12 More Things People Say To Alternative Girls

Hey!

Last year I wrote a blog post called 12 Things People Say To Alternative Girls and it did really well as many of you fellow alt girls told me you found it so relatable! So I am back again with 12 more things people say to alternative girls...

Dear Fresher Me

Hey!

I've seen recently on social media #DearFresherMe, which is people talking about what they would have told themselves when they first started University. I thought it would be a good idea to write what I would tell myself an anyone else in their first year of University.

Homesense Halloween Haul Part 2

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I may or may not have been back to Homesense for their Halloween items...

Living At Home During University

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People always talk about what it’s like to move away for University and live in accommodation, but what about those of us who decide to live at home?

My New Tattoo

Hey,

Last August I got my first tattoo and wrote about my experience in a blog post. Then in April this year I got my second tattoo.

University Second Year Reflection & Summer Plans

Hey! I'm back!

In April I had 3 assignment deadlines, an exam and then 2 at the beginning of May. Which meant no time for blogging! However, my second year of University is now over which means I can get back to it.

The Best Make Up of 2017

Hey!

I know this comes really late into January but I wanted to share my 2017 make up favourites so much!

My New Years Resolutions + 2017 In Review

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I know we are already a week into 2018, but I wanted to make a New Years Resolutions and 2017 in Review post because they're nice to look back on.

What I Got For Christmas 2017!

Hi everyone!

Hope you had a wonderful Christmas (or a great holiday if you don't celebrate)! Today I would like to share with you the presents I received for Christmas. As usual with these type of posts, I would just like to put a disclaimer that I am not trying to brag. I love reading/watching these and find it interesting so thought I would share too!

The Christmas Tag!!!

Hey!

I found this Christmas tag online and I thought it might be fun to do and put me in the festive spirit. Feel free to also do it!

12 Things People Say To Alternative Girls

Throughout all my teenage years and now my adult life I have always appreciated the darker things in life. I love black, horror, metal, skulls, piercings and tattoos. Some of my friends even jokingly call me the 'Queen of Darkness'. Because of me just being me, I have experienced my fair share of bullying and ignorant comments, so I thought I would turn them into a humorous post you may be able to relate to. This is for you fabulous alternative, gothic and/or metalhead girls.

My First Tattoo Experience

Hello!

So just over a month ago I got my first tattoo and I wanted to share my experience with it. On the run up to me getting one I read a ridiculous amount of articles so I thought some people might find this interesting.

A Piece About Heartbreak.

A piece about heartbreak. A piece that is only one part of the million pieces your heart is broken into. You know it sounds cliché, and you know everyone goes through it and everyone “gets through it to the other side”, but you don’t feel it. You have countless amounts of friends and family telling you that, but it still doesn’t feel like your heart will construct itself back together again.

Looking After Your Mental Health In University

Hey!

My previous mental health post (What Are Panic Attacks & How Can I Help Someone?) did really well and people seemed to like it, so I thought I would come back with another mental health post. 

I have just completed my first year of University and understand that there will be first years starting in September, so I have decided to put together a post on looking after your mental health in University. Whilst Uni can be fun, the work load, new environment and meeting strangers can be daunting and stressful. Here are 7 ways to look after your mental health:

What Is A Panic Attack & How Can I Help Someone?

Hello,


According to AnxietyUK.org.uk, 1 in 10 people are likely to have anxiety/panic disorder at some stage in life. This means that it is likely that those who fall into that category experience panic attacks. Panic attacks can be pretty scary, so it is important to be able to understand what they are and how to help someone through an attack.


You may know someone who has experienced panic attacks, maybe a loved one, or you may even be experiencing them yourself. Here I have put together a guide on what panic attacks are, and how to help someone if they're experiencing a panic attack. I am studying for a Psychology degree and also suffer from panic attacks myself, so I have tried to write this with a balance of factual information and personal experience. 


What Is A Panic Attack?


Panic attacks are sudden intense feelings of panic with physical and psychological symptoms. Panic attacks come from our body's 'fight or flight response', where the body is faced with something it deems a danger. Millions of years ago this would've been important in keeping people alive as they hunted for their food for example, however now it can be triggered by things that aren't necessarily life threatening. They can be triggered by a certain experience, or can even happen for no clear reason.


There are plenty of reasons why someone might be triggered, which is unique to each individual. Examples could be going to parties and doing exams. My own personal triggers include bad dreams/memories, arguments, feeling claustrophobic and meeting new people. If you're suffering panic attacks, you should try to take note of what seems to trigger them. If you're close to someone who has panic attacks, it may be worth asking them what their triggers commonly are so you can be aware. 

Symptoms


It's important to realise that the symptoms people experience can differ. Although there is a general guide, someone may not experience all of them or some that even aren't on the list. If you want to understand your loved one's attacks you can ask how they tend to feel. When I first told my boyfriend about panic attacks he was interested to know what signs to look for and what I feel so he knew exactly how he could help me.


Symptoms:

• Irregular or racing heartbeat
• Sweating 
• Hyperventilating (shortness of breath, struggling to breathe)
• Shaking (if you're hyperventilating, the lack of oxygen to your muscles can cause the shaking and weakness)
• A choking sensation
• Nausea
• Dizziness
• Tingling
• Ringing in your ears
• Chest pains
• Feeling terrified
• Feeling you have no control
• Racing thoughts
• Feeling like you're dying or that you're having a heart attack

In my own personal experience, I start to have racing thoughts and feel like there is a belt tightening around my chest. My heart will start beating fast and I will begin to hyperventilate as I try to find my breath. This then leads to tingling, shaking and weakness.

Panic attacks duration averages around 10 minutes, but they can be less or more. 20 minutes is normally the longest duration. However, to the person experiencing them they can feel like a life time.

How Can I Help Someone Through A Panic Attack?

When seeing someone go through a panic attack, you may feel worried and like things are out of your control, especially if this is the first one you've seen, and that is okay. You'll most likely feel sympathetic and want to help. Once you know what to do, it becomes less frightening and you'll feel more in control and comfortable in what you do because you know what works.


If it is someone you're close to, ask them how they like to be helped so you know for future reference. Some may prefer space to breathe, some may prefer to be held. The most important thing in helping someone through a panic attack is to let them know that you're there for them, that they're in a safe space and you're willing to help them with whatever they need to get through it. You could say things like "I'm here for you" and "You're safe, I will look after you". When feeling something so frightening, it is nice to realise you're secure and someone is looking out for you.


Other examples of how to help:

• If in public, help them find somewhere where they can have their panic attack in privacy.
• Encourage them to slow down their breathing, and practice steady breathing with them.
• Counting to 10.
• Get them a glass of water because they may have a dry mouth from hyperventilating.
• Help them sit down in case they go weak and can't hold themselves up.
• Rub their back.
• Stroke their hair.
• Kisses on the cheek, forehead, etc (if you have that type of relationship, of course).
• Remind them that you're there for them and that they're safe.
• Don't leave them alone.
• Tell them that they can get through this.
• Don't pressure them in to talking or doing anything they don't want to do.

Once the panic attack is over, they may feel quite tired. If you're out, ask if they'd like to stay out or would like help getting home. If at home, let them rest and if that way inclined, give them a cuddle. 


Being able to form a good routine in helping your loved one through their panic attack will make you feel prepared, and in return they will build up trust with you and know they can turn to you if they need it.

I hope you find this guide helpful. If you would like further information, feel free to ask or click the links I am going to leave below. 


NHS Guide
NHS Panic Attack
Mind.org
Self-Care

8 University Summer Break Goals

When I am in education I feel like I have no time for myself. I don't have time to do any of my interests or hobbies, and feel like if I spend time to myself then I'm wasting time where I could be writing an essay or revising for an exam.


Fortunately, I am now on summer break. All my exams are over and I have had all of my marks back which means I can finally relax. It makes me very happy that I don't have to do any University work until September! So here are 8 goals I want to meet in my time off:

•  Read books- I've loved reading since a kid but whether it be GCSEs, A Levels or Uni, if I'm reading textbooks and doing assignments and exams, I just can't read. So, for this Summer my goal is to read at least 2 books, although I'm sure I can get through a lot more!

•  Go on Holiday- In my gap year I had the luxury of being able to go on holiday whenever I wanted to, providing I could get the time off from work. But now I don't have such a luxury! I'm having a week away just in the UK with some family and then I will hopefully have something booked abroad with my friend. Need that relaxation!

• Clean My Room- I hate to admit it, but during University I really slacked on keeping my room clean. I've managed to do a massive, 9 hour clean out of my room since finishing University which was such a relief. But my goal is to keep that cleanliness up!

• Clear Out All Drawers and My Wardrobe- My wardrobe became so full I was hanging things off the doors and my drawers are over spilling. So my goal is to declutter every drawer in my room and tidy them. So far I've managed to clear out and tidy my make up and clear out my wardrobe. I have about 8 more drawers to go, so wish me luck.

• Colouring- This may sound childish to some, but for me colouring books are therapeutic and relaxing. I used to do it all the time until University and I'd like to get back in to it. It's just so satisfying colouring in the lines with bold and beautiful colours.

• Go On Days Out- It's hard to have a social life when you're busy working. I'd like to fit a few days out with people on really nice days in my break. So far I've spent a day out by a river with my niece and a day going to Airhop with friends. Hopefully I will keep this up!

• Pass My Driving Test- I've been driving on and off for 3 years now and I am determined to pass my test by September. Fingers crossed!

• Get My First Tattoo- I planned to get my first tattoo as soon as I hit 18 but I kept putting it off. Now I've finally bit the bullet and had a consultation last week. My tattoo is booked in for the end of August. I'm super nervous but also excited!

What are your summer goals?

Travel | Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Hey!

1st-15th of June I went interrailing where I travelled to 5 different countries by train. I will write a post about each place I visited in the order that I did them. 

Flight & Getting to the Hotel

To reach Amsterdam, our first destination, we flew from Bristol. Amsterdam seems to be very cheap to fly to so would be a great idea for a weekend away! Our flight was late afternoon and only took an hour and a half. When we got there we took a taxi to our hotel which was rather expensive. It was the fanciest car I had ever been in! It was an automatic and had a huge screen in the front for things like SatNav, the internet and reversing. Despite the price the driver was very kind and made sure we got to the front door of our hotel safely.

Hotel

Because we were travelling we wanted a budget hotel. We stayed at a hotel called Hotel Amsterdam City Centre Inn. As the name suggests, it is situated in the centre which we wanted as we needed it to be walking distance. On the downside it meant that it was noisy all through the night so bare this in mind if you can't sleep with noise! The hotel has no lift and the dreaded Dutch stairs were the only way up. Dutch stairs are very steep and narrow so be careful! The room was fairly small and basic with a tiny bathroom; the room was clean and the mattresses were rather soft. The window overlooked a part of the canal which was nice. If you're looking for luxury then you won't want this hotel but if like us you need budget and won't be spending much time in your room, then I'd recommend it.

Transport

There are various ways to get round Amsterdam. Our main mode of transport was a Sight Seeing Bus which we booked beforehand. Sightseeing buses are ideal if you want to be a proper tourist as they will take you to all the noted sights and landmarks which you can hop on and hop off all day. It's easy enough to find the stop nearest you and then work things out from there. It's also nice to just sit on the bus for the whole tour and see all of the sights. Additionally they give you a map of Amsterdam, the routes and an audio or live guide of the city. It was very handy!

As for public transport, there are trams everywhere in Amsterdam. We used the tram multiple times and you can buy a ticket on board then get to your destination with ease. Bicycles are also EXTREMELY popular and you have to make sure you don't get ran over by them because they won't stop for you! We didn't personally travel by bicycle but you can rent them in plenty of places. The other way to travel is by boat through the famous canals. We didn't go on any as I have a fear of boats but there is a boat ride as part of the City Sight Seeing Bus. On our final day in Amsterdam it was very sunny so the canals were full of both tourists and locals on all kinds of boats. It was fun to sit on the edge of the canal watching them go by and pointing out all the interesting looking boats.

Things To Do

On our first evening/night there we decided to look round the centre. There are lots of shops to look at, some we recognised and some we didn't, so it nice to just wander around. Whether you have expensive designer taste or like shops such as Lush and H&M, there are plenty to look at. On our last day we found ourselves going in to a couple of these shops including an American and British sweets/food shop. There are of course also all of the canals to look at wherever you go and you can watch the boats go by. 

Arguably the most famous thing to do in Amsterdam is to visit the Anne Frank House. You have to book a ticket beforehand which we did on Expedia and you have a set time to go to it. It was a very meaningful experience and the part that got me the most was seeing her magazine cuttings stuck to the wall like posters, really emphasising the fact that she was just a young teenager just like you or me have been going through a terrible time. They also have her actual, genuine diary there which was incredible to see. I do think you should take a visit if you go to Amsterdam as it does leave you feeling all kinds of emotions. Word of warning though: the steps through the house are steep and narrow Dutch stairs again so be prepared for those. 

My favourite thing that I done in Amsterdam has to be visiting Kopjes which is...wait for it...a CAT cafe! It was actually on my bucket list to go to a cat cafe and I knew there was one in Amsterdam so we booked a table before we went. The cafe is completely cat themed with cat themed games, books and cushions to name a few! The walls are covered in things for the cats to play in, climb on and hide in which were constantly used by the 8 felines who live there. You get to play with them and stroke them which I loved and we ended up spending 2 hours there. To get there we caught a tram to Marco Polostraat which is the name of the road that it is on. The staff are also super friendly so I do think it is worth checking out if you are a cat lover like me!

Whenever I see photos of people going to Amsterdam I always see them standing beside a large 'I Am Amsterdam' sign. We found this in a beautiful area where there is a large water feature and a well-kept area of grass where people seem to go to chill out and lay out with their friends. This can be found at the back of the Rijksmuseum (a Dutch history museum). We didn't go inside the museum but we did have a walk around the courtyard. It is such a beautiful area and nice to hang out on on a warm summer's day.

The funniest thing we done was visit the Sex museum. It was my idea as I had seen pictures of people visiting and it was, quite frankly, hilarious. Explore the history of the Red Light District and just the history of sex in general, from sculptures made up of stone penises to how porn has been displayed through time. They also have an area about Marilyn Monroe which seemed popular and many other life size models they've built that move around doing acts or wearing certain 18+ costumes. This certainly isn't for prudes! Also, be wary of the room at the back: the photographs are NOT for the faint hearted!

And of course, we had to take a walk down the Red Light District. How can you go to Amsterdam without even taking a peek? We walked down it during the day time which I recommend if you don't want to see too much and don't want to be surrounded by pervy men. It was actually rather intriguing to see all the doors that are like booths where women stand in to lure the men and pick them. We didn't really see any women standing in the door ways, only a couple, and they just stand in corsets and underwear pulling seductive poses. There are also clubs where you can pay ridiculously cheap prices to see shows and dances. Not my cup of tea but maybe for some of the people who visit Amsterdam!

Food & Drink

As a vegetarian I found Amsterdam had the best range of vegetarian food I've ever found whilst going abroad. I really recommend using Trip Advisor to find places to eat as it will tell you places nearby and cater for what you fancy or your budget.

• Breakfast- The first breakfast I had in Amsterdam we were actually in a rush so we made a quick stop at a bakery. There are lots and lots of bakeries dotted around in Amsterdam which I was thankful for. I had a croissant filled with Nutella and it was stuff made of dreams. The next two mornings we went to the same place called Cafe George which seems to be cafe/restaurant by day, bar at night. We had brioche french toast with fruit and maple syrup which was incredible! I loved it so much I have tried to recreate it at home which isn't nearly as sublime.

• Lunch- For lunch we didn't really go out for meals as part of our way of saving money. A lot of the time we bought snacks from the supermarket to keep us going during the day. On the first day I ate my own bought food whilst my friend had food that she enjoyed at Cafe Illy. It was a smart looking cafe and it had a cool fixture with teacups all over it! On the next day we visited the cat cafe that I mentioned in my 'Things to do' Segment where I had a brownie and hot chocolate. On the last day I went to a crepe and gelato parlour where I ordered a large pancake with Nutella ice cream to take out. That was amazing!

• Dinner- On our first night we found a little fast food place nearby called Maoz Vegetarian which did pitta bread with falafels in or salad with falafel in. You then get to choose what toppings you want in it and sauce as well as having the option of sweet potato fries. I thought this was a great idea and I wish we had them near where I live! Other nights I found delicious vegetable pizza at New York Pizza and nachos at a restaurant that I can't remember the name of. Another amazing meal I had was at another fast food place called Wok to Walk. Similarly to Maoz Vegetarian you get to design your own meal, but this time it was noodles! I chose egg noodles with vegetables, pineapple and sweet and sour sauce. We loved it and it tasted delicious.

• Alcohol- As someone who hates beer but loves cider, I was happy to see that I could find cider in Amsterdam. It was really expensive to drink alcohol in Amsterdam but I did have a Magners cider one night at a bar and Strongbow cider in the day at a pub where we sat and played cards. I really recommend that if you're planning to come to Amsterdam for drinking that you bring a lot of spending money! If you're more of a beer fan you will find Heineken EVERYWHERE so you need not worry!

Our Train Catastrophe!

To leave Amsterdam we needed to catch a train to Duisburg (Germany) to then catch another train to our destination, Berlin. However, whilst we were on the platform waiting for the train to arrive, someone who worked at the station came and collected us and some other people waiting to board the train. Apparently the train we were all going to get on left an hour early! We were all so annoyed and immediately my friend and I were worried: how were we going to get to Berlin? Our train from Duisburg to Berlin was a sleeper train that had been booked, how were we going to make that? The people working at the train station were very rude and unhelpful so we had to try and fix this ourselves. I looked up the trains and the next train to go to Berlin was at 7:01 AM the next day. It was about 9pm at this point. Whilst I emailed the train companies involved demanding our money back my friend tried to look up hotels that we could stay in for the night. Unfortunately it was a Saturday night so all the hotels in the centre of Amsterdam were full. After walking around numerous hotels and getting turned down, one hotel did kindly help us by telling us there was a hotel out of the centre that had rooms free. We then had to get a tram out of the centre and try and find this hotel. Eventually we found it and it was a posh 4/5* hotel so we had to pay £200 just to sleep for about 5 hours. Then we had to get up early to get a tram back to the train station at 05.53 for our train. It was such a nightmare and thank god for our emergency funds! This also meant that we missed out on half of our first day in Berlin. As of now the train company has agreed to refund us our money which will thankfully make up for the money we had to spend on the expensive hotel.

Final Thoughts

Overall I really enjoyed Amsterdam. I had wanted to visit Amsterdam so much so it was great to finally achieve that. It lived up to my expectations and I can see myself going back there for a long weekend whether it be with a friend, my mum or my boyfriend. However, I will not miss all of the cyclists! As for the elephant in the room: yes there is weed there. I had been told by other people that you can smell weed everywhere but I didn't find this to be the case. Yes, I could smell weed but it was only when I walked past certain groups of people or stood close to a cafe that sold it. The cafes that sell food with weed in will normally have a weed symbol outside so you know if they do it or not. The smell of weed was certainly was not everywhere, which was a relief for me! If you go to Amsterdam you will have to make a decision about whether you want to try it or not.

Have you been to Amsterdam? Also, look out for upcoming travel posts: the next one will be Berlin.

My Piercings Updated

Hello!

When I first started this blog my first post was about my piercings. As first posts on your blog tend to go, it was a bit cringy and only got 3 views! In March I got a new piercing done so I thought I would make an updated version of my piercings post.

 I have 8 piercings in total, 6 in my left ear and 2 in my right. The reason for this is that my hair is so thick on the right side of my head that nobody ever really sees my right ear so I don't see much point in keeping the piercings equal to my left! The hair on the left side of my head on the other hand isn't so thick and it tends to be on show. 

My left ear:

• Earlobe piercing: This was the first piercing I had done when I was about 7 years old. I went to Claire's Accessories with my Mum like every little girl and I specifically remember being asked if I wanted my left and right done at the same time or one at a time. I opted for them at the same time because I was scared I would chicken out after the first one! I remember feeling super embarrassed as the piercer asked her colleague behind the till to do the other ear and everyone around was watching me! I don't remember the pain for this and it was done with piercing guns.

• Second Earlobe Piercing: This piercing was also done in Claire's Accessories when I was about 13/14. This time I brought my friend Emily along. I had both ears pierced but I believe I had it done one at a time. I remember a Mother asking me if her child could watch me have it done because she had been asking for her ears pierced but her Mum didn't think she really knew what they do to pierce it! I don't think it hurt too much but I did have to hold Emily's hand and she claims I crushed it. My pain threshold was pathetic at that age so it probably didn't hurt as much as I thought it did. Again, this was done with a piercing gun.

• Helix/Ear Rim Piercing: This is the piercing at the top of my ear. I had this done for my 15th birthday at Blue Banana and I think I found this the most painful of my piercings due to it being cartilage. This time I had it done with a needle rather than a piercing gun which is to be expected from a cartilage piercing so you don't run the risk of shattering the cartilage. This had a really long healing time and for weeks I couldn't lie on that side of my head. It took 7 months for mine to completely heal without any sort of pain or ache when being touched. It didn't bleed which surprised me but one day a boy accidentally kicked a football at my piercing and it did bleed!

• Tragus Piercing: This is the piercing on the inner part of my ear. Now this one has a bit of a story! I had this one done on my 16th piercing at Blue Banana again. Although my helix/ear rim hurt the most overall, this was the most painful process. The process of it being pierced really effing' hurt more than anything, but don't let that put you off. After 20 mins I couldn't even feel it any longer and it is actually my favourite piercing. Please note that if you plan to get this done it does impair how easily an ear bud on your earphones goes in so because of that I won't ever get my right one done too. So the story part of this piercing is that a week or so later I woke up to find it had fallen out. I found the ball but had no idea where the bar went! My family were going on a day out to the seaside that day but on the way there we went to Blue Banana to buy a new bar to put in before it closed over. As my Mum was putting my bar in she spotted the bar was inside my ear! I literally had no idea it was there and we couldn't get it out. When we got to the seaside I had to sit in Costa Coffee whilst my Mum stuck tweezers in my ear to get it out. Probably a weird thing for customers to see. Putting a new bar in made my ear bleed and I think the bar came out because my ear had swollen too much for it. This is why you have to make sure your bar is long enough to accommodate swelling guys!

• Third Earlobe/Ear Rim: This is the third piercing up from my ear lobe. This was my last piercing at Blue Banana and was done when I was 16, not long after my tragus had healed. It didn't hurt too bad and I had no issues with it afterwards. However, this was my first piercing to bleed when getting it done! It bled quite a lot and I had to walk around town holding tissue to my ear. 

• Fourth Earlobe/Ear Rim: This is my most recent piercing from March at the age of 18; a month before I turned 19. I hadn't had a new piercing done for nearly 3 years so I was a bit rusty on what it was like. After hearing bad things online about getting piercings done at Blue Banana I opted to get my piercing done at a tattoo and piercing parlour. My boyfriend came along too, deciding to get his lip re-pierced, and we joked that it was like we were on a date to get piercings together. This piercing is partly through ear lobe and partly through cartilage so it was more painful than the other ear lobe/ear rim piercings but still not that painful and definitely bearable. It bled a lot (you can see a little bit of dry blood around it in the photo as I took it when I got home) and again I had to walk around town with a tissue stuck to my ear. It took 6 weeks to heal.

My right ear:

Although I've mentioned having those done I thought I would tell you that my earlobe piercing is stretched. I first stretched it at 13/14 when it was the 'cool in thing to do' and I chose that one because that ear barely gets seen- meaning my Mum wouldn't find out! I bought a long spike and my friend pushed it through my ear in a cafe in town. Classy. It didn't hurt as much as it did sting and it took a couple of goes of pushing it in and waiting before it worked. I started off at 1mm and gradually over the months I worked my way to a 4.5mm before I stopped. I then changed the spikes to a spiral and I've had the spiral in ever since. I'm not sure if that's yucky or not but I just can't be bothered to change it! It isn't stretched too large but I don't think I could wear a stud in it. Even after about 5 years if I leave it out for a while the hole starts to shrink. I have thought about going up to a 5 or 6mm so maybe in the future I'll do that. It'll be like nostalgia from my young teen days.

My end goal with my ear piercings is to have piercings all around the edge of my left ear and maybe inner ear too if I can brave it. Since I got the 'taste' for piercings at 13 I have loved the idea of having an ear full of piercings and now that I am old enough to do it I still want it. My boyfriend wants to get his nose pierced soon so it won't be too long before I get the next piercing done. I wouldn't say no to facial piercings but for now I'm focusing on my ear. This is going to be one expensive ear! I'll definitely update you guys on my piercings once I've completed my ear masterpiece.

What I will say is that don't be scared of getting piercings. I have the most rubbish pain threshold and I have a fear of medical stuff and injections which anyone who knows me personally could tell you. A nurse wanted to do a blood test on me last year but I started sobbing and refused to do it and she was like "How?? You have plenty of piercings!!" When I see the needle I immediately think "what am I doing? I hate needles! How did I voluntarily sign up for this?!" but I just close my eyes and I do it. So if you're similar to me, you can do it. If I can you can!

Drinking game: Take a drink every time I say the word 'ear' or 'piercing'.

My Travel Itinerary

Hello!


As if I haven't mentioned it enough already, at the moment I am on a gap year. So far this year I have visited Alicante, Spain and Dublin, Ireland, but the main goal for the year was to go interrailing. For anyone who doesn't know, this is travelling around Europe on the trains. Now that my trip is finally booked and another holiday on the side, I thought I would share with you guys my travel itinerary for June/July. 

June

>Amsterdam, the Netherlands

>Berlin, Germany,

>Paris, France,

>Bern, Switzerland,

>Rome, Italy.

My friend and I were planning to go to Amsterdam right from the beginning as well as Rome because we were really eager to. The other cities we had just planned around the route and thought would be nice. I have been to Paris before and that is it out of those places. Bern was the totally random option we chose and we have no idea what to expect from it. But that is what makes it exciting! We will fly to Amsterdam and then fly back from Rome. We will be travelling over the course of 2 weeks.

July

In July I will also be going to Tenerife, Spain for a week with my boyfriend. Tenerife is one of the Canary islands and is supposed to be quite good for young couples. This will be our first holiday together, bar a weekend in Brighton, so I am quite excited! My interrailing trip is more about exploring the cities whereas this holiday will be more about relaxing on the beach. Yay!


I can't wait to get going. I have worked hard to save up for these trips and I cannot believe they are finally a reality. If you have any recommendations for any of these places please let me know!

I will also have plenty of travel posts coming up about these places including posts about interrailing and how to book it. So watch this space!


Where are you going this summer?

Books | Face Paint: The Story of Makeup by Lisa Eldridge

This is Face Paint: The Story of Makeup by Lisa Eldridge. If you haven't heard of Lisa (why not?) she is an amazing professional make up artist who works with the likes of Kate Winslet, Emma Watson and other major celebrities and magazines. She also works with Lancome and produces the most incredible and informative make up tutorials on YouTube. If you love your make up tutorials, I promise you that you will love Lisa Eldridge. 


Aside from doing make up, one of Lisa's other passions is the history of make up. She has so many classic pieces and knows so much about the history of make up that she decided to turn it into a book! As soon as I knew she was releasing this I wanted it and finally I got it from my boyfriend at Christmas.


The book is a beautiful hardback with such a vibrant cover, illustrating the colours of make up. The first page and back of the book show various antique pieces from brands such as Max Factor and Chanel. The contents is split up into 2 sections: 1) 'The Ancient Palette' which covers the colours red, white and black, their history and how they've been produced. 2) 'The Business of Beauty' shows us how media has influenced make up and advertisements, the beauty pioneers of the years and how folk remedies have turned into global brands. Lisa also gives us an insight into the future of make up and certain ingredients. 


What I love about the book is that you learn so much that you never knew before about make up. It's one thing knowing how to apply foundation or how to blend eyeshadow, but to actually see how over the centuries how make up has been viewed and made is incredible. It is so interesting to read how make up has changed from being frowned upon to loved, to be applied discreetly all the way to being applied in its masses. 


Another thing I love about the book is that Lisa has included pages in between different paragraphs which names someone in history, shows a photo of them and how they somehow influenced make up in their time. There are some real names of the past such as Marie Antoinette, all the way to Marilyn Monroe and Amy Winehouse. We also see women from different cultures so it isn't just a singular Western view on make up. 


My favourite part in the book was reading about the history of well-known make up brands, particularly Max Factor. I never knew that Max Factor was a man and influenced the make up industry so much! I also really enjoyed seeing how the first ladies of beauty Helena Rubinstein and Elizabeth Arden fought each other within the industry to be on top. As well as being super interested in the brands, I also really liked seeing what kind of ingredients were in make up in various centuries. Some of the recipes sound like a witch's spell for her cauldron!


If you watch Lisa Eldridge's videos then you will see how her personality shines through the book. The way she writes actually sounds like her and you can hear the words being read in her voice as if she's reading it to you herself. I enjoy this as it gives the book her personality and you can really hear her passion for make up throughout. Furthermore I love seeing the photos of what she has in her collection or what others have in their collection so we can see how make up packaging has evolved.


With vibrant photography and intriguing facts one right after another, this is a book to read. If you have a passion for make up I cannot recommend this book enough. Lisa is such an expert in her field that she is certainly one to listen to and she really has chosen the most gripping and thought-provoking topics to talk about. Her expertise really shines through and I can certainly assure you that you will come away knowing way more about make up than you did before and you will see it in a completely different light. I constantly had facts to tell the people around me! Additionally I really think this makes a good gift to give someone you know is enthusiastic about make up and it looks beautiful in the bookcase. I do hope Lisa Eldridge writes another book because I will buy that without a single doubt!


I would love to know if you have read this book and what you think about it.