>budget but are looking for an all round amazing eyeshadow palette, go give this one a swatch</b>.</span></div>
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<small><b>Top-Bottom: </b>Sloane's Plum, Dark Berry, Kate Moss No5</small></div>
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<span class="s1">Onto (<i>in my humble opinion</i>) the best part, the heat I will call ‘<b><i><u>proper plum</u></i></b>’ lipsticks. I have two here, both drugstore, both amazing. The first is <a href="http://www.boots.com/en/No7-Match-Made-Stay-Perfect-Lipstick-3-2g_1861136/">No7’s Match Made Stay Perfect lipstick</a> in '<i>Dark Berry</i>'. I got this then my mum had a voucher for a free No7 lipstick, as the were promoting their skin match service, unlike the adverts to my disappointment there was no nifty machine telling you what skin tone you were, instead there were paint swatch-like pieces of paper, to cut a long story short , after consulting the swatch it gave three recommendations and <i>dark berry</i> was one of them. This lipstick does exactly what it says on the tin and is a dark glossy berry. <u>Caution though, in my experience it does like to smudge</u>.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">By far my favourite autumnal lipstick has to be <a href="http://www.superdrug.com/Rimmel/Rimmel-Moisture-Renew-Lipstick-Sloane%27S-Plum/p/744370">Rimmel London’s</a> '<i>Sloane’s Plum</i>', it is just gorgeous. It has amazing colour pay off and stays for a good amount of time. And when it does fade, it doesn’t fade in a patchy way. I found this little gem last year and I still honestly love it today and was waiting eagerly to crack it out again. <b><u>I could not recommend this lipstick enough.</u></b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">I hope you have enjoyed this post, please do leave me any of your favourite autumnal themed makeup products. <b>Although it is almost Christmas, so time to bring out those letterbox reds</b>. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Thank you so much for reading,</span></div>
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<span class="s1">(there may be a bonus post this week to make up for the lack of posts last week, so stay tuned).</span></div>
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Steph<br /><br />
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Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00551571391894540375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1019284520249497657.post-29388193189063424542016-10-29T18:30:00.000+01:002016-10-29T18:30:23.859+01:00Thoughts and reflections on my use of social media<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><i>What would happen if suddenly social media stopped working, do those three minutes here and there throughout a day actually amount to a significantly missed amount of time?</i></span><br />
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Without a doubt social media has become a tool of mass distraction and procrastination in most people's lives, I am absolutely not an exception to this. With most of our lives being centred around the use of a computer or a smartphone, the temptation of scrolling through our favourite social media websites is quite literally a click away. Going to work and using my personal Mac has proved that as my social media accounts are already logged in, a lot of the time this can prove a large temptation. But <i>when would this be seen as a damaging or negative almost obsessive relationship?</i> For me it is the sheer amount of time I spend automatically on auto-pilot checking Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat everyday.<span class="s1"></span></div>
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<span class="s1">The first thing I do every single morning after turning off my alarm is check all four of the previously mentioned apps on my phone, and this is absolutely not dependent on whether or not there is a visible notification that would hook my interest. As I write this I fully understand just how ridiculous this is, so every morning rather than get out of bed, have a shower, get some food (<i>ect</i>) I would rather click <i>'like</i>' a few times to show to a person whom I have limited contact with that I have somewhat enjoyed what they have shared with the world.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">This is obviously not exclusive to the morning. I have a break in my day from doing work or physically talking to people, you can bet Facebook is open, I am trying to write an assignment nope I must check all four apps first, going to bed? sure after I just check that I haven't missed anything. This is where for me I think this obsession lies, in the fear that if I don't continue with such activities I will in fact miss out on something crucial and forever live in ignorance.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">But let's be honest here the majority of social media is filled with rubbish! And the posts often on there I do not even enjoy with people whom I may not have had any real contact with for years. Like people in relationships where they are being over sharing, constant updates on people's babies, engagements, rants about absolutely nothing, spelling mistakes and the Over Capitalization Of Words (<i><b>grrrrr why, just why!</b></i>) And only <b>1%</b> of posts actually are of interest to me and my life <i>(like news, job ads, advise, people wiring about train problems, traffic ect</i>). So it then becomes clear that for the time I spend on such websites I get so little out of it and as they say '<i>time is money</i>' and I am getting very little out of my '<i>money</i>'.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i>Think of all those brief moments a day where I could not damage my eyes on small font which is projected through harsh blue lighting and simply relax. And when I sit there and try to do work, actually do work rather than spend an hour learning of what song lyrics people are currently relating to.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s1">In the past I have deleted my Facebook app, logged out of Facebook on my Mac for the simple reason of I was sick of seeing ridiculous posts and comments and wanted 'a break' to see just how much more time I would have to achieve other things. Yes, that's right, I wanted a break from a website that does not enrich my life whatsoever. And you know what, I really didn't miss it that much. Facebook missed me however, emailing me '<i>what you have missed</i>' only telling me what I suspected, I had not missed anything worthwhile whatsoever.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">This inability to physically contact the '<i>social</i>' world occurred again last year, this time in a much more organic and unintentional occasion. Okay, thats my way of putting 'my phone fell out of my bag and remained on the living room floor whilst I was in London at uni'. Now I suspect (if you had read this far) you have one of two simple reactions, <b>ONE: </b><i>Oh well, do you even need it </i><b>TWO: </b><i>How could you cope, did you make awkward eye contact with someone on the train?</i> Well, I am not writing this post from the grave so I did survive</span>, despite my anxiety induced state. My brain was constantly panicking, <i>had I got on the right train</i>? <i>How could I possibly know, I can’t just check</i>! <i>What happens if something happens to me</i> and <i>I get stabbed</i>, <i>how will anyone know</i>. <i>What if I get lost</i>. I completely understand that in this situation, it wasn’t being although social media that had me panicked, but my inability to contact anyone if I fall into trouble. But anyway... I got into university, went to my lecture, and back home. Surely enough I had only missed about three facebook notifications, two texts and some twitter stuff. So, five hours without social media, <i>was it really that bad? </i></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>But</b> on the other side of the debate, social media has proved so important and a force for good in a lot of circumstances. It is the main way that people access news stories, and ways that smaller events that would not have been covered by mainstream media can become the talking point of millions across the world with one click of a button. Hashtags have been created as a simple and understated way of people saying they care. That excruciating pain of feeling alone, and that no one wants to hear your story is eradicated by turning on a webcam, uploading to a website, and finding others who feel the same thus beginning a friendship realer than any friendship experienced in the traditional sense. Families geographically broken up can feel closer than ever, catching up for free, seeing the events that would have normally been missed out on and casually ‘<i>liking</i>’ to show that they are still part of that narrative. This list would truly go on forever.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">I think its a balance. Like everything in life, too much of one thing is damaging. So therefore this is not a confessional of me saying that I am never going to use Facebook, Instagram Twitter or Snapchat ever again and you should all join my bandwagon and we should embrace the simpler life of Fax machines and dial up. It is simply me questioning why I devote such time to gain relatively little, and in that attitude simply try and use it much less and look beyond a screen and enjoy the 'real world' out there. <b><u>Also I hope to start a discussion,</u></b><i> have you ever taken time to question your use of social media? What do you think of your relationship with Social Media? Have you been able to restrict your use to a level in which becomes much less wasteful?</i></span></div>
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Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00551571391894540375noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1019284520249497657.post-50172157990721454072016-10-20T18:00:00.000+01:002016-10-20T18:00:10.400+01:00The best low-fat carrot cake recipe <div class="p1">
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<span class="s1">In honour of national baking week I decided to share with you my absolute favourite recipe for <u style="font-weight: bold;">carrot cake </u><i>with a cinnamon vanilla topping</i>, the perfect autumnal cake. Whilst cooking this beauty the <b>mixed spice will turn your kitchen into the epitome of what autumn smells like</b>. Then enjoy this beautiful cake with a warming drink to <i>banish that autumn chill</i>. This recipe is lightly adapted from <a href="http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/international/european/british/low-fat-moist-carrot-cake">Delia Smith’s one on her website</a>, but in my humble opinion it is the best one out there despite it being low fat, so a win all round. </span><br />
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<span class="s1">1½ level teaspoons bicarbonate of soda</span></div>
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<span class="s1">3 rounded teaspoons mixed spice</span></div>
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<span class="s1">grated zest 1 orange</span></div>
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<span class="s1">5 large carrots, peeled and coarsely grated</span></div>
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<span class="s1">175 g sultanas</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>FOR THE TOPPING</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">250 g Quark</span></div>
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<span class="s1">20 g caster sugar</span></div>
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<span class="s1">2 teaspoons vanilla extract</span></div>
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<span class="s1">1 rounded teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus a little extra for dusting</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>FOR THE SYRUP GLAZE</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">juice ½ small orange</span></div>
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<span class="s1">1 dessertspoon lemon juice</span></div>
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<span class="s1">40 g brown soft sugar</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>EQUIPMENT</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">One deep brownie-style square tin </span></div>
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<span class="s1">(mine was 8 inches by 8 inches) lined and greased</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Wooden spoon or hand mixer </span></div>
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<span class="s1">T</span>o grate the carrots I used a food processor, </div>
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so much quicker and saves your fingers!<br />
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<span class="s1"><b><u>METHOD:</u></b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><u>1.</u></b> Whisk the 175 g brown sugar, eggs and oil together in a bowl using an electric hand whisk for 2-3 minutes</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><u>2. </u></b>Mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda and the mixed spice into the bowl</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><u>3.</u></b> Fold in the orange zest, carrots and sultanas </span></div>
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<span class="s1">4. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake on the centre shelf of the oven for 35-40 minutes, until it is well risen and feels firm and springy to the touch when lightly pressed in the centre</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><u>5.</u></b> While the cake is cooking, make the topping by mixing all the ingredients in a bowl until light and fluffy, then cover with clingfilm and chill for 1-2 hours or until needed</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><u>6.</u></b> Make the syrup glaze by whisking together the fruit juices and sugar in a bowl</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><u>7. </u></b>When the cake comes out of the oven, stab it all over with a skewer and quickly spoon the syrup over as evenly as possible</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><u>8. </u></b>Leave the cake on one side to cool in the tin, during which time the syrup will be absorbed</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><u>7.</u></b> When the cake is completely cold, remove it from the tin, spread the topping over and dust with a little more cinnamon</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><u>8. </u></b>Enjoy with a cup of tea (<i>or hot drink of your choosing</i>)</span></div>
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<span class="s1">I hope you enjoy this recipe post, recipes are always the most viewed on this humble little blog, I guess that is a not so subtle hint of what people like to see most of from me. It is truly tasty, even my dad who is not a cake person enjoyed it. Please let me know if you do end up making it!</span></div>
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Steph<br /><br />
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<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><small><a href="http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/international/european/british/low-fat-moist-carrot-cake"><i>This recipe is lightly adapted from Delia Smith’s, I do not take credit for the creation of this recipe. The original can be found on her website.</i></a></small></center>
Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00551571391894540375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1019284520249497657.post-14897842096613272012016-10-16T18:06:00.000+01:002016-10-16T18:06:11.946+01:00Five things to do on a Sunday eveningThe shops are closed, the weather is miserable, and dare I say it, tomorrow is Monday. It feels like you have put off a million things until now. But, my modest list will help you feel more organised and energised for the week ahead.<br />
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<span class="s1"><u><b>ONE: </b>Plan</u></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Really get a sense of what is coming up this week by looking at your diary. Fill in anything you have already forgotten and put any ‘<i>to-do’s</i>’ in a sticky on your desktop. This way you can start the week with everything visibly in front of you. Planning any travel arrangements you may need to in advance. Make sure to put some fun things in there as well, <i>a coffee with mates, or even a quick visit to the shops</i>. Get that work-life balance under control from the start.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><u><b>TWO: </b>Switch off</u></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Get rid of all of that high energy weapon of mass distraction. Put your phone on ‘do not disturb’, and shut the lid of your laptop. Not only will this help you slowly switch off your brain (<i>hopefully</i>), but it will also banish those nasty blue lights, making it easier to drift off to sleep.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><u><b>THREE: </b>Pack</u></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Is there any greater joy than jumping out of bed and everything being ready for you? Of course there isn’t. I find by packing my lunch, putting everything in my bag and pulling out some clothes for tomorrow really makes me feel as though I have every ready to go. Hopefully making the morning that bit easier.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><u><b>FOUR: </b>Indulge</u></span></div>
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<span class="s1">You know that chocolate sitting at the back of the fridge, or that cake you have lying around, (<i>as you can tell from the image I had a gorgeous berry muffin</i>) it's time to have a bite. There is no better time for a little indulgence than on a Sunday evening. Really treat yourself, put on a face mask and feel like you are the most important person in the world, because you are.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><u><b>FIVE: </b>Read</u></span></div>
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<span class="s1">You have time to, pull out a book or magazine, get under the blanket and start reading. With your chocolate in tow, and a hot drink of your choice, being transported to a different time and fully immersed in the richness of the word on the page can be the welcome distraction you need. </span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><i>I hope you have an amazing week.</i></b></span></div>
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Steph</div>
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Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00551571391894540375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1019284520249497657.post-72930834600606429752016-10-11T18:00:00.000+01:002016-10-11T18:00:15.029+01:00How to cope with disappointment (In eight easy steps)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We all have to deal with disappointment at some point in our lives. Sometimes its the disappointment at McDonalds cleaning the milkshake machine, others its the heart crushing news that you finished 0.68% under the grade boundary for your degree. I write this both to help others, but to help push myself through the latter. Please comment below any advice you all have, because it will not fall on deaf ears.<br />
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<span class="s1"><b><u>ONE: </u>Cook/Order your favourite meal</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Yes you heard me, its not only celebrations that call for greasy, most likely cheese covered foods. Treat yourself, and whilst you're at it buy some chocolate, it is very much needed</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><u>TWO: </u>Run a bath</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Not just any bath, run a bath filled will all your favourite lotions and potions. Lush bath products aren’t necessary, but are extremely recommended. Who can feel disappointed in a blue glittery bath (the answer is of course no one)</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><u>THREE: </u>Put on your favourite PJs</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Yes, preferably freshly washed. That just adds to the magic if I’m being honest.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><u>FOUR: </u>Vent</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Vent hard. If no one will take your call scream to all the sad songs. Write it all down in a fit of rage, ball it up, rip it up, blame the world, and chuck it away. It will do wonders for your mood.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><u><b>FIVE:</b></u><b> Talk to your mum</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Just do it, mums always have the best advice.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><u>SIX:</u> Get yourself a hot drink</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Good old English breakfast tea, but hot chocolate covered in cream is also good.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><u>SEVEN:</u> Realise its not the end of the world</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">It may feel totally shit, but the world hasn’t stopped spinning, and this isn’t the end of your life (<i>though it may feel like it</i>). Use it to fuel you. This disappointment will be the start of your times bestseller biography as a hurdle you overcame. </span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><u>EIGHT: </u>Plot world domination</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">So this bit of your life didn’t work out, what are you going to do next. Big dreams only. Pintrest that stuff, create mood boards. Don’t give up.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><i>I hope you enjoyed this extra post, it was very therapeutic to write to be honest. Now I’m gonna go make myself a cup of tea and figure out what next.</i></b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Thanks for reading this post, and my blog in general. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">You will never know, because I could never say, how much it means to me.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Love as always, </span></div>
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Steph<br /><br />
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Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00551571391894540375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1019284520249497657.post-47634814622819714012016-10-08T18:04:00.000+01:002016-10-08T18:04:00.267+01:00Greetings from Torrevieja!<br />
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<span class="s1">As you can probably tell I have been absent again from blogging. I will explain part A of where I have been.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">For ten days in mid-September Stephen (my boyfriend) and I escaped the fast approaching British autumn, to the sunny Torrevieja, Spain. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">I’m not going to lie to you, this time last year I had not heard of Torrevieja, so heres a quick geography lesson. Torrevieja is located in Spain’s southeaster Alicante province and sits along the hugely popular and sandy Costa Blanca. The nearest big airport is Alicante, and from London the flight will take you little over two and a half hours. The average price for an off peak flight is about £40 to £50 each way. Taxi’s from Alicante airport to Torrevieja are about €50 and don’t really need to be booked. Few, now onto the fun stuff.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">After waking up at 3am, or say after having a short nap and leaving the house shortly after 3am, we took the short journey to Luton airport to begin our holiday. Being at an airport at stupid o'clock is such a mundane experience. You have to force yourself to stay awake, whilst I attempted to force some Pret porridge down me (which is simply amazing), to avoid getting hungry later on. It wasn’t long until the gate was called, and then it really began to feel like we were heading on holiday.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">When arriving at Alicante airport, we were tired to say the least, but had to wait for the bus and had a mammoth journey to the apartment, lets not go into this here. A taxi is the way forward, and this is the advice I will give to every member of my family. The extra bit of money is SO worth it. About four hours after we landed, we arrived at the apartment. And the only cure for the sticky tired way I was feeling was to jump in the pool, I can confirm this made me fell so much better. Until I fell asleep on the sofa in my towel after my shower. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Luckily we were able to stay in my Uncle’s apartment, otherwise, both of us having just completed a years masters degree wouldn’t have been able to go on holiday (our total holiday came to under £400 each). Furthermore, the state of the euro and the uncertainty of BREXIT only emphasised the close reality that this year we would not be able to go on holiday despite desperately needing to. This presented us with a self-catered reality, something that I have never personally done before but I honestly completely recommend it. Especially in Torrevieja, the local supermarket was only a short distance from our apartment, and was filled with lots of extremely affordable groceries, (€1 large bag of croissants made our life, then the muffins yay for convenience food) and most importantly, eating out was ridiculously cheap. On average our food bill for three courses, and most of the time a bottle of wine (ice cream is often complementary) was about €40 or £35 (£18 per head). I know what your thinking, ‘well Steph, thats all well and good but I bet the food is disgusting and barely edible’, well you would be surprised. Every meal we had was amazing. From Indian food (haha) to tapas, there was not one meal that we had that was even below decent. The requirement to go out and eat rather than amble down to a hotel restaurant made the holiday so much more adventurous whilst supporting the local economy and small businesses. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Like most apartments in Torrevieja, we had access to the private apartment pool, and the sandy beach was a mere 20 minutes walk away (in the heat the it felt so much longer, I will be honest there). But as we went slightly off season, we had the pool largely to ourselves despite the beach constantly being packed.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Although we went in the middle of September, the weather was still amazing, averaging about 28 degrees celsius during the day and 24 degrees in the evening. We both tanned amazingly, and didn’t burn! Thanks in part to being sensible and staying out of the sun at he hottest part of the day. Our days were completely relaxed, often spent on the patio by to pool reading a book. This was exactly the holiday we wanted after the past four years of intense studying, and the city break we had last year in Bruges.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">We do plan on going back next year, this time having a hire car so we can see more of Torrevieja Southern Spain. I believe Stephen is planning on attending a football game, yay(!). I want to do some shopping. So lets hope this time I actually have some money.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">I couldn’t recommend self-catering enough, it brought a level of flexibility to our holiday. No running to make breakfast like last year. And I would recommend checking out Torrevieja if you are looking for a cheap relaxing holiday with guaranteed sunshine.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Next post will be autumnal, I promise.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Steph x</span></div>
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Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00551571391894540375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1019284520249497657.post-12246911776276041252016-10-01T19:10:00.000+01:002016-10-01T19:10:27.971+01:00October goals<br />
So as autumn is creeping into England causing the air to freshen up and crispin, <i>I’ve decided to compile some autumn goals for both my blog and life in general</i>.<br />
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<span class="s1">I always see the autumn as a fresh start. Whether it be starting a school year or beginning at university there is something beautiful in the promise of a fresh start. <i>A chance to reinvent yourself, renew, refresh, do better than you ever have, meet new people, start new adventures. </i>Although I have finished my academic life, I have just started a job which seemingly confirms my desire to make the months between <b>September and December a chance to reflect and refresh, to make things better than they have been in the past</b>. I am an avid believer in if you write something down, you are more likely to achieve it, so here I go, a somewhat modest list of what I hope to achieve this month.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><u>Become healthier</u></b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Yes I know,</b> can you get any more <i>stereotypical?</i> But for me this encompasses not only exercising and eating better, but a healthier mindset and attitude towards everything. I am a worrier, I worry about everything. Heck I even worry about worrying or not worrying. This is a continual life goal of mine, and you know what, I am starting to kick butt with this one. I genuinely feel like a more positive person all round, which is only a good thing in my eyes.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Onto the physical side of things. I let some weight creep on whilst I was on holiday, so I hope to loose that (<i>and more</i>), although I still am a stone lighter than I was last year so I must keep this in mind. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">I also really want to start swimming again, weekly at first. I love swimming, its both physically good for me, and mentally. When I’m swimming my mind goes blank and all my stresses simply wash away. This is rare, <i>my brain is always at 1000mph, racing through every thought of what has been and what might be</i>, to switch this off for even an hour is beautiful and I look forward to actively achieving this.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Another vein of this goal is to start eating lunch at lunch time. It is ridiculous. At work I let the hours creep away and ‘forget’ to eat lunch until between 3 and 5 o’clock, <i>if at all</i>. As someone who suffers from the tragic illness of becoming ‘<i>h<b>-</b>angry</i>’ I need to stop doing this<b> ASAP, starting Monday</b>. I also believe setting ten or so minutes from my day to eat something and look away from my laptop will be amazing for my eyes (well I also need to start wearing my glasses, but moving along).</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><u>Read more</u></b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">After struggling with a lot of things for the past few years, it felt like the ‘fun’ parts of my life where I did tasks simply because I liked to do so, and all my hobbies were lost. I lost a huge part of my personality through this simple disinterest in anything. But I have started reading again, and I wish to do so more. I am currently reading 11/22/63 by Stephen King, and it is a beast of a book compared to the short ‘summer reads’ I read on holiday. I am going to stick to it and read a bunch more books off of my ‘to read’ list.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><u>Establish a work life balance so I can live for now</u></b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">This is another thing I have been a whole lot of crap at. As I am a worrier, I worry about ‘<i>if I go out I will be too tired for work</i>’ ect ect. This is simply ridiculous. I get one life, and as my mum is always telling me, I shouldn’t be wishing it away. As a student the majority of my life I have always been wishing my life away, <i>waiting for exams to be over, waiting for summer, waiting to start university, waiting to finish university, waiting to start my masters, waiting to get a job, So what have I spent the last 18 years doing then?</i> Waiting. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Although when you are in a long distance relationship, <b>it does always feel like you are on a countdown clock</b>, we currently have no trips planned (<i>I know, its breaking my heart</i>) so I am off the countdown at the moment, and can bring an element of spontaneity to our visits. Lets hope this attitude continues, for the sake of my mental health.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><u>Go on more adventures</u></b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">As I have already emphasised, I am a worrier. Therefore, I tend to lock myself away from the world and the only place I tend to venture is the kitchen. However, I also have a massive desire to travel to wherever I physically can. Although money is (<i>very</i>) tight at the moment, I have so many places in the UK that I would like to visit. I have never been to Scotland, Wales or Ireland and have many other places within England that I would like to visit. 9/10 of these places are easily accessible by train. So no excuses, I need to do more traveling.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">I do feel like all of these goals merge into one major goal of trying to improve my mental health, but oh well. There is no real ‘<i>timeline</i>’ on these either, I hope these are a continual thing that become part of my life naturally. <i>Lets see how well/crap I do.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i>What are your goals this October, or this Autumn in general? </i>I would love to know.</span></div>
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Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00551571391894540375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1019284520249497657.post-48332071267839813102016-09-08T13:57:00.000+01:002016-09-08T13:57:04.490+01:00Starting afresh This has been weighing on <b>my mind for a long time</b>, so lets just press the refresh button and start again.<br />
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<small><b>Covent Garden</b> | London</small></div>
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<span class="s1">Whats the first thing you do when something is not working at its best? Easy, you turn it off and turn it back on, or ‘<i>restart</i>’. <u>That is exactly what I hope to do with this blog</u>. For such a long time I really hated this blog, hated its name, and hated what I talked about, hated the design, the list was endless. I felt as though <b>I had pigeonholed myself</b> (<i>I know ridiculous</i>) into blogging about such a small range of topics that I didn’t want to talk about so I decided to not blog at all. I touched on this <a href="http://throughstephseyes.blogspot.com/2016/07/a-little-failure-and-big-silver-lining.html">in this post </a>but had hoped that by simply ‘<i>refreshing</i>’ some of the pages on my blog, I would fall back in love. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Despite all of this, <i>I felt as though I could only blog about ‘beauty’ and ‘hauls</i>’, but really my most read posts happened to be recipes, days out, and chatty posts. I also lusted about writing on topics relating to the international. Something I had spent four years of my life studying intensively, and now wishing to share what I know and facilitate debates. Despite this, I felt as though I simply couldn’t, ‘<b>stephjayne</b>’ was not that kind of blog, I had created it for a different purpose and it just felt stale, old and outdated. </span></div>
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<small><b>Covent Garden </b>| London</small></div>
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<span class="s1">As I type this I realise just how stupid this is, but by changing my blogs name to ‘Through Steph’s Eyes’ I feel like I have unchained myself from a prison that I had created, and can now blog in a much freer and real way. I think this change in opinion has resulted of me growing up. The blogs I read these days have a much wider topic span that simply the latest lipstick launch, they talk about lipsticks but also <i><b>openly and explicitly on sex</b>, relationships, money, the world</i>. So why on earth can’t this be me?</span></div>
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<span class="s1">So here I am, typing frantically for the first time in <b><u>AGES</u></b> on this blog, and genuinely excited at the restart. One day I may be writing about the nicest restaurant I visited, the next on an issue about world politics. Thats just me, and this blog shall be a reflection of just that, me. The mosaic of topics that make up who I am. As I grow, I hope this blog will reflexively change as I do. And maybe, just maybe, some of you will come along on this crazy adventure through my life.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i><b>Thanks for all of your love and support, and hope to see you for my next post.</b></i></span></div>
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Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00551571391894540375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1019284520249497657.post-1086403329246883682016-08-02T17:02:00.000+01:002016-08-04T15:56:53.165+01:00My opinion on Revlon's Ultra HD Matte Lip Colours<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Unless you live under a rock (<i>like me 90% of the time</i>) liquid lipsticks, especially of the matte variety, have become big money makers for the beauty industry. And why wouldn’t they? They promise easy application, long lasting finish, in a variety of colours, from nudes to purples. However, many of said matte lipsticks are unbelievably expensive, which is just a no-no if you are a poor student like me, or impossible to get hold of (<i>I’m looking at you <b>NYX</b>, not being stocked in Cambridge, the shame</i>!). <br />
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I have never been one to truly experiment with lip colours. I used to think a pink tinted lipsil was ‘<i>out there</i>’. Give me a nude for the day (<i>if you’re lucky</i>) and a red for evenings out, and I am sorted. Although I did venture into the dizzying heights of <b>plum </b>this autumn (<i>check me out haha</i>). So to say liquid lipsticks appealed to me would be an understatement. Due to the aforementioned problems with buying liquid lipsticks, I was drawn to <b>Revlon’s</b> serving of this mass beauty craze, and with boots running a 3 for 2 offer, I just couldn’t resist going in blind and buying three different shades. Since I purchased mine about a month ago, countless beauty bloggers and youtubers have offered their opinion, but I figured <b>I may as well put my five cents worth in</b>.<br />
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<b>Revlon</b> offers their <a href="http://www.boots.com/en/Revlon-Ultra-HD-Matte-Lip-Color_1823473/">‘<u><b>Ultra HD Matte Lip Colours</b></u>’</a>, and breathe, in seven different colours. I bought the nude ‘<b>Seduction</b>’, the pinky-orange toned one ‘<b>Flirtation</b>’, and the orangey-red ‘<b>Love</b>’. The frequency I have worn them in goes in that order. <br />
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The formulation of these liquid lipsticks is beautiful, nice and creamy and does not dry out your lips, whilst giving a sleek matte finish. So if you have dry lips, like me, these are perfectly wearable without them crisping up and disappearing altogether. If you are worried about your lips drying out, you can definitely wear lipsil underneath and it will not effect the finish of the lip colour. Also the pigmentation is stunning, instantly covering the lips with a vibrant display of colour with only one layer. <b>These liquid lipstick’s stay on the lips all day and do not budge</b>. Trust me on this one, I have eaten burgers, sandwiches, drank coffees and cocktails and the only thing that happens is a small amount of residue is transferred to the food and/or cups. This being said, I did wear Love one ‘<i>clubbing</i>’ night out, and it passed the kiss test, also staying on until the dizzying hours of 3am unlike my shoes. Also, if you do have to reapply, as they are not drying, reapplication is fine and seemingly adds more moisture on top of your lips.<br />
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<b>Seduction</b> is perfect for everyday, it is a <i>browny-nude</i> and flatters even light skin tones like mine. <b>Flirtation</b> was my ‘<b>take a risk colour</b>’ and I absolutely love it. It is perfect for those summery days, <i>that are few and far between in this country</i>, when you have beachy-curls in your hair and are wearing a killer summer dress. <b>Love</b> has fast become my go to night out red. <i>Need I say more</i>?<br />
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However, the only downside I have found to these liquid lipsticks is I find the application to be quite difficult. Due to the applicator, attempting to get a crisp line around the lips is very difficult. I have put lip liners under the liquid lipsticks, especially under Seduction and this has helped me achieve a crisp outline. If you are much better at applying lip colour, you may not find this is a problem to you, hell you may even be screaming at your computer “are you incompetent these are easy to apply”.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQy_k7dQ1Td23m3I3ycoVhkQD-VgbRSc5C6k7xo63Bt047Z1yhsVTIq5wYEXODRun3-xQoqMy8SG7OAOydHcTXQmSKeniQT2YoNrDWpGEeGjISqRq3ueRFCREv_1TtUz04YnXKFrFmm7E/s1600/002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="542" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQy_k7dQ1Td23m3I3ycoVhkQD-VgbRSc5C6k7xo63Bt047Z1yhsVTIq5wYEXODRun3-xQoqMy8SG7OAOydHcTXQmSKeniQT2YoNrDWpGEeGjISqRq3ueRFCREv_1TtUz04YnXKFrFmm7E/s640/002.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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All this being said, I feel like I’m a changed women. I wear something on my lips most days, and now wouldn’t dream of being without a lip colour. So if you are like me, a complete novice when it comes to lipsticks in any variety, I would highly recommend giving these a go. You can be super lazy, as reapplication is not something you have to worry about, and they give a beautiful finish for a <b>product under £10</b>. <br />
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So have you tried these <b>Revlon Ultra HD Matte Lip Colours</b>, <i>if so what is your opinion? have you got on with these? and how do you feel they compare to the higher end products?</i><br />
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<b><i><u>Thanks again for all your support, I am back and better than ever.</u></i></b></div>
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Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00551571391894540375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1019284520249497657.post-17191184532700320802016-07-26T17:00:00.000+01:002016-07-29T15:28:36.023+01:003 Unconventional lessons that I have learnt from university<br />
University is such a large part of anyone's life, and as a person who has not only completed my undergraduate degree <b>but </b>gone back for more I feel as though I have experienced a spectrum of emotions attached to both studying away or living at home. So here, I have written them down for your entertainment.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2omDXVdBCb76ExvgjNOvXkhqkJsvDJoWKBS1CMJmHOifjAgjFlDWrG0Ys3fAuZtXjkGbaLgP1Kgn9P-9J1JdEBCe3ibLBJKeE9UzsDnNkio_O3zzJCXNMz1iLewDffX_xcGvGelCT1RE/s1600/IMG_0443.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="528" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2omDXVdBCb76ExvgjNOvXkhqkJsvDJoWKBS1CMJmHOifjAgjFlDWrG0Ys3fAuZtXjkGbaLgP1Kgn9P-9J1JdEBCe3ibLBJKeE9UzsDnNkio_O3zzJCXNMz1iLewDffX_xcGvGelCT1RE/s640/IMG_0443.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<small>My actual university library | <b>Maughan Library, Chancery Lane</b></small></div>
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<b>1. The library will become your worst enemy and your best friend</b></div>
Those idiots using all the computers to watch friends, those taking <i>no screaming</i> at each othr will grate on you horrendously, alongside the fact that you <i>actually have to do work, </i>will make the stuffy, always cramped, stale smelling library feel like hell on earth. But, after you have sworn off ever entering that building that never has the book you want, you pledge to do all your work in your university prison-esque room (or childhood room). However, then the only human contact you have is occasionally nodding at your roommates (or family) when making your one-hundredth cup of coffee of the day and feel like an absolute recluse. So then you suddenly have fond memories of working in a library, and seeing people you actually now. Thus the vicious circle of pain is born.<br />
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<b>2. You will hate your degree with a passion</b></div>
<i>Why am I doing this? Will this even get me a job? A dissertation, but I HATE this subject? </i>Yes this was me second year of my undergrad, and first few months of my masters. Every piece of work will become an epic. This will feel like an existential crisis, and you feel <i>genuine passion </i>for the younger, version of you who decided to pick <b>this </b>stupid degree. <i>Pure modern history doesn't have an exam, history what is the point anyway especially as I don't want to be a teacher or historian. </i>These feelings will pass when something in you snaps and everything in your life barely feels real anymore.<br />
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<b>3. By your final year you will <i>crave </i>a night out</b></div>
After your foolish first year, and your slightly more sensible, but totally reckless at the same time, second year, third year hits everyone like a ton of bricks. So by the time you are three-quarters of your way through your dissertation, and can hear the misguided youth on their way to da'club, you will enter the f**k it zone, and rally as many people as you can for an impromptu night out, only dragging on your only clean dress and put on an extra layer of mascara and scarlet red lipstick. Its okay though because the three months you have spent working and not drinking has really messed with your alcohol tolerance and you can get pretty drunk after a couple of Aldi-Malibu and Juice concoctions.<br />
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I hope you have enjoyed this different sort of a post. <i>Can you relate to any of these or is it just me?</i><br />
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Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00551571391894540375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1019284520249497657.post-49415597032552856972016-07-19T17:00:00.000+01:002016-07-29T15:25:16.422+01:00A little failure and a big silver lining<br />
As you may be able to instantly notice, this blog has become something of a <i>graveyard. </i>Some of you wonderful people still leave comments, and those comments really brighten even my darkest day.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5YmeOwGJtMP0pMYW1jf2Oj71ZRsuVBZjrlp2d9yS0E3Yp8WmP5ypunlq46tMUCd31cVrbRw7_qPy11gBhTrs0HT17XIvuM9JYJNslDwYRd64RHTJTCg6dW4tvIu4n6C7_tM3AIDz9eEo/s1600/IMG_0312.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5YmeOwGJtMP0pMYW1jf2Oj71ZRsuVBZjrlp2d9yS0E3Yp8WmP5ypunlq46tMUCd31cVrbRw7_qPy11gBhTrs0HT17XIvuM9JYJNslDwYRd64RHTJTCg6dW4tvIu4n6C7_tM3AIDz9eEo/s640/IMG_0312.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<small> <i>A completely random picture of my university</i> | <b>KCL, The Strand</b></small></center>
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There is not a day that goes by that I don't think about this blog (<i>as sad as it sounds</i>) and I see it as a massive failure, just another thing I couldn't stick at (<i>guitar, hockey, the gym ect</i>) and all of a sudden, I hated this blog, I hated its name, I hated all the posts on it, I felt like I couldn't post things that I wanted to like current events, I hated that my photography sucked, and that's when it dawned on me, the months of not posting had come from hating how I had failed. Not just at blogging, but as I saw it, at life. I was 22 and constantly sitting in my room revising, writing essays, applying to jobs, without a friend in the place I lived, or money to do anything.<br />
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My life had become so horrendously boring, that I believed that there was no real urgency to leave my bed in the morning. The past few months have also been interesting, mental health wise,
with small bouts of depression, but most scarily, I don't fully recognise
when I am getting into that state. <i>My mental health history is a long
and arduous story that is for another day</i>. But there comes a point when you have to pay your car tax and stop '<i>screening</i>' AA's calls, if only to tick one thing off your to-do list. Because the truth is, my life has become, as I see it, <i>boring</i>, because I have let it come this way. <i>Being on your own is not <b>sad </b>or <b>boring</b>, </i>sometimes the best thing you can do is really get to know yourself. As cliche as that may sound.<br />
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I guess what I am trying to say is <b>sometimes you just have to suck it up, not waste or wish your life away, and make the most of now</b>. And I am going to try my upmost to do so.<br />
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So what if some blog posts end up as a written monologue like this one, so what if the pictures are <i>sub par, </i>I'm an IR scholar, not a photographer for gods sake, and so what if I decide to write an opinion piece on current events, <i>some things are worth talking about after all. </i><br />
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So I may have <i>failed </i>in my first year-and-a-half of blogging, but you know what, I can't change the past, I can only adjust my future. Which is why <i>the next year-and-a-half</i> <i>will be my best. </i><br />
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<b>Thanks for sticking by me, though I have given you absolutely no reason to.</b><i> </i><br />
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Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00551571391894540375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1019284520249497657.post-53529639502279451922016-04-14T16:50:00.000+01:002016-07-29T15:29:25.071+01:00A couple of current beauty favorites<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyTjXN6EmBUfMIpF0Q3JYfTM4qzIFNwxkZGWkhD9GoHH0xnh1dgsseoGDZa2wLtPmAzfFw_UZGPkMO3UlfFp5JM02JbY6ujesE2quWNcFKJWftfIEG-S4FQmRuL_QDK6q0tQbdH2_gVnE/s1600/002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyTjXN6EmBUfMIpF0Q3JYfTM4qzIFNwxkZGWkhD9GoHH0xnh1dgsseoGDZa2wLtPmAzfFw_UZGPkMO3UlfFp5JM02JbY6ujesE2quWNcFKJWftfIEG-S4FQmRuL_QDK6q0tQbdH2_gVnE/s640/002.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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So as is very evident, I have been somewhat absent from this blog. I only have myself to blame so rather than list off <i>'excuses</i>' I'm just gonna get right to it. I've decided to do a '<b>current favorites</b>' as opposed to a monthly favorites, because I am just cool like that (<i>jokes, it felt weird to do a 'March' favorites half way through April</i>).<br />
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As many people know, I am a massive lover of eyeliner. You can read my post <a href="http://www.stephjayne.co.uk/2015/08/beauty-focus-liquid-eyeliner.html">about it here</a>. I just can't live without doing a winged eyeliner look, I just adore the way it looks on my eyes. But, my eyeliner was running out and I just could not find it in any store with the plastic hygiene wrap on it (<i>don't judge</i>), so I had to live without eyeliner for a while <i>sob. </i>But I finally found <b><a href="http://www.superdrug.com/L%27Oreal-Paris/L%27Oreal-Paris-Super-Liner-Eyeliner-Ultra-Precision-Black/p/629196#.Vafc_re05Ko">L'Oreal Paris Super Liner Eyeliner Ultra Precision Black</a></b> (<i>what a mouthful</i>) again and have fell back into love with it. Its so black and you can create the most precise winged eyeliner ever. For me it is simply the best I have tried.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX6hU-etfKvJdie9EhhAEBXF10ZXzbuhezTZC7vZvPtPjqjll8Pg4p6Csdv747mRIEyBNkL_C4K5ZN35Q9TWZAOtnXy1bKHpHs0FwbHlh4giBOu0hiusijuWIhpv5cA0PYcmBObT18msY/s1600/003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="435" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX6hU-etfKvJdie9EhhAEBXF10ZXzbuhezTZC7vZvPtPjqjll8Pg4p6Csdv747mRIEyBNkL_C4K5ZN35Q9TWZAOtnXy1bKHpHs0FwbHlh4giBOu0hiusijuWIhpv5cA0PYcmBObT18msY/s640/003.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Next, <i>again for my eyes</i>, is a product that has definitely <i>done the rounds</i> blog wise, I am of course talking about the <span class="pd_productNameSpan" itemprop="name"><b><a href="http://www.boots.com/en/Maybelline-Lash-Sensational-Lash-Multiplying-Mascara-9-5ml_1655586/">Maybelline Lash Sensational Lash Multiplying Mascara</a></b>. Firstly, I really hate the packaging, its so bulky which is one of the main reasons I stopped using Maybelline, to be honest with you. But this mascara is pretty amazing for the price, without using an eyelash curler it manages to curl, thicken, and lengthen the lashes with pretty much one coat. It really worth a buy if you are in the market for a new mascara.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX2V7mcLh2Ci5df4P-kHKf2tOdQrOfNoP7dGmhI2JV-v5wIiQPpeEU7hwCfh5OX9p5a1s59fy7ZMnFi5N0RXwn018QFAhyjlYoqjw2i3liMWAJoEn8QWoInPqNw5OUifN_KBW7uancYLs/s1600/004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX2V7mcLh2Ci5df4P-kHKf2tOdQrOfNoP7dGmhI2JV-v5wIiQPpeEU7hwCfh5OX9p5a1s59fy7ZMnFi5N0RXwn018QFAhyjlYoqjw2i3liMWAJoEn8QWoInPqNw5OUifN_KBW7uancYLs/s640/004.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="pd_productNameSpan" itemprop="name">And finally for beauty, I have been loving the </span><span class="pd_productNameSpan" itemprop="name"><b><a href="http://www.boots.com/en/LOreal-Paris-Infallible-Mega-Gloss_1685093/">L'Oreal Paris Infallible Mega Gloss</a></b>. I am really not a lipgloss girl, I find they go sticky and my hair gets stuck to my lips so it turns into a hot mess. However, I have decided to give it a go and bought it in the shade <u><i>protest queen. </i></u>This lip gloss it beautiful, it sits nicely on the lips and gives such a moisturised look. I use this either on its own, on top of nude lipsticks or on top of coloured lipsticks and it always gives a beautiful finish. The brush it also amazing as it is at an angle to help the application go on smooth.</span><br />
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<span class="pd_productNameSpan" itemprop="name">I hope you like these three beauty favorites, <i>what products are you currently loving? </i>I am always interested to try new things! </span><br />
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Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00551571391894540375noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1019284520249497657.post-78228252715068896302016-02-28T16:03:00.000+00:002016-07-29T15:30:19.823+01:00Self-imposed pressure So I sit here in front of my mac attempting to write a blog post for the first time in nine weeks as we have only just got wifi wondering; what to write, what pictures to include, how to start my 2016 blogging style off, and then out of pretty much nowhere a topic came to me. <b>That ridiculous pressure I felt to get this post 'perfect', was exactly that, <u>ridiculous</u>. </b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDb0YbBjJB7Ux1MjxK3JvvHhaRMFEQjw1SJ9w-xjE951kQBqAAlrcfLSkAUwc3dxx1o8PPE75ayfIpOqndhvCuQvh1Jk42hVxkxqU1EqUi6i1YZYq1oaPwWBqzpIXKJqr8KZPbCjjc3kI/s1600/IMG_0134.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDb0YbBjJB7Ux1MjxK3JvvHhaRMFEQjw1SJ9w-xjE951kQBqAAlrcfLSkAUwc3dxx1o8PPE75ayfIpOqndhvCuQvh1Jk42hVxkxqU1EqUi6i1YZYq1oaPwWBqzpIXKJqr8KZPbCjjc3kI/s640/IMG_0134.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<small>(Please enjoy this unrelated picture of Cambridge)</small></div>
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It seems like since the <i>explosion</i> of social media we have felt an extreme amount of pressure placed on us by our own worst enemies, ourselves. I know putting pressure on yourself is nothing new, Even the cave men felt pressure to go hunt the best thing they could, but I honestly believe that there was a time where we could embrace our inner self, (<i>maybe the eighties?</i>) but now the private and public have become worryingly blurred. There is this costant pressure we place on ourselves to act in a certain way and report to the internet accordingly. This can stem from things like what we eat to what we buy (<i>and then upload an image with a good filter to the internet for final judgement</i>). People have got very rich from <i>advertising </i>products to us so we then impose this type of pressure on ourselves <i>clever right? </i><br />
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We put pressure on ourselves to be <b>happy</b>, to write the best blog posts, have the best clothes, have the perfect looking houses, even have the nicest shelf's (<i>#<a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/shelfiegoals/">shelfiegoals</a>!</i>) this list is honestly endless. And as I type this, and as you read this, I am sure you realise how stupid this all sounds that we actively go out our ways to ‘manipulate’ what we do to get the best images and social media updates. We can now quantify everything we do, ‘well <b>x</b> picture got <b>y</b> amount of likes/views, so that's when I must be the best looking/ happiest’ ect. <b>And often all of this has the opposite effect, we are less happy, less wealth, and feel more stressed!</b><br />
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I’m not saying that any of this is inherently wrong (<i>if it sometimes pushes us to achieve what we really want out of life then surely it can only be seen as a positive</i>) or that we should start the revolution and delete all our social media, because I know that is completely impossible. I’m just saying as you scroll through Instagram and read peoples statuses take it with a pinch of salt and remember that its ok to not constantly update the internet about what you are doing. Its okay to miss out on that new beauty product because you are saving for a house, like its okay to be home alone on a Saturday night watching Arrow (<i>yes my latest Amazon Prime watch</i>), like it is okay to go out drinking with your girlfriends. Basically, stop for a minute and embrace your inner you, whatever and however 'unpopular' or 'mainstream' that may be.<br />
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Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00551571391894540375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1019284520249497657.post-71109548918411251532015-12-15T23:50:00.000+00:002015-12-15T23:50:01.964+00:00Balancing Uni Work Over Christmas | Blogmas day 3<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><i>Welcome to my 3rd day of the Twelve Days of Blogmas!</i></u></div>
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A slightly less cheery one today I'm afraid, but I don think its an important discussion to be having this time of year. (<i>Don't worry tomorrows will be full on CHRISTMAS</i>)</div>
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So it's December, which can mean one of two things to people, firstly '<i>It's almost Christmas yay!</i>' or the dreaded '<i>How much work?!? How is this even humanly possible even though I'm not at Uni for a month I have about five months worth of work to do ahhhhhh!</i>'. For the past four years I have found myself in the latter.<br />
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Universities love to place all essays. assignments or finals as they are often know at this time of year within weeks of one another, and like the amazing student you are, you promised yourself to do all your work within lots of time and never have to stress about a deadline again. But because you are a human, life happened and now you are in the sorry mess of having a list as long as your arm to complete before January. So rather than watch a film with your family on Christmas Eve, you find yourself researching an essay (<i>yes, this was me last year</i>) that has a bizarre deadline like January the 2nd, I do really have this deadline this year.<br />
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Okay, so now I have made you really stressed, and if by some miracle you haven't clicked off yet, comes some advice and a pep talk molded by '<i>been there done that's</i>'.<br />
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<b>1) Its okay to feel overwhelmed</b><br />
You are not alone in this, I promise. Everyone (<i>minus the weird organized people of the world</i>) feel the same way about deadlines, no matter how long you know about them they still managed to cause you more stress than everything else. Just listen to this message: <u><i>You are not alone!</i></u><br />
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<b>2) Having a day off does not make you a bad person</b><br />
This goes for all year round but needs saying none the less, <i>going to meet your friends for a coffee/dinner/anything does not make you a bad student or a bad person. </i>EVERYONE needs down time, whether this is a day you go Christmas shopping with your mum or leave your evenings to watch films and drink hot chocolate. This time off will make your work better not harm it, so stop making yourself feel so bad all the time.<br />
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<b>3) Have a break</b><br />
Leading on from the last one but I do think it's the most important of this list <u>give yourself at least a week off and NEVER work on Christmas day.<i> </i></u>I say a week but ideally minimum of two. I have learned this the hard way, trust me. I did not give myself a break over Christmas last year which meant I worked solidly from around December untill May, <i>this is not healthy and will really make you burn out quickly. </i>So this year from the 18th of December for two weeks I am not doing one piece of uni work.<br />
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<b>I really hope I helped you in some way, feel free to comment below or vent to me on social media about deadlines, I feel your pain. </b><br />
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<b>See you tomorrow for a really Christmassy post! </b><br />
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Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00551571391894540375noreply@blogger.com0