AUTUMN MAKE-UP LOOK | MAC COPPERING

I had been craving the Autumn make-up colours since August and now I can't even remember what colours existed before all of the pretty Autumnal shades came into play. I ordered Mac's Coppering eye shadow back in the summer because Jaclyn Hill said she loved it and I love her, so... I just had to. I hadn't really paid it much attention as it's quite a statement colour and those not so exciting neutrals are just so much easier to chuck on,so poor old Coppering was kind of getting neglected. 

However, I was feeling very Autumnal a few weeks ago, (yes it has taken me that long to get this post up - bad blogger)! so I invited Mac's Coppering out to play and boy did we play! The photos really do not do Coppering any justice, as it's so much more intense, shimmery and just more beautiful in person. As you can imagine it's a copper red colour, which may sound scary but it is surprisingly easy to wear and complimentary on all eye colours. I used Mac's Somoa Silk and Rule in the crease and Coppering all over the lid and quite heavily under the eye in the lower lash line. It reminds me of the leaves turning the orange/brown shades and falling off of the trees in the Autumn months... how sentimental.... 

I didn't intend for the black gel liner to be so bold, however, it was one of those times where one eye wasn't going quite to plan and therefore getting bigger and bigger, so in the end I was left with this bold line. Does anyone else suffer from the curse of one eye going perfect and then the other inevitably failing miserably? 

I was trying to remember what I used on my lips and then I remembered that it's actually the Pink Punch Baby Lips, you can see how pigmented the shade is especially as it's only a tinted lip balm. The foundation that I used is L'oreal's True Match with Rimmel Match Perfection powder (Not a huge fan). I used Benefit's They're Real mascara and Bourjois bronzer, with Dallas blush by Benefit. 

I hope you're all enjoying the Autumn make-up colours and trends; I'm not so much a fan of the Autumn/Winter weather but I do love the fashion and the make-up trends.

BOOTS HAUL + MINI REVIEWS

Lately I've really been making an effort to save my money which resulted in my makeup bag looking depressingly low and in need of some new purchases. The only solution to this - a little make-up only shopping trip!

The foundation, mascara and powder were all repeat buys and so I could be safe in the knowledge that they would perform as well as before, however the rest of my purchases were new to me and I have some mixed feedback.  

Having just used up a mini Benefit Chacha Tint I was looking for a more affordable replacement and found this new Rimmel liquid cheek tint. The texture is thicker than what I would class as liquid compared to the Benefit tint however this is not a set back. The tint is very light weight which means that the colour can be built up and would therefore be a great fit for lots of skin tones. The tint comes in two shades; Pop of pink and Sun kissed  Cherry which although limited choice, the two colours are great colours considering this as the Pop of pink is a great pink blush and the Sun kissed Cherry is more of a coral tone, which are generally the most popular blush colours. 

The tint gives a good colour to the cheeks however, I also use a powder blusher over the top to intensify the pigment. I like to use Coralista by Benefit over the tint to also add a little shimmer. 

For the last few months beauty blenders have taken my interest and so when Real Techniques brought out their miracle complexion sponge I had to try it. There was a buy one get one half price offer on, so obviously Georgia and I had to both get one to take advantage of the offer.  A review will soon be up after we've both tried it out a bit more.

Finally, these are my first Seventeen make-up purchases, and it was the packaging of these products that enticed me to buy. I have never really used a primer before, so I didn't really know what to expect, however, I have been consistently using this primer for the last week and it does what it says. Your skin feels super soft while it being very light weight and is also moisturising which means that foundation applies even more smoothly. Very little of the product is needed with each application and so I can predict this lasting a good amount of time. 

However, the On the Spot concealer was very disappointing. It is described as having a creamy texture, however, the concealer is extremely watery even when shaken which means that the coverage leads much to be desired. 

Although I cannot comment on the statement of 'clearer skin in 4 weeks' as I have not been using it for that long, I will not be buying this again and doubt I will even be using it for 4 weeks. The colour is a very unusual shade that almost looks slightly dirty and is very difficult to blend into the skin even with using Real Techniques stippling brush and so I have taken to applying the concealer before my foundation just to hide the difficult to blend colour. 

So, that was my little stock up of make-up and I can definitely say that my make-up bag now looks a lot more healthy! 

Have you been stocking up on make-up lately, were there any products that you loved or didn't think too much of? 

AUTUMN CLOTHING WISHLIST

It was Only about an hour ago that I was telling my mum how I was actually looking forward to pay day and transferring money into my savings account... I realise how uncool that sounds, but it's always nice to have some savings for the bigger and better things in life; I'm trying to save for next years holiday and also just saving in general. Anyway, I made the mistake of browsing online, on River Island's and Zara's website and now I feel like I need all of these beautiful clothes & shoes as they'll be perfect for the autumn months! 

Top Row, Left-Right: River Island Red Chelsea Girl Printed Pussy Bow Blouse £25.00 / Zara Leather Ankle Boot £59.99 / River Island Black Oriental Cami Top £15.00 /

Middle Row, Left-Right: River Island Black Square Print Zip Through Vest £25.00 / River Island Black Cut Out Buckle Side Chelsea Boot £35.00 / River Island Black Square Print Blouse £28.00 / 

Bottom Row, Left-Right: River Island Cream Textured Peplum Top £28.00 / River Island Dark Red Chelsea Girl Sliced Lace Top

I'm normally way more obsessed with buying make-up than I am with buying clothes, however lately I've been lusting after so many clothes and feeling like my wardrobe would be too empty without them. I think Autumn must be my favourite season fashion wise; although Summer is my favourite weather season, I love being able to wear more clothes in the Autumn as I feel that I can style each piece a lot better than I can with Summer clothes. I love ankle boots, knee high boots, lace and blouses. I love the dark colours that Autumn brings and of course the beautiful berry shades that make their appearance every Autumn. 

As you can see all but one of the items on my wishlist are from River Island, I've really been liking River Island lately, especially their Chelsea Girl Collection which is so unique and a great mix of vintage inspired pieces. I already own quite a few items from this collection and I always head straight to the stand whenever I go into River Island. I don't think I've ever seen anyone else wearing anything from this collection so it still seems pretty unique. 

I've been obsessed with the tie up heels ever since I saw Kourtney Kardashian wearing nude Louboutins in this style, numerous times. I absolutely love the style as it's so different and I definitely don't have anything like these, so it's safe to say I need these. I'm trying to get Hannah to buy them for my birthday, so I'm praying they don't sell out before her pay day! If any of you want to order these, I hope you're not a size 5! 

So, that is my wishlist for the Autumn months, I'm not sure how much of this I'll let myself buy as I really do want to save as much as possible, but I do need these too.... 

L'OREAL COLOUR RICHE COLLECTION PRIVEE | EVA & JULIANNE'S NUDE

So many of us love the nude lip look; it's a classic beauty look, a great way to compliment a smokey eye and most importantly so easy to wear. However, picking the perfect nude lipstick to suit your skin tone is actually a pretty hard task! you've got the common problem of the nude being way too similar to the concealer lips look and even worse there's the nudes that are so nude that they make you look like you're extremely ill. L'oreal have come up with an amazing collection of nude lipsticks to suit every skin tone.        

                                                              

  Cheryl Cole, Doutzen Kroes, Freida Pinto, Julianne Moore, Eva Longoria and Liya Kebede, who are all spokemodels for L'Oréal, have worked with colour designer Orrea Light to produce the best nude lipstick shade for their complexion. The great thing is, that they all are of very different ethnicities, so have different skin tones and colourings, which is great for all of us, so we knnow which nude to choose!

I chose Eva Longoria's nude shade and Julianne Moore's, as I love Eva anyway so I'd obviously chose hers and Julianne's was a gorgeous pinky nude that I had been longing for. Although the whole point of these nude lipsticks is to pick the celebrity that your skin tone is closest to, as that will be your best match, I absolutely love Julianne's nude, but my colouring is know where near hers. If you don't already know, Julianne Moore has very, very pale skin and red hair. Eva has a much darker olive skin tone than I do, but I have got naturally dark hair and love to self tan, so I guess that match could be considered a closer one. I didn't pick up Cheryl's nude as it wasn't in stock, but thinking about it now, that probably would have been my best match... Oh no! I guess I'm going to have to get that one too now... 

Formulation

The formulation of these lipsticks is extremely moisturising; they're so soft and creamy that they apply really easily onto the lips and definitely do not dry the lips out at all. They're some of the best lipstick textures that I have tried and I think they may even apply better than some of the MAC lipsticks that I've tried and we all love those! The lipsticks have a slight shimmer sheen to them which is very subtle so still very wearable. The sheen makes you not need to add any extra lip gloss, which is always a bonus when topping up throughout the day. 

Eva & Doutzen's nudes. 

Scent

One feature that I'm not too sure about is the smell of the lipsticks; they have a fairly strong scent to them, which reminds me of the parma violet sweets (my mum agreed). I don't hate the smell, but it is a little strong/floral for a lipstick. It does become more subtle when applied and it is easily ignored, so it definitely wouldn't put me off of the lipsticks but it's just a slight negative factor for me.

Freida & Julianne's nude.

Longevity 

The wear time of these lipsticks isn't overly long, however I'd say compared to other lipsticks, they are still about average. Nude lipsticks don't need to be so long lasting for me as you can easily top up a nude lip as you generally don't need a mirror. If I was wearing a bright/dark lip, I would much rather it last longer in case I didn't have time to top up, then it would be left looking a little odd on the lips, whereas you don't have this problem with nudes.

Julianne's Nude:

I adore this lipstick and have been wearing it nearly every day since purchasing both lipsticks last week. I have quite pink toned lips so this shade is definitely a 'your lips but better colour.' It really enhances my natural lip colour and makes my lips look a lot prettier! It's a really wearable nude, as it adds a lovely warm pink shade to the lips. As this is Julianne's nude, who is very fair skinned and I love it and I have a more tanned complexion and dark hair, I imagine that this nude shade would suit most people. The colour is well pigmented, however still gives a natural finish to the lips; I find with some nude pinks, that if I apply a little too much, they start making me look a little on the ill side as they're too cool toned, however this colour is so gorgeous and wearable, that I think you would struggle to make it look bad.

Eva's Nude:

I also love this shade, it's a gorgeous peach nude and looks great on tanned or olive skin. I think more pale skin tones would also be able to wear this shade beautifully. Likewise to Julianne's nude, Eva's nude is very well pigmented and gives a great colour to the lips with very little effort. It's also another great 'your lips but better' colour, however more peachy toned than my natural lips. It's a great colour to warm up your complexion and would compliment most warm brown, red, golds and bronze eye make-up looks. 

Here are some swatches of both lipsticks. They are a fairly true representation of the colour, however I'd say Julianne's nude is a lot more warmer toned in person and both shades look a lot prettier in person.  I love both of the nudes that I have and would definitely recommend them. I now want to pick up Cheryl's as I think the shade would suit my skin tone, however that will probably be the last one I get as the other shades seem to be better suited for darker skin tones.  

            Julianne's nude  

One word of warning would be to be careful when googling these shades! I was innocently typing in 'Cheryl's nude L'oreal lipstick' and my boyfriend thought it would be funny to take away the 'L'oreal Lipstick' part... a totally different result appears! Why are men so gross? 

Eva's Nude

The lipsticks are £8.19 from Boots, I bought mine when they were on a buy 1 get 1 half price offer, which I think is still on! I also used my Boots advantage card points to pay for them which means I technically got these pretties for free!!

Have you tried any of L'Oreal's Colour Riche Collection? Which celebrity's nude is your favourite?

THE FRESHER'S SURVIVAL GUIDE #3 | FRESHER'S WEEK

A week of 100 emotions... 

Freshers week isn't just about all the crazy flat parties and nights out; you'll also have your registration and some introduction talks about the university and your chosen subject. It's a busy but very fun week, so here's a little insight into what you may experience and some tips that may come in handy. 

Registering

When I first arrived at my uni, I was sent to a room to register and collect my student card. I also collected a bag full of maps and information about the uni. It took quite a while to register as you had to que up. There were people going around asking if you wanted to sign up for different events and features that the uni offered, however, you still have plenty of opportunities to sign up for these things once you've moved in so don't stress about signing up for everything. 

Moving In

After registering we were able to move in. This involved a lot of signing of paper work so it did take a long time and was a pretty boring experience, but you've only got to do it once! 

Obviously freshers week brings a lot of homesickness, stress and worry over whether you'll fit in and make friends. If you haven't already read our Fresher's Survival Guide post with tips on dealing with homesickness and making friends then you can go and check it out 'here.' 

• Get a door stop

A great tip to get to know your flatmates is to use a doorstep of some kind to hold your door open while you un-pack. Anyone passing by can stop and chat to you and you'll both appreciate that you're already getting to know each other. Also, it means you can't hide out in your room crying because you miss your home life, (I totally did not do this)! 

• Check that everything in your room is up working properly & inform the accommodation staff ASAP if anything isn't 

I noticed early on that me and one of my flatmates didn't have a post box key and my other flatmates did, I thought maybe they were just being cheap and not handing them out to everyone so I didn't bother asking why. At the end of my first year, they charged me £10 for losing a key that I was never given, even after I argued that I never had it in the first place. The staff were really rude and were just idiots. I would have been less likely to be charged if I had informed them as soon as I realised. 

I also lived with a very low power shower for the first couple of months, just presuming that it was because there were so many rooms that they just didn't have great showers, however after actually telling the staff, the maintenance man fixed the shower and it worked amazingly! 

• Buy a box of chocolates/sweets for your flatmates

One of my flatmates bought us all a box of celebrations to share, it was a really sweet gesture and also creates a topic for conversation and of course it's a great treat as we're all poor and hungry students! 

Subject Introductions

I received a timetable in my information pack about some of the events that were planned for Fresher's week. None of the talks I went to were of much interest at all or really that helpful, but at least you get to meet some people that are also on your course. The first was a talk about the university and the subject and another was about how to use the uni computer systems and email etc. As I previously mentioned, I already knew a couple of people from speaking to them on facebook before arriving at uni, so this is where I was able to meet them. After one of the talks, we went to a fresher's bbq and also collected our reading pack, which were absolutely huge for the law students ... I should have realised then that I was going to hate this degree! I spent the rest of the bbq chatting with one of the girls that I'd met from facebook and it was really nice as we were able to talk about the course and were in the same situations. 

Fresher's Fair

Fresher's fair is good for meeting new people, signing up for societies and events and also freebies! This can range from pens to little snacks, which are always warmly welcomed. A lot of companies that come to the fair also give out vouchers and Nandos had competitions that you could enter to try to win a free meal! Mine wasn't the greatest but they're definitely worth checking out anyway. 

Nights Out

And now for the fun stuff! 

• Bring fancy dress

I mentioned this in my previous Fresher's Survival Guide post but it's definitely worth repeating. I think every fresher's week contains fancy dress nights, so it's definitely worth trying to pack some items that will fit the theme. If you love fancy dress then you can go all out, but if you don't then just packing a tie and maybe some spare fake glasses would suffice for a school themed night out. Other popular themes seem to be beach party, so anything flowery! Military is also common so whatever green/khaki items you have laying around and obviously some face paint can come in handy for your camouflage war paint! Pyjama theme also seems like a popular one, but I don't know about you, but I don't fancy going out in my pj's! It's also a great idea to bring a pack of playing cards for drinking games! 

• Share the pre drinks cost with friends

For Fresher's week myself and one of my flatmates took it in turns to buy the drinks for the night, this helped with the cost and it's also keeping you close to your flatmates and building your relationships. 

• Rollasoles are your best friends

If you don't know what rollasoles are, as the name suggests, they are roll up shoes that you can fit into your handbag or clutch for the end of the night when your feet are hurting from your high heels. They are a life saver! 

• Be somewhat sensible

You'll realise that uni is a small place and everyone knows everyone, so if you do something embarrassing or get a little close to a few too many people, word will go around and that's probably not how you want to start off your uni life or reputation, as one of my friends found out. So drink as responsibly as you can and try to avoid doing anything that you wouldn't if sober or that you'll probably regret. 

• Be safe!

The general, tell a friend where you're going if you decide to go off with other people, otherwise they may worry. Always make sure that you travel home with other people...

Fresher's Flu

A cocktail of no sleep + poor eating + alcohol + a load of people in very close proximity = a huge likelihood that you'll come down with the dreaded fresher's flu!

I was lucky enough not to suffer, but then again I do hardly ever get colds and when I do, they tend to go in a couple of days anyway. I still stocked up on cold and flu medicines beforehand, just in case I did catch Fresher's flu! 

Enjoy yourself!

Finally and most importantly, enjoy yourself! It's a great experience and a really fun time of your life. I'm not really a 'big going outer' but I think I went out every night of fresher's week and really enjoyed myself. So go out of your comfort zone and go and have fun! To anyone who is due to start their fresher's week soon, good luck and I hope you have a great time! 

If you haven't already read the 2 previous posts in this serious you can click on the link and catch up:

What to Pack?

Homesickness & How to Make Friends

CELEBRITY STYLE- JESSICA ALBA

 I have always loved Jessica Albas style, even if she did play the bitch in Valentines Day! So on request here's another celebrity style of another well dressed girl crush I have. Jessica has such a cool, relaxed fashion sense, yet still stylish and chic, with a little edge here and there. She always looks great so I love taking inspiration from all of her outfit choices. Here are some similar alternatives to Jessica's outfit that I've managed to find, so that we can steal Jessica's style! *evil laugh.*

 1. Urban Outfitters £26. One day I will be brave enough to wear hats. Simple outfits like this one, where the accessories become the focus point, is where I would most likely be able to conjure up the courage to buy and wear a hat and this one would look great with so many different outfits.

2. Boohoo £15. To counter Topshop's high shoe prices I found these sandals n Boohoo, they are  slightly more plain, but this also means there's no chance of any features falling off! 

3. Topshop £40. Despite recently posting a wish list post including boyfriend jeans, I have now discovered mom jeans which may have stolen the show in my wish list as they are slightly longer and give off a vintage Friends vibe. 

4. Accessorize £6. These really are nothing like the outfit, however, when trying to find some earrings I found these that were too beautiful to leave out!

5. Accessorize £10. More like the photo these Dagger Studs are perfect to  dress up a colourless outfit like this one! 

6.Topshop £55. For £40 more than the Boohoo shoes you can get slightly more detail and I can vouch for Topshop sandals lasting for years as long as they are worn responsibly! 

7.Topshop £18. There are similar tops to these in Primark for around £4 however due to a lack of website choice I was forced to put the more pricey one on here. Although I may have stolen this exact top from my mum and wear it at least once a week because it can really just create any look required easily. 

8. Jasper Conran £39. One very beautiful bag that is the perfect shape for any occasion this isn't quite the patent look of Jessica Alba's however I have recently adopted a craving for snake print and these colours together would mean it will go with any outfit.

9.Fossil £109. Just a smidge out of my price range, but for any of you that can afford to splash the cash it has now become a mission of mine to own a Fossil bag and this one is equally as beautiful as any. 

10. Lola & Grace £24.90. Slowly becoming my new favourite accessory shop, Lola & Grace has simple yet very elegant and very versatile necklaces. 

11. Dorothy Perkins £32. One consistency in my life currently is Dorthy Perkins daily emails with discount and money off online shopping and so, if you are looking for anything this should be the first point of call for everyone as the prices are steals at the moment! 

Do you like Jessica Alba's style? 

AUTUMN INSPIRED EYE MAKE-UP LOOK

Hello everyone! 

I actually did this make up look around the mid-end of August, when the weather started to turn a little less summer like and a lot more like autumn. However, a couple of days after the summer weather came back again, so I didn't really feel like I could post an autumn make-up look, while sitting wearing my summer dress and flip flops! 

I had been craving those berry/red shades so I picked up Maybelline's  Metallic Pomegranate  24 Hour Colour Tattoo, that Hannah reviewed 'here.' Hannah loves the Colour Tattoo's, however, the first time I used mine, I really wasn't impressed. It seemed to clump up and then peel off really easy. I also couldn't blend eyeshadow on top easily at all. The second time that I tried it, I actually really liked it. I'm not sure what I did differently, but they worked really well. 

1. I used the Metallic Pomegranate all over the lid. I really like the colour, however, I wish it wasn't so shimmery! I then put the light beige/orange Sleek shade (labelled with a 1), through my crease as a transission shade to make sure all of the future blending would look smooth and seamless. 

2. I next blended another Sleek shade (labelled with a 2), through the lower crease, blending it into the Pomegranate colour on my lid. I also lightly patted it over the lid. 

3. I also took the Pomegranate shade under my eye in the lower lash line.

4. I then used the black shade in the Sleek palette (Labelled with a 3), lightly in the inner corner and heavier in the outer v/outer corner of the eye. 

5. I then blended the black shadow in the corners under my eye 

6. I added Rimmel's gel eye liner to my lash line and flicked it out.

7. I used MUA's Shade 1, single eyeshadow as an under the brow highlight and also to highlight the inner eye. 

8. I finished off the eyes with a few coats of Benefit's 'They're Real' Mascara. (That I'm not too impressed with any more, as mine feels like it's running out after just a few weeks of use)!

As the eyes are pretty heavy, I wanted them to be the main focus, so I've kept the rest of the face very natural looking. I used Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum, Rimmel Match Perfection Powder, Bourjois bronzer, Benefit Hervana blush and Revlon's lip butter in sweet Tart. 

I'm absolutely loving Autumn make-up looks so far and I really feel like I need more Autumn colours! Are there any products that I need to try? 

THE FRESHER'S SURVIVAL GUIDE #2 | HOMESICKNESS & HOW TO MAKE FRIENDS

It's no secret that it's pretty scary moving far, far away to university, where you most likely don't know anyone or the area at all. I think some degree of homesickness is probably inevitable, however everyone's different and we all cope differently to others. I'm writing this in hope that I can help you if you are going off to university or even just moving away from home, as if like me, you'll be most worried about being in a new place where you don't know anyone and wondering how you'll possibly make friends and not miss your friends and family at home too much!

Our 'xbox and take-away night' 

My Story

I was one of the little homebodies, who decided not to move too far away. I moved about 2 hours away, which meant that I was able to go home every few weeks, for weekends and reading weeks. A lot of people did this, however, more people tended to stay at their uni accommodation from September and then only came home at Christmas, when you have time off. I was never looking forward to moving away from home as I'm obviously very close with Hannah and we spend a lot of time together, so I knew that I would miss her. I also had my boyfriend close to where I lived.

Sorry Hannah...

I travelled down to my uni with my mum, nan and Hannah. They helped me move in and stayed for a couple of hours before leaving me on my own in this new and scary place! I was dreading them leaving; I hadn't seen anyone in my flat and I felt like I was all alone. I was feeling very emotional and was trying so hard not to let any tears out, as I hate crying in front of people and I didn't want them to worry. As we were saying goodbye, Hannah hugged me and suddenly burst out crying - lots of tears and everything! This obviously set me off. When they left I didn't know what to do, what was I supposed to do here? Who do I talk to? 

Four of my flatmates and I

Luckily for me, (on this occasion anyway), my room was right next to the kitchen, which I shared with seven other people. I listened out waiting until I heard movement in the kitchen to then go out and 'get a drink.' After tearing for some time, I tidied my self up and with every sound I heard I rushed out to see if I could find anyone. Finally, I was sure that they were at least a few people in the kitchen and went out. They were all just standing around awkwardly, so I said hi... trying to sound as confident as I could. After that it was easy. We started introducing ourselves and then went for a little walk around the area to see what it was like. At the time there were 3 guys and just 1 other girl. After chatting to all of them I felt so much more comfortable; although I still felt homesick and very emotional for the first few days, I was happy that I was making new friends. We then spent more and more time together and the closer and more comfortable we all got with each other, the better I felt about being away from home and my favourite people. 

One of our nights out

My Advice

Find people on facebook before you go

My univeristy, like most had a facebook group for freshers, which I joined. It was full of people asking who else was doing their subject, I picked out the ones who were asking about law, which is what I am studying and added them as a friend. We could then chat and it was nice being able to discuss uni stuff with people who were in the exact same position. I made friends with 2 people, as not many people seemed to be doing law. It's a great idea to find people before you go as when I met both of them I already felt comfortable with them and felt like I knew them. It was nice to be able to text someone, to meet up with so that I wasn't going to my subject events alone. 

Knock on your flatmates doors

I was too shy and didn't want to go knocking on what would be random people's doors, however, it's more than likely that you're all sitting alone in your rooms, scared to come out. Make the first move and put yourself out there to go and find the people you live with, you'll all feel better once you get together and talk. They will definitely be grateful!

My best friend at uni

Keep busy

Arrange to do things with the people you live with, or those that you have met on your course, or anywhere else around uni! Go out, try new things, or just simply chatting in a communal area, like your kitchen can really take your mind off of any worries and really helps with homesickness. One of my flat mates brought an old xbox and T.V with her, which we all played for ages. It was a great way of getting everyone together, as pretty much every male likes xbox and if you're like me and haven't previously touched an xbox, it's just something fun to do. 

Arrange to cook together

Cooking alone in the kitchen can be very lonely and boring! I would often skip dinner because I couldn't be bothered to go through making something, standing alone in the kitchen and then washing up alone. When I started to arrange to cook my dinner at the same time as some of my friends, it made me much more enthusiastic about trying new things, as you always have someone there for advice and company. 

Keep in contact with your friends and family at home

If there's ever a time when there doesn't seem to be many people around to talk to at uni, chatting online or on the phone with friends and family from home can really help. It can be very lonely if you're not with your new uni friends, so it really helps just talking to anyone familiar. 

Fresher's week - Army night

Don't worry

You're all in the same boat; you're all nervous and worried about fitting in. A couple of weeks into living away, I'm sure that you'll all feel much more comfortable and be really enjoying the whole experience. Although I missed my mum, Hannah and boyfriend, I didn't feel like I needed to go home, if it hadn't been planned for me to come home, I would have been more than happy to stay at uni. 

Have fun!

This is probably the first time that you've been away from home, living alone in a new place, so enjoy yourself. There's nothing to worry about and it's a whole new exciting experience. I kind of regret taking first year so seriously, as I turned down a few nights out because I had work to do, however as we all know, first year doesn't count, you only need to pass. You have the next two years to study hard, so enjoy yourself while you can! 

Hope this has been somewhat helpful to anyone who is soon to be going off to uni! Let me know if there's anything else you would like to read about? There will be more to come! 

HANNAH'S SEPTEMBER WISHLIST

Hey everyone,

so, after extensive browsing through numerous websites and 'oooo'ing' with admiration over all of the pretty clothes and accessories  I have managed to create a rather big wish list that I need to buy! Here are some of the key items that need to be in my life. 

 1. River Island £40. This pattern was originally used for a skirt which Georgia bought, so when I saw it in blazer form it caught my eye, it would look great for day or night.  

2. Miss Selfridge £26. I like this dress as it's so casual but yet still feminine. It would be great to just chuck on, with some added jewellery for either day or night. 

3. Miss Selfridge £39. This playsuit is a real epitome of the style I'm into right now; edgy but girly. The faux leather makes a great contrast to the pattern. I also like how high the neck line comes with the layered top as this keeps to the rules of breasts or legs, of the two I always go for the latter although not so much by choice! 

4. Topshop  £42. I've wanted boyfriend jeans for a while, possibly because I struggle to hold on to a real boyfriend! I think these would look great with a prettier top so they are more feminine and maybe a statement necklace. 

5. Matthew Williamson Butterfly £55-88. At the age of 13 I was facing the prospect of moving to Upper School to the terror of 18 year olds, all of who I was completely intimidated by! And so the summer preparation shopping commenced and I fell in love with a, rather pricey,  Matthew Williamson bag that my mum bought for me. However, she only did this with the promise I would use the bag for the entire year. Then in year 9, and now in year 13 I still use the bag everyday, and since then my admiration for Matthew Williamson's designs have grown. This bedding would be the fourth I have from the butterfly collection, each being very different in pattern and extremely unique. Although the only thing in the way of me owning this is the price; they are extremely expensive for bedding which means I wait for Debenhams 25% off which always gives you an extra 10% when checking out. 

6. New Look  £24.99. I found these when I was making my Blake Lively outfit post, as they were the cover photo for the boots, and loved them immediately. I have found similar designs on many other websites however these had the best price and I have always brought and been happy with new look shoes for the price.  

7. Topshop £8.50. These tights are super cute and would look great with a plainer outfit to add some fun and interest to it! 

8.Miss Selfridge £39. Once again the display photos on clothes websites have forced me to want to spend more money. I'm fast approaching the age that I will attempt to start going out and socializing which means I will need a 'going out' wardrobe and this would look great in it I think! The different colours and textures of the dress really caught my eye and I love it. 

9. Miss Selfridge £25. I love this style of shoe and have bought a few colour variations from New Look however, the size was always an issue for me there, seeing as I'm a very small 5 I bought 4's which are more pain than gain right now so I'm hoping that these will be a better fit! 

10. Fossil £55. When I go out,normally shopping, I love seeing what other people decide to wear and how they style their outfits. This is how I came upon wanting to buy this purse; I saw someone with a plain purse similar to this however in brown, and so I set about trying to find one I liked. When shopping I came upon this, which is also sold in brown, however this season I'm becoming obsessed with variations of this colour and so hopefully will get this soon! 

11. Never Fully Dressed £44. After finding this website through instagram, you may have seen the post, I began to make a shopping basket like I normally do, and after deleting half of the items convincing myself they would look horrible (a.k.a I can't afford them) I was left with this dress that is so unique, that it is top of the list!

12.Lola & Grace £19.90. I love New York Ink and I love the piercings and tattoos look, however I'm far too indecisive right now to commit to anything other than the occasional ear piercing. When I saw these at Westfield they seemed perfect; they're pretty as well as almost looking like ear stretchers, you may all be thinking I have weird vision but I can't wait to buy these although I may wait to hold back until Christmas as last year there was a sale, (bargain tip right there)!