7 Things I learnt in Freshers Year!

Heyyy!!!

So I thought i'd start a university series over on my Youtube channel as well as my blog (so head over and please subscribe)

My first of many ideas was to list a few things that I learnt in my first year at uni that I wasn't informed on when I did my research online.

P.s - Some are in general and some are for if you move into halls of resident (which I did).

1. Becoming nocturnal isn't an option.

This is mainly for if you choose to live in halls of residence.

But it's so so difficult to try and maintain a normal sleeping pattern.

It's very different to being at home - you have the freedom to go and get food no matter what the time is, have a shower at any time (providing everyone in the halls haven't used up all the hot water) and staying up all night to binge watch new series on Netflix. 

You'll find that also you'll get woken up a lot by the slamming of doors and your flat mates being loud. It's funny when you're laid in bed and everyone is still awake and pranking each other and running around like lunatics - you can hear them every now and them stand and go "shhhhh, Amie's asleep", hahaha nope it was always too late and I was wide awake listening to people laughing.

You'll have to get used to the sound of other flats/buildings playing music until ungodly hours and people stumbling back in at 4am from a night out (this isn't so bad when you're one of the people falling through the door with a pizza).

Before you know it you'll be counting down the hours until a lecture is over and you can catch up on many hours of sleep in the afternoon - ready for the mayhem again the upcoming night.

I miss this now though. Being at home where I have to be quiet, can't eat all through the nights without a lecture off my Mam. Also when you're laid in bed and you can't sleep and you've ran out of things to watch - you can't just go next door to see one of your friends and stay up talking. I'm sure my sister would have something to say if I tried this. Although she stays up later than me now - I love my sleep more than anything.

2. The dream life of an organised student will not work.

I am one of the most organised people you'll meet. I'm a complete clean freak and love a good diary/planner or 25.

You see in the movies and online that you want this fantasy idea of:

Starting a new university, making new friends that you'll keep for life. You'll get up early at around 6-7am, have a shower, perfect your makeup and hair, dress smart every day, eat fruit and yoghurt for breakfast, have a healthy packed lunch ready for the day ahead. Go to lectures and listen intently writing lots of notes, go back to your room to copy up the notes neatly, do lots of research and get to bed by 9pm.

DO NOT MAKE ME LAUGH, HAHAHAHA. NO THIS IS A BIG LIE.

This really won't happen. This worked for me for 2 days, two!! And then it turned to leggings and hoodies for lectures, no make up, hair on top of my head, never eating breakfast and sometimes not even taking a notepad to a lecture and using the excuse 'it will go up online i'll just copy it when i'm back at my flat'. But that won't happen either because as soon as you enter your room and see your bed - your clothes end up all over the floor and you're in bed for the next 5 hours regretting not being productive.

How I got a 2:1 I'll never know...

Don't try and live up to any expectations. Don't put too much pressure on yourself and go at your own pace.

Oh - and a Costa a day makes your loan disapear.

3. Discount codes on takeaways are a con!

I know. There's nothing better than having money in the bank and spending it all on alcohol and pizza. But trust me - the takeaway shops also know this!

They give out lots of voucher codes to Fresher's because a lot of them have never had so much money in their bank and will blow it instantly. 

Trust me when you buy 3 takeaways a week - it all adds up and when it comes to a few weeks before your next loan day, you will regret the binge eating and living off smart price rice will be the next step.

My advice for this would be to always order in a group. More money spend means bigger discounts and split between 5 of you? Brilliant idea!

I'd say 1 a week is more than enough (I mean come on we are students and if our parents aren't cooking our food - we need someone too)

But really don't go overboard because the pennies add up so quickly and you'll wonder where the heck all your money has gone when you could have bought that Mac lipstick but you spent the money on a pizza (story of my life).

4. You can go on a night out for £10.

Yes it is possible.

It's not like going out in your home town where you need to take the equivalent of a mortgage out down the bars because drinks are so expensive.

Student nights really are cheap.

If you pre-drink hard and share taxis with people (WHO YOU KNOW! JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE 18 DOESN'T MEAN YOU CAN TALK TO STRANGERS!) then you can easy have one of the best nights out.

5. PJ's are day clothes.

I judge grown adults for going to Asda in their PJ's when it's easy to shot on some clothes.

But I feel with people a student you have a leniency to be able to wear what you want.

My halls of residence had a campus shop so I always wore my pj's and hair in a towel to go grab some crisps or some toilet roll. Especially if you go in a group the attention isn't so much on you but on the group as a collective.

Obviously don't take the Michael - if you live 4 miles from a Tesco, you should probably put a bra on under your jumper.

6. Not all stationary is needed.

I read so many posts before I joined uni (I love a good list!) about what I should take and buy for uni. Some of them lists were CRAZY!

Please take into consideration that if you're doing English you probably won't need a scientific calculator or a protractor. You'll end up spending so much money on things you'll never even look at.

I bought so much stuff that I never even took out the packaging. Although I am a stationary freak. I have a box full of every coloured sticky note and highlighter - they'll probably last me until i'm 40...

If you want I can do a list of things you'll need to do journalism/english? I wouldn't do an overall list for every course because they're all so different! But if you want one of what I know them hit me up and i'll get onto it.

7. Mix & Match your outfits.

No one can afford to buy a new dress and a new pair of knock out heels for every night out - especially not as a student - unless you don't want to each that week then you go ahead.

There's so many outfit choices that you can mix and match.

Also after Fresher's week, the novelty of looking unreal wears off and you'll find yourself in a pair of skinnies and some converse. I wore this so much and trust me you're a lot comfier than the people in 6" heels. There's nothing better than being to walk at the end of the night and see people around you basically crying because their feet are dead.

So there you go guys!

I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Let me know what videos you want to see in this university series

Love you all lots,

Amie

XX

How Much Is My Face Worth?

Holaaaaa, 

How are you all?

I've spent my morning recording a 'everyday makeup look' for my channel which i'm starting on again.

So I thought I'd like the latest upload with this video is of how much my face is worth.

Basically you never realise how much you actually spend on makeup to wear it for a few hours a day... I added mine up and I had no idea.

Make sure you let me know in the comments how much your face is worth?

I found the idea over on Kat's blog, you can go see hers here...

So lets get onto it!

The Base:

Foundation - Rimmel London Match Perfection in 100 Ivory // £7.99

Concealer - Collection Lasting Perfection concealer in 1 Fair // £4.19

Blemish Concealer - Rimmel Wake Me Up concealer // £5.49

Powder - Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in 003 Peach Glow // £3.99

Total - £22.26

Eyes/Brows:

Eyebrows - Collection Eyebrow Kit in Brunette // £3.99

Eyelids - Seventeen Easy On The Eye Palette in Birthday Suit // £7.99

Eyelashes - Maybelline Lash Sensational Waterproof in Black // £7.99

Total - £19.97

Cheeks:

Bronzer - Hoola Benefit Bronzer // £23.50

Blush - Collection Blush in Bashful // £2.99

Highlight - Makeup Revolution Highlighter Palette // £8

Total - £34.49

Lips:

Lipstick - Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in 45 // £5.49

Total - £5.49

Okay are you ready for the scary part?

Overall price - £81.61

That's terrifying! Considering it's on for less that 12 hours and it takes a lot of time to put on.

That's EXCLUDING the amount spent on brushes for each product, make up remover for both face and eyes AND any other products that are stored away for nights out, parties etc...wow.

How much is your face worth?

Let me know in the comments!!

Thanks for reading!

Go and check my video out over on my channel and make sure you subscribe, pleaseeee?

Signing out,

Amie

XX

Borderline Perfection: A Trip To Coldingham

Hey everyone! 

I hope you're all doing well.

Did you all have a good Easter? Let me know what Easter eggs you received in the comments :)

I've spent my week in Scotland and so I thought I'd try something different and give you an insight on where I've been.

We have a caravan on the borders of Scotland (hence the title 'borderline perfection'). It's on a beautiful holiday sight called Scoutscroft in Coldingham. We've came up here for holiday breaks ever since I was born. Even my Mam used to come when she was a teenager!

To me this place is paradise. It's on the coast as well as the countryside so you get the beautiful scenery as well as the peace. 

Scoutscroft is owned by our very close friends, the Hamilton Family.

As we’ve been coming here as a family for such a long time, the area and the caravan site hold so many amazing memories that will never be forgotten.

Today was a lovely day and the sun was shining! It wasn’t the warmest, it was bearable. I decided to go for a walk in the sunshine, basically to procrastinate from University work but that can wait – Vitimin D is more vital, especially with all these storms we have been getting lately.

*As I’m writing this, the sky has went black, luckily I came back in when I did! There was a massive hail stone storm!*

For my little trip out I wore my white converse, black jeans, daisy top from New Look and my Missguided coat. Oh – not forgetting my gorgeous sunglasses from Primark!

I wouldn’t recommend hiking up gigantic hills in converse though, I thought I was going to come rolling off a cliff at least twice.

On my nails: Collection Lasting Gel Nail Colour in Raspberry 7.

To go with my spring walk, I went with gold eyeshadow from the Seventeen: Easy On The Eye palette in Birthday Suit. I also used the Maybelline: The Falsies mascara and on my lips I went for a nice nude pink from Elizabeth Arden in the shade Petal (18).

I saw that my Grandad had the Nivea Men Post Shave Balm which a lot of people have been talking about with regards to using it as a primer, so I pinched a little bit (sorry Granda!) I think it worked really well and am going to buy a bottle so I can test it properly and I’ll do a review post for you guys soon!

Taking my earphones was the best idea, it was awesome blasting some Justin Bieber through the countryside.

The good thing about the area being so isolated is that you rarely pass people when walking the country, so I can sing out loud as loud and as badly as I want and no one apart from the sheep and birds can hear me – sorry guys!

I passed a field filled with baby bunnies but my camera wouldn’t focus on them – boo!

But I think rabbits are now my favourite animals, they’re so cute and I want twenty.

Just passed them was a mini field with some chickens, roosters and geese in so I thought I’d give them a shout out as they were pretty cool.

But then I got to the walk way that leads you to the beach, and it’s the most beautiful thing. You have to stand there for a few seconds to stare, it does actually take your breath away – and not because it’s still quite cold.

I went a few days ago with Luke when it was lovely and warm, we went for a walk and got my favourite ice lollies. The sea was a gorgeous blue too!

Today I thought I’d challenge myself and walk up a huge hill which gives you an overview of two gorgeous bays.

And when I got to the top and got my breath back…

The view then took my breathe away again.

And there were cute little beach huts which were too tumblr to not put in this post…

There you go folks, I hope you liked this more photography based post but I had to share these beautiful views with you!

Let me know where your version of “perfect” is, whether it’s on your wish list to visit or if you’ve been.

Lots of love,

Amie xx

LAB2 Makeup Brushes Review!

Hey everyone I hope you're all well!

So today I thought I'd do a make up brush review.

I won a competition on Twitter on LAB2 (Live and Breathe Beauty), which meant I received a Read My Lip Brush. 

I messaged LAB2 thanking them and that i'd be doing a review on my blog and YouTube on the brush and they said they were going to send me some extra brushes to write about - how lovely?!

So they kindly sent me a Read My Lip Brush, a I'm Turning Pro Brush Kit and a Strokes of Genius Brush Kit.

The boxes themselves look so professional. They're black with white writing and each set has different colour backgrounds behind the sets. I think the kits have an orange/red background and individual brushes have purple backgrounds.

It makes me happy that on the sides of the boxes it states:

• Made with love.
• No animal derived components.
• hypo-allergenic dermatologist tested.

The second point, animal derived components, is so important! It really helps sell a product to me if its safe for animals and they haven't been harmed in the making.

On the back of the boxes it states what brushes are included in the packs and also a very handy thing is it shows how to use each brush, with diagrams on what to do and where. This is so important I think as if you're new with using make up brushes - like I am, then it really helps to see how to use the brushes properly instead of starting clueless.

The I'm Turning Pro Brush Kit includes a: foundation brush, buffing brush, contour brush and eye shadow brush. 

The Strokes of Genius Brush Kit includes: a eye shadow brush, crease brush, pointed eye liner brush, brow & lash brush and a brow & lash groomer.

The brushes themselves look very pro, they're just plain black, with black bristles also. They have coloured writing on them naming what brush it is which looks very sleek and works well with the design.

I looked online to see what the pricing was for these products and the I'm Turning Pro set is £18.99 in Superdrug, so they're slightly cheaper than the main stream Real Technique brushes - and just as good!

I'll leave links on the names of the products to where you can find the brushes.

On my YouTube channel I will be doing an every day make up look using these brushes, so I will talk about them on my channel also, I'll keep you all updated for when I do this - I did attempt to film this but I finished it and my phone decided to let me know it had stopped recording half way as my memory had ran out - I have never been so angry!
But now I am loaded with flu so wearing make up doesn't really appeal to me. 

But from what I know from using them in the failed video - the brushes are so soft and great on your skin.

10/10 from me LAB2 and thanks a lot for sending them over!

I definitely need some make up brush holders now, got plenty of brushes and not enough space haha!

Thanks for reading guys. Let me know what you think of the brushes in the comments below.

See you all soon.
Love Amie
XX

My Small Lipstick Collection!

Hey everyone!

So I thought I'd do a beauty related post this time around.

It's only been over the past year that I've really started expanding my make-up collection. My make-up bag used to only consist of my daily make-up, nothing fancy - Just my every day foundation, mascara and bronzer. Now my make up bag is too small for the amount of cosmetics I own so I have several.

Something I never used to be too bothered about was lipstick. Mainly because my lips are not the biggest and are not that far from being a straight line. But as I'm getting older, I'm slowly becoming addicted to putting colour on my lips - It really finishes my make-up looks and with going out on student nights and weekends, lipstick really helps to ensure I don't look like a ghost in the flash photography. 

My collection is only small - as I've not long been buying them. I have 6 at the minute. Some I prefer over others. 

I really hope you can recommend me some brands and colours as I'd love to give them a shot!
I'll attach links to each lipstick so you know where to find them.

1. Rimmel London: Kate Moss Lasting Finish - 45

Rimmel is one of my all time favourite lipsticks. 4/6 that I own are in fact Rimmel. I find them really moisturising and have a great shine to them. They last on my lips too.
This particular lipstick is in a pale pink packaging with a silver band with the Rimmel London brand. The packaging of these is so luxury I think - they're the perfect size for your bag when you're out and about. 

This colour is my favourite nude colour yet. It's like a pink/peach that blends into my lips lovely. It's perfect for every day make-up looks and if you don't really fancy wearing much on your face, it's great for the simplistic look.

I'd recommend wear it with some light coverage foundation or BB cream and a little bit of mascara.






2. Rimmel London: Lasting Finish - Heart Breaker (016)

Once again another Rimmel lipstick. It's the same as the above with regards to glossiness and shine. I love Rimmel it doesn't dry your lips out.  

This colour is a mix between a really dark pink and a red. It shows as more of a red on the lip but not as intense as other shades. This is one of my first lipsticks as I wanted to try a dark colour to see if it worked with my skin - well I think it does. 

A good thing about Rimmel also is that it smells so good! It's kinda sweet? I don't really know how to describe it I just like it.










3. Rimmel London: Lasting Finish - 107

Now i'm not going to lie, I did buy this lipstick because I seen Zoella raving about it on her channel and it's what she always wore in her Instagram photos in the winter - where I thought she looked flawless. 

It's in the red packaging with the black Rimmel London band. 
I do like this lipstick colour - which is a very bold red. Although it's very intense on me. Perhaps a little too intense as I don't tend to grab for this one as often. 

A good thing is it smells a lot like watermelon which is gorgeous. You can smell it when you're wearing it! 

I definitely rate this lipstick.


I'd recommend wearing it in the winter, around Christmas as it's a very warm red perfect for the festivities. I'd wear this with full coverage foundation, black winged eye liner, a warm toned gold eye shadow and some bold lashes - either mascara or fake lashes. 


4. Rimmel London: Lasting Finish - Alarm (170)

Okay this is the last Rimmel one I promise! I bought this one as a replacement as I was at I had left my Rimmel 107 at my University halls by mistake when I went home for Christmas break - so for a Christmas present my boyfriend was kind enough to get me a substitute. Rimmel 107 wasn't in stock when he went to collect it so I suggested this shade. 

It's in the original dark packaging with the silver band.
This is a bold red but nowhere near as bold as 107. I actually prefer Alarm. It suits my skin tone a lot better and lasts longer on my lips compared to 107. Even though they're the same price (or around), if you don't like the really bold 107, definitely try this one!

I'd wear this with the same as above. It also works with casual clothing too and especially nights out - it really stands out.




5. Maybelline NY: Forever Metallic - Gold N Roses (20)

I never bought this shade, I got it off a friend who didn't like the colour on herself so kindly gave it to me.

It's in a lovely rounded shiny packaging with a silver/clear ball on the top - maybe some particular design but I'm not sure.

Even the design of the lipstick itself is lovely to put on, its a flat nib compared to Rimmel.

The shade itself is a light pink with a glittery shimmer.

I love this for casual wear as it's not extremely pigmented but gives a lovely shine and is really moisturising. 







6. Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Ultra Lipstick - Petal (18)

I got this off the Depop app unused as I wanted to try a higher end lipstick and see what the fuss was about. 

It is actually a lovely colour, like a rosy pink. It's very glossy and soft on the lips.
It doesn't smell as nice as the Rimmel but the quality is better.

I didn't pay that much as it was second hand but I am definitely working towards a larger collection of these. 

It's perfect for casual wear if you want a little colour but not over powering.
(The link to this is of the new packaging - I have the older one)






I hope you like this post guys, let me know what you thought?

Also let me know of any recommendations in the comments, I really want some more lippies!

Love Amie
XX