Monthly Favourites | January 2016

Trying to find just a few things that you have been loving during a month is actually quite difficult, but after a fair amount of thought, I have managed to pick out my January favourites. A lot of people do these, both on blogs and as videos, but I find that everyone's favourites are slightly different; so there is always something new that you can find! 

My Favourites:

Apple Macbook Pro

This laptop is one of my best buys ever I think! It is really fast, the design is beautiful, and although it is VERY expensive........I feel like it is definitely worth it; I love it :) I have used it almost every day this month, and there are no bad points that I have to say about it.

Eye Lash Curler

I used to use one ages ago, but because the cushion wore away and I was too lazy to buy more, I stopped using it. But I got this pink one for Christmas, and it has made such a difference to the way that my lashes look! If you haven't got one, then I highly suggest that you do, because it curls your lashes, making them look longer; especially when you apply mascara. It just makes your eyes have more of a wow-factor.

Kiko Rebel Romantic Perfecting Bronzer - 01 Light to Medium

I know I have talked about this bronzer a few times before, but it deserves the attention! I love this powder; it is easy to apply, quite pigmented so you really don't need to use a lot, and it goes well with my skin complexion. Just a lovely product; I'm so sad that it was limited addition! 

Fujifilm Instax Mini 8

I have wanted a polaroid camera for as long as I remember. I love old-fashioned things, and having a camera that printed out your images straight away appealed to me a lot. I looked on Ebay a few times, but the original types were just too expensive; so when I heard about this camera I went and purchased it straight away! I have to say, the film is not cheap, but the camera is so cute and the quality of the photos that it prints are really good. I bought a little album for all my photos, and I just love it.

Enchanted Forest Adult Colouring Book

I heard that these colouring books were meant to like, help with stress and all that, so I bought this one to give it a go and see if it helped to relax me and take me away from reality for a while. Colouring in these pages takes absolutely ages because they are all so intricate and detailed, but it definitely does distract me for hours on end! I can just get lost in this book, colouring away; it is really good; try one if you haven't already :)

The Body Shop Strawberry Shower Gel

The Body Shop's products have really amazing scents; my favourite being strawberry! I got two little bottles of the shower gel for Christmas and I have used it non-stop. It smells gorgeous and I'm definitely going to be buying more when it runs out.

Lokai Bracelet

I found this on Amazon and I love things that have a nice story behind it. If you don't know what a Lokai bracelet is, then basically there are two beads; one brown/black and one white, opposite to each other on the bracelet. In the dark bead, there is mud from the Dead Sea; the lowest point on Earth. In the white bead, there is water from Mount Everest; the highest point on Earth. What this represents is you cannot have the highs without the lows; they are attached together and work together. It is just a lovely idea, so I had to get one.

Disclaimer by Renee Knight

I sometimes go into Waterstones for a browse, and this time I found this book which sounded really good. If you are a book worm like me and enjoy a good mystery novel, then definitely give this a read! I am about half way through and I cannot seem to put it down. Can't wait to see how it ends!

So these have what I have mainly been loving this month. Hopefully I have inspired some of you to give something a try! Most of the things I have mentioned are budget friendly, so thats a big plus haha. I'm going to read some other people's monthly favourites now, to see if I can try anything new for myself :) Hope you are all having a great weekend!

xx

Feeling Nostalgic

Hi guys :) 

Excuse the really poor quality photos, but they are from like over 10 years ago so I tried my best, but even Photoshop can't save a photo from poor cameras haha. 

Today I listened to a song that I used to listen to when I was younger and it made me feel a little nostalgic. I found myself going through old photos and music albums, thinking about everything that I used to get up to; so I thought that I would share some of my favourite music and TV shows, as well as a few of my favourite memories.

I was a 90s baby and some of the music that I loved and overplayed would not have been heard of by kids now. My music taste has changed completely, and obviously I have stopped watching shows for children, but it was nice to just look back :')

Music

Trying to cut down the list of songs that remind me of my childhood was definitely a challenge; there were just so many! But here are my favourites:

1. Hey Baby! - DJ OTZI
2. Fly On The Wings Of Love - XTM & DJ Chunky Pres Annia
3. Stay Another Day - East 17
4. Every Time You Need Me - Fragma
5. Heaven & Earth - Wip Mix
6. Celebrate The Summer - Lacuna
7. Dragostea Din Tei - Ozone
8. Destination Calabria - Alex Gaudino
9. Look At Us - Northern Heightz
10. ...Baby One More Time - Britney Spears
11. Teenage Life - Daz Sampson
12. Weekend! - Scooter
13. Mambo No.5 - Lou Bega
14. Girlfriend - Avril Lavigne

15. Discoland - Flip & Fill Ft Karren Parry

16. Field Of Dreams - Flip & Fill Ft Jo James

17. Baby Baby - Sunblock

18. Blue (Da Ba Dee) - Eiffel 65

19. The Boys Of Summer - DJ Sammy

20. Break My Stride - Blue Lagoon

Television
Once again, there was a massive list, but I managed to cut it down to a decent sized list of my favourite TV shows and movies.

1. Scooby Doo
2. The Powerpuff Girls
3. Bear In The Big Blue House
4. Teletubbies
5. Franklin
6. Barney
7. Madeline
8. Blue's Clues
9. Barbar
10. Corduroy
11. Bananas In Pyjamas
12. Dinosaurs
13. Stuart Little
14. The Little Mermaid
15. Sleeping Beauty

Memories
Just wanted to share some things that I can remember from my childhood because I love looking back, but never really have opportunities to tell people about it!

1. Does anyone remember the Concordes? Basically they were a type of aircraft that were retired back in 2003; I don't actually remember why. But they were really fast and extremely loud, so when we heard one flying over my Nan's house, we would all run outside to watch it.

2. Every night before I went to sleep, my Dad would come up and we would read a chapter or two of the book that I was reading, as my school kept a log of it as an extra bit of homework. But after that, we would play a game of 'Guess Who' or 'Battleships' or 'Frustration', which I always looked forward to!

3. When we used to live in our old house, my room was set up so that my pillows were in line with the door, and I could see the staircase. Every so often, I would turn over and look out of my room to see a shadow shaped like a person, coming slowly up the stairs, but no-one would actually be coming up. I don't know if it was my mind playing tricks but it scared the life out of me and I still can't figure it out haha.

4. Each Wednesday, I would go and stay with my Nan and Grandad for no reason in particular. My Nan would go out and get the ice creams that are covered in milk chocolate and nuts, (we just called them Nut Lollies). I remember that before I handed them out, I would open the packets and choose the one with the most nuts :')

5. When we moved to where we are now, I made a few friends with people down the street that were similar in age. We would go and knock for each other after school and on weekends and play things like 'Polo' and 'Cops and Robbers'; we were also guilty of playing 'Knock Down Ginger' a few times too haha.

Hope you enjoyed looking into my past, I was caught smiling at my laptop a couple of times as I was typing this because of the other memories that were linked to the ones that I wrote. 
If I was to write all of my memories then we would be here all day, but those were some of my favourites, and they will stick with me forever.
I enjoy reading these kind of nostalgic posts because everyone's memories will be different and I am normally laughing at some of the stories that people have to tell :')
Hope you are all having a lovely week; I am just going to enjoy the rest of this evening before work tomorrow.


xx

What's In My Make-Up Bag?

I love reading blog posts about what different people have in their every-day make-up bags, because it allows me to try new things and see if there are any better versions of what I have. I have to say, my bag is quite full and I don't always have the time to wear it all but basically this is the bag of products that I wear the most, and I thought I'd share them with you, plus a little bit about what I think of them :)

Okayy, so this is my main make-up bag. I chose this because I think the design is lovely, it goes with the colour scheme of my room, and it is large enough to fit all of my stuff haha. I don't actually know where this is from, or how much it was, because I may have 'borrowed' it off of my Mum. To be fair, she said she didn't need it anymore so I thought ooo, don't mind if I do! I am sure that you could find one like it online, if you like the look of it :)

Here is what is inside......

U-Spicy Make-Up Brushes

I got these as part of a set for Christmas and they are really good quality. Although I will probably be buying more top-end ones soon, these are definitely doing the job for now. Yes, I do need to clean them haha, just haven't had the time yet. 

Royal Cosmetic Connections Foundation Brush

I prefer using brushes to sponges as I feel like the foundation just looks a lot better. This brush is so soft and applies the foundation really well.

No7 Directional Powder Brush

I have used this every day since I got it and it has lasted really well, unlike the No7 foundation brush that I bought. Definitely recommend.

No7 Stay Perfect Superlight Foundation - Cool Vanilla

The thing I like about No7, is that they do the skin test to give you the best foundation colour for your skin tone. This foundation is really light and applies easily, plus it is obviously my perfect colour.

Kiko Eyes Potion, Perfecting Eye Contour

I haven't really used this enough yet, but first impressions are good. It makes my eyes more glowy, which is nice.

2true Effortless Waterproof Eye Liner

I used to use pencil, pens, gel and other liquid eye liner, but when I first got this a few years ago, I fell in love and have bought it ever since. It lasts all day and definitely doesn't smudge easily. Just perfect, I love it!

Rimmel London Mini Eye Shadow Pallet - Sun Safari

The colours are so gorgeous, they are a bit glittery, but in a sophisticated way. They blend together well and it goes with the nude look. They also last all day without rubbing off.

Kiko Perfecting Bronzer - 01 Light to Medium

I bought this a few weeks ago because I was trying out products from the 'Rebel Romantic' range. This is the best bronzer I have ever used. The price that I paid for this definitely shows in the quality of this powder.

Kiko Rebel Bouncy Blush - 03 Treasure Rose

I never really used to wear blush because I didn't really want to look like a doll, but after I bought this, I basically always wear it. It shows up nicely, but not too much, and it gives my cheeks some colour.

Eye Lash Curler

If you haven't got one of these in your make-up bags, then I highly suggest that you buy one. They make your lashes look a lot longer as you curl them; which also makes your eyes stand out more.

Skincare Facial Cleansing Wipes

These wipes are kind to the skin, affordable and they smell nice haha.

No7 Beautifully Matte Make-Up Base

I love this primer. It works just as it should, providing a nice base for my make-up. It's also affordable.

No7 Moisture Drench Lipstick - Sugar Plum

Once you find the colours that suit you, then I would suggest this lipstick line as it lasts ages and hasn't got a shiny finish, which I like.

Kiko Intensely Lavish Lipstick - Luscious Red

I don't normally wear red lipstick, but this is a really nice colour. It isn't too bright, and it has a nice matte finish. It also lasts ages, so you don't have to keep re-applying it.

Rimmel London 'Wake Me Up' Concealer - Ivory

Wearing concealer under your eyes makes you look so much more awake and fresh. That is basically what I use this for, and I really like it.

Maybelline Super Stay 24 Color Liquid Lipstick - Soft Taupe

I bought this just to try it out and I don't like it. It comes off basically as soon as you put it on; so I will be going back to nude lipsticks and replacing this. I wore it out last night, which is why it is currently in my bag haha.

Rimmel London Eyebrow Pencil - Brown

As you can see, I have used this pencil a lot. I will have to buy a new one soon, but this one is perfect. It applies easily and doesn't rub off easily.

Rimmel London Volume Flash Scandaleyes Mascara - Extreme Black

My favourite mascara I have tried so far, and I have tried quite a few. The big brush allows you to apply a thick layer onto your lashes; covering them all and making them a lot longer and darker than they are naturally. 

No7 Stay Perfect Long-Lasting Volume Mascara

I use this first as it separates my lashes nicely and puts a thin layer on, before I build up my look with the Scandaleyes one.

No7 Extravagant Volume Mascara

I don't use this as much as the others because the brush isn't what I really like, but I do sometimes use it if I'm not really looking to go all-out on my make-up.

Rimmel London Stay Matte Powder - Peach Glow

I have used this every day since I discovered it. It makes my make-up sit well and last longer, also making sure that I don't look all shiny because of the foundation.

Superdrug Conditioning Cuticle Cream

I make my nails part of my make-up routine, because everyone sees them, so I like to make sure that they are well looked after, and that they look nice. Using this type of product makes sure that your nails are healthy.

No7 Precision Lips Pencil

I always use this to line my lips before I put on lipstick. It makes sure that you apply it well and makes your lips look more defined.

So, that is my long list of products that I keep in my make-up bag. Apart from the nude lipstick thing that I picked up the other day, I like all of the things that I showed you, but I look forward to discovering more things and seeing which I like better. I will probably have to do an update to this post as I change things around haha.

Anyways, I hope you all had a relaxing weekend; I had work today so I am very tired and have to sleep now to prepare for round 2 tomorrow! 

xx

Introducing Sammy | My Golden Retriever

Heya everyone :) I know I'm a bit late but I haven't had the best day today as I failed my driving test.......again. It's not that I can't drive because everyone (including examiners) have said that I can; it's just that my nerves take over and I just make one silly mistake right at the end and then that's it. So yeahh, I came home, had lunch, started a page out of my new Enchanted Forest colouring book and watched some TV to take my mind off of it; then had a nap. But now I'm going to brush it off and get on with this post. 

To cheer me up, I thought that I would introduce my baby to you all; I fell in love with her when we first got her and I wanted to just show her off, because you know, look at how beautiful and cute she is!

Sammy is a female Golden Retriever who was born on the 9th of June 2009. Picking out the name Sammy took ages; it wasn't the first choice. Others included things like Charm or Roxy haha, no way. 

I remember the day that we picked her up well, because me and my family were on our way back from a camping trip when our trailer frame broke just as we came off of the motorway, and went sliding along the road! We had to wheel the trailer onto a bit of grass at the side of the road and leave my mum with it as the rest of us went to pick her up! No day is a dull day with my family haha :')

So yeahh, after we had got back to my mum, we just let Sammy rest on the back seat as we waited for the massive pick-up truck to bring our trailer back with us. We took the photo above that night, after we had finally made it home and got everything settled :')

As a puppy, Sammy was quite ill. She moved into my room for quite a lot of her first 1-2 years because I was the one with the wooden floor. We would have to coat it with mats and newspaper in case of any mess; and at all hours of the night I would wake up to her crying, so I would cuddle her till she was alright. I didn't mind though, because she still camps outside my door, wanting to come in with me now. :') I feel like we bonded a lot during that time, and I loved it. 

As she was getting better, she started to behave as any puppy does, by being naughty haha. The amount of tea towels we have gone through is crazy; but she makes me laugh as she will stay still until you try to grab it off of her, which is when she will run away. She also used to bite broomsticks if we were trying to sweep, and if you had one shoe missing, then you know who had taken it.

Now she is all grown up, and has completely changed. She can open doors for herself (although she hasn't quite grasped the concept of closing them again), do all kinds of tricks, she can tell us when she isn't feeling too well and also knows when we aren't feeling great. She also knows that every morning she can go next door to my Nan, where she will be given two digestive biscuits :') She is a bit of a scaredy cat though haha; she will bark at anyone coming close to the house, but then run upstairs or hide between someone's legs :') She is very jealous too. If I ever went over to my rabbit hutch, she would be straight there beside me, making sure that I wasn't giving them too much attention :') I can't even give anyone a hug without her trying to get in there too haha.

Sammy is part of our family, meaning that she comes on all trips and holidays that she can, she sleeps on the bed (normally trying to take over), she gets Christmas presents and special Birthday treats and she gets to have a bit of everyone's dinner haha. I love her to absolute pieces and I hope you have all enjoyed this introduction because she is the one who I can always rely on to bring a smile to my face; no matter how much of a hard day I have had; because as soon as I walk through the door she is all over me, tail wagging and a toy in her mouth :)



So yeahh, sorry again for the delay, I was so stressed out and upset this afternoon; as well as exhausted from being up at like 6am. Hopefully next time I can nail this driving test because I know I can do it! I drive all the time with my parents; no problem.......*sigh*.....ahh well. But my baby cheered me up so :')

xx

100 Year Journal

I have tried numerous times to keep a diary or a journal, but most of the time I either forget or lose interest, so the book just gets left to gather dust at the bottom of a drawer or we rip out the left-over paper to use as note paper. 

I do love the idea of journals though; keeping memories forever so that you can read through them and share them with your children and grandchildren. So when I saw this 100 year journal which I bought a couple of years ago now, I was so happy! I just wanted to show you all and explain a bit more about it, so that maybe you can go and get one for yourselves to keep :)

It is called 'My Life Story' by suckUK and ranges from about £20-30, depending on what site you go to. I think I got mine from Amazon :)             Basically, all you do is fill in the journal four times a year; once for each season. You can add photos and a diary entry, and it gives you little prompts at the bottom of each page if you need any help. Then there is a page at the end of each year where you can write your highlights. There are other pages for you to fill in too; such as 'About Me', 'My Bucket List', 'Top 10s', 'Places I've Been', 'My Body', 'Jobs' and things like that. These things wouldn't be what you would normally put in a journal so I think it is a lovely way to show your development over the years and to also make it more personal. 

You can get so creative with this journal as well. It is a nice way for me to relax over an evening; filling in the entry for each few months and also taking the time to look back, which is something that I never used to do.

I am a really sentimental person haha, so I can't wait for my kids to be old enough to sit down with me and read all about what I got up to. I actually might buy one for each child that I have, and fill them in for them until they are old enough to hopefully finish them off themselves.

So yeahh, thats about all I can really say about it otherwise I would just start rambling haha. But I do hope that some of you will go and get one because I think they are lovely, and it is not one of those diaries that will be pointless if you leave a massive gap between entries, because you can come back to it whenever you like and just fill in what you can remember from that period of time. It is a personal keepsake for you, where all of your memories are kept in one place :)

xx

My Hair Routine

Hi everyone :) Hope you are all enjoying your weekend; I'm just getting ready to go out with my friend Lizzie, so I decided to show you all my hair routine because it takes up quite a bit of my 'getting ready' time haha. 

I like spending time on my hair because it is one of the things that people always see and I just like to take pride in it. I mean it doesn't always behave the way I would like it to but those are the days where I will just pin or tie it up. 

• Okayy, so in the shower, once I have rinsed my hair and it has been thoroughly rinsed with warm water, I will use my Tresemme 'Salon Silk' Shampoo. The best way to wash your hair is to apply a decent amount to your hand, and then massage it into your hair; starting at the scalp and then bringing up the rest of your hair. It is a real workout for my arms because my hair is so long and thick haha! Do not use your nails as that will scratch your head; use your fingertips as you can apply a good amount of pressure without damaging the roots of your hair.        
• After I leave that to soak, I wash it out and then apply my Tresemme 'Salon Silk' Conditioner. I love the Tresemme products because they leave my hair feeling lovely and soft, and it smells gorgeous. The way I apply conditioner is just to the ends of my hair. I will apply a good amount to my hands, and then just run my hair through them so that they are covered in the conditioner. I don't apply it to my scalp as you already have natural oils there and applying more could make it get greasy quicker. You are just looking after the bits of hair that have become damaged over time. I then leave this in for a few minutes, and then wash it out.

I normally wrap my hair up in a towel whilst I do my make-up, so that it isn't dripping all over the place haha. After that, I take my hair out, and brush it through with two brushes. The first one I use is the red one in the photo, because it doesn't get caught and yank my hair; I use it to just smooth my hair out before I use the second brush (the black one), to actually get rid of the tangles. It just means that you aren't damaging your hair as much. 

After my hair is all nice and brushed out, I apply my GHD Heat Protection Spray so that the hair dryer and straighteners don't kill my hair as much as they would without it. Also, if I haven't had time to do my conditioner then I will spray some of the Aussie Leave-In Conditioner to my ends, and brush through it with the soft red brush. Both of these products smell really nice and they are miracle products for your hair; I highly recommend them both.

As for the Pantene Hairspray - Volume & Hold, I will normally just quickly spray that over all of my hair once I have dried and straightened it. I love this spray, I buy it in bulk off of Amazon so that I know that I won't run out for a while haha.

Next it is time to dry my hair. I use my BaByliss Pro Speed 2200w hairdryer. It is absolutely amazing! It is really powerful, so great for long hair like mine, and it has different speed and heat settings which is great. I dry my hair by separating it into two parts, then just using my hand to help rough dry it. I leave my fringe till the end as I will dry that in a different direction to the way that the rest of my hair grows, so that it sits right. I then go over it all again on the coldest setting, as it is good for your hair. 

I then brush through my hair the same way that I explained before. It is important not to tug at your hair too much when brushing, as this can damage your roots and also cause split ends. After this, I use the black brush to separate my hair into little sections and help guide my GHD Hair Straighteners through my hair. I find that using a brush improves the results and also means that you don't have to keep running the straighteners over the same spot multiple times. I really recommend these straighteners as they are powerful and there are also many different types, depending on what you are looking for. Next time I think I might go with ones that have a bigger heat plate because of the amount of hair that I have.

Once that is all done, I will usually quickly spray my hair with the hairspray that I mentioned before and then voila, my hair is all done :) I just have a few bits of advice that I have heard or learned about hair:

• Don't wash your hair every day. It will take the natural oils out of your hair which are there to help keep it healthy. 
• Don't straighten your hair all the time either. The more heating products that you use, the more damaged your hair will become.
• Don't yank your hair. As I said earlier, it will cause split ends and damaged roots.
• Leave your hair to get greasy once in a while. It will give it time to become healthy and start to repair itself again.
• If you cut your hair quite regularly, it will grow back quicker, thicker and healthier.
• Wash out your brushes regularly to get rid of dead hair and other bacteria.

So yeahh, I hope that you enjoyed learning a bit more about what I do for my hair, and hopefully the tips that I've given will be of some help to you :) If you have any tips or do anything differently, then let me know!

xx

Instagram Diary

I really didn't have that much time to prepare a post today because I fell asleep last night without setting an alarm so I was in a rush to get ready to go out. So I was thinking of a quick and simple post and then the idea of an Instagram diary came to mind. So basically what I'm going to do is put up a screenshot of some of my Instagram posts and then tell the story behind it if there is one. I'll go along the rows, starting from the left :)

1. I think this one was just the other day when I was going out for a meal with family, I actually don't remember haha, but I liked the way my make-up turned out!
2. Showing off my Christmas nails :')
3. This was my brother's birthday and I actually liked a photo of me smiling for once. 
4. I spent this day messing around with make-up and hairstyles, trying different things and I guess this was one of my favourites.
5. This was taken on bonfire night. I asked my friend Harry to come with me last minute because I didn't go in 2014 and really regretted it so I was determined to go! I remember whining about the amount of mud that was at the entrance haha; it ruined my shoes, but it was a good night :)
6. This photo is of me and my manager Charlie at one of our crew events. This one was when we went bowling and I actually got a strike......without the barriers!
7. This was for halloween and I took this photo to show my eye colour change to red.
8. This photo was just to show some new clothes that I had picked up haha
9. Lastly, this photo was to show off my new butterfly tattoo that I got on my shoulder. It took about 2 hours and my gosh, some parts really hurt as he kept going over it.

1. This was when I went to the pub with a friend from work and I was just showing my outfit.
2. I took this photo because I was proud of how straight I got my hair as I was on holiday in Cyprus with my family and out there it is really hard for my hair to stay straight as it is so long and thick.
3. This is a photo of me and my brother up the mountains in Cyprus. He is 16 now and already taller than me!
4. This photo is of me and a couple of friends at another crew party in the Moka night club in Crawley :)
5. I do like my nights out haha; here is another photo of me and my friend Lizzie at Pryzm in Kingston.
6. Yet again, another night out with my best friend Amy at Tiger Tiger in Croydon. This night was after my 18th birthday party, so I had to go out clubbing!
7. Umm, I think this was just a random selfie to be honest haha :')
8. This photo was taken because I liked this new ring that I picked up in Tesco haha. To be honest, it really makes my fingers look long......
9. Last photo is of me at my friend Jaime's mum's 50th birthday which had a 60's theme. I chose to go as Audrey Hepburn because 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' came out in 1961 and I love that movie :) I did have my hair in a bun with the long black gloves and cigarette holder but I think I got annoyed with them half way through the night haha.

So thats all the photos I have at the moment, if I chose more then this post would have been really long. Hope you enjoyed it, my Instagram is @paulamarieee :) It was actually nice to look back and try to put some context to my photos. 

xx

Photography Portfolio 1 - Dance

For my photography A-Level, I had to do various portfolios that either the exam board gave to us or that we had chosen ourselves. I decided to post one of my portfolios here as all of my photos are just stuck on my USB stick so I wanted to do something with them; that way I can look back at my blog and be like oh yeah :) 
This portfolio is about dance. I chose this myself as I love dancing and so I wanted to look into using photoshop to represent movement such as the image above where I merged 4 poses into one frame. I also looked at how street dancers dress and act; trying to show that on camera. Photography takes a lot of time and hard work, especially the editing part of it. I think I spent a good hour editing that one photo above; merging the poses/changing the figures to white/adding a shadow etc. 

Here are two examples of how I tried to show the attitude and confidence that street dancers show. Using the dark backdrop in the first image and the brick wall in the second to aid it. I also looked at using artificial light and natural light, but I preferred the images that I took inside with the spotlights as they enabled me to create contrast better.

Here I used slow-sync photography to capture my model actually moving. I love this type of photography because it is interesting how they come out. I then used photoshop to create more contrast and just make the image look better. It is quite amusing taking these images as my friend had to move in slow motion so that the camera could pick all of it up properly.

I wanted to experiment with photoshop to make my images look more interesting and dynamic. So I tried blocking out my model so that just her silhouette was left behind, and then added the colourful borders around them. I liked the outcome of that one as I could imagine it being used for sports advertisements or something. I was also quite proud of my progressing PhotoShop skills haha.

I also tried just changing the colour of my model so that they are tinted. I was actually just being silly to be honest, but I actually liked it. I thought it looked fun and represented dance :)

Then I just added a shadow to the original images so that they stood out more against the background. With these types of images, I took different shots of dance moves and put them together so that it looks like one mini routine. 

As part of our coursework, we also had to respond to other photographer's work. I forget who I chose to respond to but I think they were just photographers off of flickr or something. I found it quite hard to find photos that related to my work! 

So for this image, I added a slight glow to the figures, then added little hoops around the moving parts of the body. This is what the photographer did for their work to exaggerate the movement I think :) But I actually think that it looks nice. This edit took forever too as I needed to insert the rings, then erase bits of them to look ass though they were going behind the arm or leg.

This is the last image that I liked from this set, and my gosh it took so long to edit! I had to insert each image twice, blackout one of them and put it behind each of their originals. Then I just added the glow. Although it took the longest, it is definitely my favourite :) Cutting out each figure from their backgrounds took ages too as these photos were stupidly taken on grass in front of a brick wall! Very proud of my PhotoShopping haha.

So yeahh, thats the end of my first portfolio that I have to share, hope you liked it as it is a bit different to what I would normally think about posting, but I love photography and it would just stay stuck on my USB otherwise. 

xx

New Year's Resolutions and Advice

2015 is now over and as we move into this year, many people (including myself) choose to make New Year's Resolutions. I feel that these are a great way to set targets for what you want to achieve during the year ahead, and it is also helpful when reflecting on years before. I thought I would share mine with you today; I know it is already the 9th so I am over a week late; but better late than never ay? 

My New Year's Resolutions:

• Blogging - I hope this year that I can become a lot more organised with my blogging. Meaning that I would like to make regular posts at least twice a week - I will be aiming for Wednesdays and Saturdays as those are the days that I don't work. I also hope to post at around 6pm each night because at the moment I am leaving it until 2am and that is just silly.
• Keeping Healthy - I hope to eat a lot healthier; trying to get in my 5-a-day as well as drinking a lot more water as I do slack in that department. I also aim to go to the gym at least once a week; I bought all of the gear for it and have gone once since the Summer haha.
• Money - I really need to stop spending my money on stupid things and actually start to save it instead. I am looking to go away to Gran Canaria at some point but that is never going to happen if I keep ordering Papa John's or Chinese food.....
• Reading - I love reading. It stimulates the brain and makes you a lot more creative. I used to read all of the time but now that I am working and all that, I hardly have time anymore, but this year I am going to make sure that I save time each day to read at least a chapter from the book I would be reading.
• Organisation - I always leave things to the last minute, so I am going to hopefully stop doing that this year. I have bought myself a pocket diary so hopefully things will be a lot more organised from now on!

Okayy, so those are my resolutions, hopefully they gave you guys some ideas if you didn't already have any. 

I also know that this year, many of you will be studying for your final exams as I know my brother will be studying for his GCSE's; and since I have already been there, I thought that I would share some tips to make your year run a little smoother.

Advice for School Leavers:

• Do your work as soon as you get it. I know that everyone already says this, but if you are like me when I was at school; I would always leave homework till the night before or even the morning of the day it was due. Don't do that. It creates stress that can be avoided, and if you do your work when you get it, you can spend more time on it and therefore information will stick in your mind a lot better.
• Make this year count! Miss one or two socials here and there, don't go on your phone or Xbox as much, go to sleep a little earlier etc etc. Trust me, if you do these things and replace activities with revision, by the time your exams come, you will know everything off of the top of your head. Remember: the more work you put in now, the better results you will get at the end. You only do these exams once, whereas you can go to the cinema with friends any time you like.
• Make revision time-tables/notes/diagrams; whatever works for you. People learn best in different ways. I was the visual type; I could read a page of information and remember it; but others have to draw pictures to aid them, or shorten things to bullet points. So, find the way that you remember things best and start making the notes now. Use a time-table to organise your time, so that you are not stressing two weeks before the exam, trying to cram everything in - it won't work. 

I hope that my advice will be helpful in one way or another :) If you do all of this now, then you can celebrate after you get the grades that you were aiming for! 

Years go by so fast, there is no time to be wasting it doing things that will not help you in the future. So work hard now, and when it is all over and done with, you can relax and be happy with the things that you have achieved :)

So, this year do the things that make you happy, make up with people that you have fallen out with over something silly, visit the people that you care about or haven't seen in a while, join clubs that you have wanted to join for ages, go away to places that you have always wanted to go to because you only get one shot at this and there is no point in holding grudges or putting things off.

Let's all make 2016 a year to remember! 

xx