Thursday 31 December 2015

2015 Favourites

Hey everyone, so I thought today I would share with you some of my favourites from this year, my favourites don't really change month to month so I thought I would just tell you my favourites of 2015. This is also probably going to be my last post for a week or two because I have my A level mocks coming up and I need to focus on them. Anyway onto the post.



Primer: Nivea Express Hydration Primer, it makes my makeup last all day and also hydrates my skin so it doesn't become dry.

Foundation: Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation, I've mentioned this a few times I just love the coverage it gives without it being too cakey. Unfortunately this shade is too dark for me now we're in the winter so I don't use it as much but I do still love this foundation.

Concealer: The Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer, the amount of times I repurchased this concealer is incredible I love how creamy it is and the coverage that it gives.

Powder: Rimmel Lasting Finish Powder, I'm in love with the Rimmel Stay Matte powder, but this year I tried out a new powder and I really like it. I love the fact that it has a mirror and a little sponge thing so it's easy just to throw in my school bag.

Contour/Highlight: MUA Luxe Contour Kit, I bought this compact a while ago and I fell in love. I've hit pan on both the contour and highlight shade. The contour is great for adding depth to your face and the highlight is gold and is great to add that natural shimmer.

Blusher: Makeup Revolution Blush Paletter- Sugar and Spice, I did a review of this -here- and these are the only blushes I have been using this year. I especially love the top left shade for just a natural sort of flush.

Eyebrows: Avon Eyebrow Palette, I got this last christmas and have been constantly using it, the shade is perfect for my eyebrows and it creates such a natural brow.

Eyeshadow: MUA Heaven and Earth, I have kept turning back to this palette all year round, it is perfect to get a Neutral eye look.

Eye Liner: Avon Khol Eyeiliner, this has been a great eyeliner to line your tight line and water line with. A few days ago I bought the Supercat liner and I think that is fast becoming my favourite but I haven't used it enough for it to be in my yearly favourites.

Mascara: Maybelline Lash Sensational, this is such a great mascara, I have been specifically loving the waterproof, which I couldn't seem to find when taking this blog photo. But it adds great curl and length to your lashes.

Lip Product: Primark lip liner, this doesn't have a name but it is a such a perfect taupe-y ( thanks Dalal) nude, it is also a great dupe for my Burberry lipstick sample which I think I will do a post on soon.

Makeup Brush: Real Techniques Buffing Brush, after lots of the Real Techniques brushes for christmas last year this was such a hard decision, but I don't think I would be able to live without my buffing brush it bleds foundation in so flawlessly its just  amazing.

Fragrance: Mrs Wright by Mark Wright, I'm sure I got this for christmas a few years ago, but I started wearing it again this year, I love the scent as it isn't too sweet and girly.

TV Show: The Fosters, this is an American TV show but I'm in love, I love all of the characters and all of the storylines, It's a show which I can't wait for the next episode because I just want to see what's happening.

Film: This is a hard one.I really enjoyed Paper Towns, although it wasn't really an accurate representation of the book.

Band: The Script, my favourite band never really changes but I have been listening to a lot more artist this year.

I've realised how long this post is dragging out to be. But I wish you all the best for 2016. 

What has been your favourite thing this year?

Until Next Time, Katie x 

Sunday 27 December 2015

A Year of Blogging

Hey, so a year ago today I watched a little film called We Bought A Zoo and wrote my first blog post on this blog. I can't believe I actually kept it up, well kind of, there was quite a few times where I hadn't posted in months. But shhh, all in all it has been a great year for me. I thought, since it is very close to the end of the year, I would just write this post about some great things that happened in 2015.


I joined the Secret Blogger project, this is such an amazing project where I have made some great friends who can just listen to me complain and get emotional about things, thanks girlies.

I did my GCSE exams, this was such a stressful time of the year, but when I opened up my results I was really proud of myself and the hard work that I did. 

I took part in NCS, I'm so glad I decided to do this, I made some friends for life who I talk to everyday and I became a lot more confident.

Prom, the one night of my life which I had been thinking about since I was tiny, it was so  special to dress up nicely and spend the evening with all of my friends.

Starting my A levels, it's been really exciting to start doing my A levels because I can finally spend my time learning about the things I love, and although it is really stressful its great to no longer have to do English.

So there are a few exciting things that have happened in 2015, I'm hoping that 2016 will be a great year and I can grow my blog even more. Thanks to all of you for all of your support. 

What was your favourite moment of 2015?

Until Next Time, Katie x 


Friday 25 December 2015

Christmas GRWM

Hey, Merry Christmas Everyone, i hope you've had a great day  today and got everything that you wished for. I am extremely grateful for all of my presents and I will show you some of my favourites in a post later this week. But I thought today I would show you my make-up and outfit.  The photo credits go to my sister, and I know I look really awkward in these photos i'm really not a photogenic person but I thought I'd post them anyway. 


I forgot to take photos of my make-up products because I'm useless, but I'll just list and link whats on my face. 


Avon Eyebrow Powder
Naked 1 and Naked 2 - I was fortunate to recieve these for christmas and will be writing a post about them soon
Avon Eye Liner






And the clothes.

Black high Waisted Skinny jeans-primark
White top- Matalan
Checked Shirt- Select


 How was your christmas?

Until Next time, Katie x





Sunday 13 December 2015

My Top 10 Christmas Films

Hey, we're nearly half way through December and it's definitely acceptable to start watching Christmas films, although to be honest I watch Christmas films all year round, there's really nothing better. So here are my top 10 Christmas films to watch this year.

 A Miracle on 34th Street


This is by far my all time favourite film, I watch it every single year and I could just watch it over and over again. I love the story and the message that it gives.

The Holiday

This is one of the films that I could just watch all year round, it has a great story and a great cast and I just love the whole feel of it.

Love Actually
A lot of peoples favourite Christmas film, so many different stories which all end up being related in the end. So many well known actors are in it, and it's just a perfect film to get you in the holiday spirit.

Fred Claus
This is a film I love to watch with my little brother around Christmas, we watch it every single year. I love the story and also the message that it gives.

Elf
Elf is such a great comedy film to watch at Christmas, it never fails to make me laugh and it's a film that you can just watch over and over again.

The Grinch

Such a classic Christmas film, which my dad actually showed me for the first time.

Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer
I don't know whether this is a very well known film, but it used to be my absolute favourite thing to watch when I was younger.

Deck The Halls
This is such a funny film, which I like to watch with all of my family every year.


Nativity
I had completely forgotten about this film until Amy in the secret blogger project chat reminded me, I really love the first and second films, I am yet to see the third one. But they have such great actors in it. 

Home Alone
I remember watching this in school around Christmas time, I used to love this film and I still do. 




What's your favourite Christmas Film?

Until next time, Katie x 









Wednesday 2 December 2015

As Easy as Pi

Hey, so this post is a little different to usual, well a lot different because I'm bringing out my inner maths geek and talking about why I love maths so much.

Yep, who would have guessed that I'm the biggest Maths geek there is, and I'm proud to admit that. Maths has always been my favourite subject from as far as I can remember, and I love all aspects of it (Apart from Decision 1 in A level maths) there's something about maths that I find fascinating. I am hoping to go to University to study maths and become a maths teacher because as cheesey as it sounds I wan't to be a part of the reason someone has a passion for maths, just like my maths teachers have for me. 

Maths is the same in all languages (kind of a mean girls reference, but who cares) I love the fact that we can all communicate with this one language, it kind of unites us all together. 

You can see maths everywhere if you look close enough, even in nature. Did you know that the seeds in a flower show patterns of the Golden Ratio which comes from the fibbonacci sequence?

Maths has such an interesting history, I love reading about where all of the maths that we use today comes from. I love reading about the ancient Egyptians and the ancient Babylonians and where Pythagoras' Theorum originates from. 

There's a clear method, always a right or wrong answer and I like that perfectness, something that's Black or White and there is no in-between. 

The feeling you get when you have solved a really hard equation, or factorised an awful quadratic is just amazing. It might just be me, but you know. 

Anyway, back to the title of this post. When you ask me what my favourite number is, you might think 2, because that's the day I was born on. Or 7 because it might be my lucky number. But no, my favourite number is Pi, as weird as it sounds I am so fascinated by this number, it literally goes on forever and never stops, an irrational number which has such a big effect on maths today.

Now after reading this you may think that I'm a really weird person, but it's boring to be normal, and Maths is such a huge part of my life and I wanted to share it with you all. 


What do you have a passion for?


Until Next Time, Katie x 



Saturday 28 November 2015

Guess Who's Back?

Hey, it's been nearly 2 months since I last posted and I thought I would just write this post to explain where I've been.

As most of you know I started my A levels this year and the amount of work I have been getting is unbelievable. Not only do I have to complete all of my homework, I need to make sure I'm doing enough work outside of my lessons to make sure I understand everything, this work load has left me feeling really stressed as I constantly worry if I don't understand something as my mocks are just after Christmas. 

I did try to keep up with my blogging for a bit, but it just kept getting more and more difficult. So I decided instead of stressing myself out over that as well I would just take a break from blogging, because although it is something I really love doing, I just didn't have the time or motivation to write and publish any posts. I hope you all understand the fact that I'm under so much pressure at the minute because of my school and A levels. And I thought GCSE's were hard haha. 

So what's been happening in the past few months? Well I applied to a Supported Progression Scheme with Durham University, it's  weird to think that I'm already looking at universities when I'm only 16, but with this scheme the requirements could get lowered and I could potentially get an offer for Durham Uni. I'm just waiting to hear from them, so fingers crossed for now.  Last Week I took part in The UK Team Maths Challenge regional heats, our team came 12th out of 15 teams, but I had so much fun doing it and it just made me remember how much I love maths. At school I am loving all of my A levels despite the work load. I'm finding German so interesting and Physics and Maths are just perfect. 

Hopefully I will be posting very soon, it's less than a month till Christmas and I can't wait to write some Christmasy posts and also it's a month till my blog's birthday, I can't believe I've nearly been blogging for a year.

What are you most excited about for December?

Until next time, Katie x 

Sunday 11 October 2015

Recent Rimmel Purchases

Hey, it's been a while. Sorry about that. As i mentioned in my previous post I am now in year 12, and I have been getting so much work that I have very little time to post. The title says Recent Rimmel Purchases, but really they're not that recent, as I've been planning on writing this post for a while, and I have finally found the time. I apologize for the photos, I didn't really have the time to get the lighting right. But I hope you enjoy...

Match Perfection Foundation

I bought this because I needed a  new foundation, and Rimmel had an offer 2 for £10 at Superdrug, which I thought was amazing. I really like the formula of this foundation, it has decent coverage but not too much to make your skin look cakey, it blends really  nicely into the skin and is such a perfect foundation for everyday. 

Lasting Finish Concealer

I bought this after reading about it on Ellen's blog, It's a really nice creamy concealer which I use to highlight under my eyes, down my nose, my chin and my cupids boe, it blends flawlessly into the skin and the coverage is incredible. 

Lasting Finish Powder

I saw this in a Tanya Burr video quite a while ago and I thought it would be perfect to put in my school bag or to travel with, because is has a mirror with it. The powder is also really nice as you can hardly notice it on the skin, but it mattifies everything and keeps it in place. 
Kate Moss Lipstick in 107

This is such a staple lipstick in every beauty blogger's collection. The infamous red wine coloured
lipstick in which Zoe Sugg lives by. I finally got around to purchasing it and its such a perfect shade for Autumn, it applies really nicely, and lasts well on the lips.

Kate Moss Lipstick in 45

This is part of the new Nude collection brought out by Kate Moss, this is such a great everyday Browny Nude, i hate this saying but there isn't really a better way of describing it. It's a sort of 'My lips, but better' lipstick. Again the formula is really creamy and it lasts well on the lips. 


So there you go, I hope you have enjoyed this quick little post, hopefully I'll be back blogging soon. 

What's your favourite product from Rimmel?

Until Next Time, Katie x 















Saturday 19 September 2015

Why I love Autumn- Autumn Falls

Hey!Long time, No see. I apologize for the fact I haven't posted for like 2 weeks. My laptop is broken, I am currently using my sisters and also I went back to school last week and although I am enjoying it, I am being bombarded with extra work and homework to do which leaves very little time for blogging. I hope you understand, hopefully I will get a bit more free time to blog soon. . But anyway, Autumn is near  here. The summer holidays have ended and there's no longer sun shining in the sky. This makes me really happy as Autumn is definitely my favourite season of the year and with a new season comes a new secret blogger project and this is my first post from Autumn Falls. So here are the reasons why I love autumn,

Hot chocolate, although for me I drink hot chocolate all year round because I am a bit fan addict, there's nothing better than drinking a warm hot chocolate after a cold windy day spent outside.

Dark lipsticks, now I love my deep purple and red shades especially in the autumn, its such a great makeup trend. Look forward to a post where I share my favourite autumnal lipsticks.

Jumpers, jumpers are just so warm and cozy during the colder months, they are so comfortable and look effortless whenever you wear one.

Boots, these are my favourite type of footwear, there are so many different styles and are just so good to wear during the Autumn.

Cozy nights in front of the TV,  I mean this is all year round, but its expecially nice, in autumn, to cuddle up with blankets and watch a cheesy Rom-Com or your favourite TV series, 

Candles, the autumn is a perfect time for candles. I love how they can bring a room to life, I like to have candles lit in our Living Room whilst we watch the TV, it creates such a perfect atmosphere.

Walks with the dogs. Autumn is such a perfect time to go out walking, you can hear the leaves crunching underneath your feet and you can wrap up warm and just walk for miles.



So those are a few reasons why I like Autumn? What do you like about Autumn?

Until Next Time( hopefully not too long) Katie x


This post is part of a little blogger series I'm taking part in called the "secret blogger project 2015" run by teen bloggers Emily , Rebekka and Charlotte. About 30 of us will be writing twice a week on selected little lifestyle topics and you can also go onto the twitter and instagram hashtag "#secretbp2015" to have a little chat and view everyone's posts. If you would like to join or know more (we'd love to have you!)  Instagram dm @theperks0fbeingemily or if you don't have instagram, send a quick email to  rebekkarosebeautyxo@gmail.com! xxx

Saturday 5 September 2015

DIY- Quote Notebook

Hey, so this is my first ever DIY on my blog. For my friend Bethany's birthday I decided to make her a notebook. I watched a video on youtube and got inspiration to do this. It is really simple to achieve, but is such a cute and fun way to spice up a normal notebook


You Will Need

                                    A notebook, preferably with quite a strong cover
                                                                         Paint
                                                                    Paint Brush
                                                      Sharpie/permanent marker
                                Image or stencil relating to the theme of the notebook

For Bethany's I decided to do a disney theme, because she loves disney. But you could do anything you like, a film, singer, book as long as you can get quotes to use.

Firstly I painted the front cover of the notebook white, It needed quite a few coats, i then left it to dry.
I then found the quotes, and wrote them on the notebook with the Sharpie, it really is that easy. 
I then printed out a Mickey Mouse picture and made it into a stencil and I painted that in the middle of the notebook and drew around that with a sharpie.

There you go, it's that easy and doesn't take any time at all. I think this is such a unique gift to give, and it also looks really cute.

Let me know if you want to see more DIY's from me?

Until Next Time Katie x

Wednesday 2 September 2015

Telling your friends about your blog?

Hey, so I thought I would write a quick little post on how I told my friends about my blog. I know it's different for most people whether they want to keep their blogs private or share with the whole world, and it doesn't matter either way. To begin with when I first started writing this blog I didn't want to tell anyone, it was my secret and to be honest I was a little embarrassed, because I'm quite a shy person believe it or not, but my blog was a way to let me come out of my shell and talk about whatever I wanted to talk about, and I was worried some of my friends would judge me for it. 

The first person who found out about my blog was my sister, she was snooping over my shoulder and noticed blogger, she then told my mam and the rest of my family. Because she really can't keep a secret. Hi, if you're reading, Beth. After the audience of my blog grew and I started the Secret Blogger Project, I gained more confidence in my blog and myself and was ready to tell more people. I first told my best friend Katie, I think I just dropped it into conversation, and it wasn't really a big thing.

The second person I told was my friend Kyra, this actually happened by accident, my camera had broken and I was taking blog photos on my phone and I tried to send them to myself on facebook and of course I sent them to Kyra, so I  had to explain why she was getting photos of my clothes sent to her. I then told the rest of my friends by asking them whether I could use the prom photos on my blog. 

In the Secret Blogger Project kik chat we had a conversation about telling people about our blogs, and after that I put it in my Instagram bio, so I have no idea how many people who I know have read my blog, but I'm not that bothered. No one has ever said anything bad to my face about it. So i guess that's my exerience with telling people about my blog. Sometimes people might not understand it, my parents definitely didn't at first. But you shouldn't be ashamed to be proud of your blog and if you want to tell people about it you should.


Have you told your friends about your blog, why or why not?

Until Next Time, Katie x

Sunday 30 August 2015

My GirlMergency Kit

``Hey, so I thought today, with school starting again next week for most of us, I would tell you what I put in my GirlMergency Kit for school. I think it's quite important to have a version of this, as it comes in really handy, especially at school.


I got the bag I'm using for my little kit from primark, they have some really nice small makeup bags which are perfect for something like this.

First thing is Hand Sanitizer, this is a necessity for me because the soap in our toilets at school always runs out. Also the fact that school is such a germ filled place, you never know when you are going to touch chewing gum underneath the tables.

Secondly is tissues, these explain them selves really haha, no one ever seems to carry tissues so I guess I'm the supplier.

Bobbles, I always bring some bobbles for if my hair is getting annoying when I'm trying to work. The spiral bobbles in the photo are aimed to reduce headaches after you take your bobble out. We all know that feeling, and it is the worst. I can tell you that these actually work for me. 

Bobby Pins, for the same reason as the bobbles. Also since I like to do quite different, extravagant hairstyles everyday for school, hair often comes out of place and bobby pins can fix that.

Powder, I don't think there is really any point in taking loads of makeup to school, I like to bring a powder, so that if my skin gets oily I can powder to get rid of it. This is the Rimmel Lasting Finish powder, which is a new purchase. I like it because it has a mirror and a powder puff which is perfect for when you are in school ,and it has a multi purpose. 

Mini Deodorant, this isn't essential but I like to bring it just in case. It's definitely helpful if you have P.E, which I no longer have to do. But school can be a sweaty place, as we all know.

Feminine Products, I always like to have a couple with me at all time. In case it comes unexpectedly or my friend needs to use one. We all know the pain when we don't have one. 

Lip Balm, Lip balm is a total essential for me, I don't go anywhere without it. I really hate it when your lips get really chapped and you don't have lip balm.

Mints, I normally bring 2 or 3 different types of mints to school, don't ask me why, I just like to have a variety, its one of the things I'm known for in my year. So useful just to freshen your breath throughout the day.

Perfume, this is a tiny little perfume sample which is a perfect size to bring to school.

And finally which I forgot to put in the picture is plasters, I like to bring both blister and normal plasters incase your shoes start rubbing, or if you get a paper cut.

What do you have in your GirlMergency Kit?

Until Next Time, Katie xx

Saturday 22 August 2015

GCSE Results 2015

Hey, I was planning on doing a back to School haul today but my camera decided to die on me, so hopefully that will be up within the next week. But anyway on Thursday I went into school to get my GCSE results, I was really nervous because I had worked so hard on my exams and really wanted my results to be good, I was pleasantly surprised. I am really proud of myself for putting all of that work in I did for those 2 months. I am signed up to my School sixth form. 

So anyway what you are all waiting for, my grades.

Maths- A*
Chemistry-A*
Physics-A*
German-A*
French-A*
Further Maths-A*
R.E Short Course- A*
Biology-A
History-A
English Language-A
English Literature-B
Drama- C

 I am really happy with my results, and I'm really proud for getting them. I decided that next year for my A-Levels I will be doing, Maths, Chemistry,Physics and German. And also further maths AS level in year 13 hopefully. I know that its going to be really hard, but I am willing to put the work in.

I hope you enjoyed this little post, If you did exams, what did you think of your results?

Until Next Time, Katie x

Sunday 16 August 2015

How I Get My Summer Glow

Hey, so after some inspiration from Aloha  I wanted to write a post about how I achieve my Healthy Summer Glow around this time of the year. So I thought I would take this opportunity to tell you about my favourite Skin and Body Moisturiser and also tanning lotion at the minute...


So the first is my face moisturiser which I use every morning and evening after cleansing. This is the Nivea Daily Essentials Light Moisturising Day Cream. I love the consistency of this moisturiser and the way that it feels on my skin, it really helps with the dry parts of my skin, but doesn't feel to greasy. I have been using this moisturiser for around 8 months now, and I can really see a big difference to my skin. It also has spf 15 which I think is perfect for the summer, as we don't want to be damaging our skin cells in the sun.



The second mosturizer is the Avon Care Cocoa Butter Lotion. I really love the scent of this, which makes it amazing to use on the skin. This lotion feels really nice on my skin and it just sinks in without leaving a greasy feel to the skin. I also love to mix this lotion with my Garnier Moisturising Tanner Lotion, because it makes it so much easier to blend into the skin, creating an amazing sunkissed glow, which is what everyone wants for the summer, the tanner lotion is really easy to use, and you can't really go wrong especially if you mix it with a normal body lotion. It creates such an effortless glow, which I think is perfect for the summer.


The last thing I want to mention is the Aloha Recipe Page , it is full of healthy recipes which will help the health of your skin. I am in love with the desserts section,because I have a big sweet tooth. But it has everything from smoothies to snacks, so if you are looking for something healthy and good for your skin you should definitely check it out. 

I guess that's it, I hope you have enjoyed this little post.
How do you get your Summer Glow?


Until Next Time, Katie x


Thursday 13 August 2015

My Holy Grail Beauty Products

Hey, so after repurchasing these products for around the 100th time I thought I would write a post about my 2 Holy Grail beauty products, from the moment I first got these I haven't looked back. I also know these products are quite well known in the blogging world but I want to tell you why I keep going back to these products again and again, I hope you enjoy...



Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer
The creamy consistency of this concealer makes it perfect to cover spots and blemishes because it gives such a great coverage, I tend to not use this underneath my eyes as I feel like it can be a bit heavy for that but it is such an amazing concealer to hide blemishes and redness. For the price it seems to last quite long and is definitely good value for money, and I will be repurchasing this until I can find a better concealer which I don't think is likely at the minute.

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder
I have talked about this powder a few times on my blog because it is such an amazing powder, it mattifies foundation, but doesn't look cakey. I love to use the shade transparent because I think it creates such an effortless and natural look, without adding anything to your foundation. I have been buying this powder for so long and I haven't came across anything which does it's job better than this powder so I would definitely recommend it. 

I hope you enjoyed reading this quick little post.

What is your Holy Grail beauty product?


Until Next time, Katie x

Saturday 8 August 2015

A Day At The Zoo

Hey, on Friday I went to South Lakes Safari Zoo with my family and had quite an eventful time, I saw a lion give birth and got really close to a giraffe. I hope you enjoy the photos.

























I had an amazing day at the Zoo, which is your favourite photo?

Until Next time Katie, x

Thursday 6 August 2015

How to Survive Year 11

Hey, So I know not all of my lovely readers are going into year 11, but I know that quite a few of you are and this post could be helpful for any stressful time in your life really. Since I finished year 11 and am going into year 12 *eeek* this September, I thought I would try to give some helpful advice on how to make the most of your time and not crumble under the pressure of exams. And also quite a few of my secret blogger project friends (you know who you are) thought they would benefit from a post like this, so here we go...

So year 11 was one whirlwind of a year for me, and it was over before I knew it. With having 24 exams and piles of coursework to finish it wasn't the easiest of things to handle. But I've learned from my mistakes,and once I actually got into doing my exams I became a lot less stressed. Because trying your best is the only thing that matters, you can't do any better than your best.

My first tip is to start revision early. Now I don't mean in the Christmas holidays start full on revising. But if you learn something in class that you aren't too sure about, ask your teacher to explain it, or go home and look in a revision guide and make sure you understand it, this means when you come to revising in the summer you understand most of the basics and it's a lot less pressure. Also if you are taking a language, start learning some vocab, I love using Quizlet for this, because then by the time you get to your exams you know a lot of the vocab which makes revision so much easier. I have a post up about my revision tips on my blog, you can check it out here.

Secondly, ask your teachers questions. For a long time I was too shy to ask my teachers to explain something. But during year 11 I had my science teacher explain the Motor Effect around 20 times until I finally understood it, I also emailed my teachers asking if we could go through something on a lunch time. Teacher's are usually more than happy to help, if you are happy to put the work in they want to help. Don't worry about asking the same question again and again, the more times you have something explained to you the easier it is.


Year 11 really doesn't have to be as stressful as it seems, and once I actually got into doing my exams I relaxed more. You need to remember to keep doing things that you love, during my exams I still managed to write blogposts, all though exams are priority it doesn't mean you have to stop your life completely. You need time out to watch a film or go shopping and take your mind completely away from exams or anything stressful, because that way you will learn to cope. I have a whole post talking about how I cope with stress here. Finally remember that Exam Results Do Not Define Who You Are As A Person.


So that's it I guess, if you have any other questions about year 11 or anything else to do with this subject please comment them below and I am happy to help. I hope  this post was useful  even to the people not going into year 11. 

Have you got any tips to survive year 11?

Until Next Time, Katie x

Sunday 2 August 2015

Summer Confidence

Hey, I am really sorry about not posting, I'm just not in the best blogging mood at the minute. Anyway the Secret Blogger Project has had a bit of a change up and this summer between now and September I have 4 posts to do on various topics to do with Summer. The first one I'm doing is on Summer confidence, I hope you enjoy.

This was Band Night at NCS where I sang infront of 150 people
with my team, which I would never have done a few months ago.
Confidence is one of the things that nearly everyone struggles with, some more than others. When it comes to the warmer months lots of people become less confident in wearing more revealing clothing such as shorts and dresses. I used to be and still am one of those people, I dread the weather getting warmer because I worry what people think if I go outside in shorts or a dress, but this is something we need to try to prevent happening, we need to start feeling comfortable in our own skin. We are all unique but beauty comes in all different shapes and sizes and we need to start accepting that we are beautiful and we can wear what we want if we feel more comfortable. I was just going to give some tips on how to be confident but I think I am going to tell you what confidence means to me and what I do to help me become a little more confident for the summer.


Confidence to me doesn't mean being loud very dramatic in front of other people. I guess it just means being happy in your own skin. You don't have to think you're the best, but you feel comfortable being yourself and expressing your personality through what you wear or what you do. Confidence doesn't come easily to me, and I really do still struggle with it. But it's something that could make you a lot happier.


The first thing I do to become a bit more confident is surround myself with people who I can be myself around. Being able to show your maybe weirder side around other people is such a relief, as you can just let go and be yourself. This normally boosts your confidence especially around your friends. If you have friends who make you feel down all the time, and don't let you be yourself, take them out of your life. I know it's hard but if you spend your life with people you don't feel 100% comfortable with it will be harder to become more confident.



So body confidence is something I really struggle with, especially around summer time. This video made by Zoe and Louise quite a long time ago really helps me with my body confidence. I look up to Louise (Sprinkle of Glitter) because she shows how it is possible to be confident even if you look different to other people.I have just received Louise's book for my birthday today and I think she gives amazing advice on how to be confident, so definitely check it out. 


Just remember that confidence isn't determined by what others think of you, you need to realise that you are beautiful and that you need to stop pointing out the the things about that you don't like and start pointing out the things you like.Only you have the power to control your insecurities. 

I hope you enjoyed this post, I'll hopefully be blogging a lot more now. What helps you to become more confident in the summer?

Until Next Time, Katie x


This post is part of a little blogger series I'm taking part in called the "secret blogger project 2015" run by teen bloggers Emily , Rebekka and Charlotte. About 30 of us will be writing twice a week on selected little lifestyle topics and you can also go onto the twitter and instagram hashtag "#secretbp2015" to have a little chat and view everyone's posts. If you would like to join or know more (we'd love to have you!)  Instagram dm @theperks0fbeingemily or if you don't have instagram, send a quick email to  rebekkarosebeautyxo@gmail.com! xxx

Sunday 19 July 2015

NCS-Week 1

Hi, I apologize for the fact that I have not posted in 2 weeks, but as most of you know I have been taking part in NCS, you read my post about it here. Because of the lack of WiFi and the fact that our week was packed with activities I never got the chance to post, and when I got home for the weekend I was extremely tired and wanted to just catch up on sleep and YouTube. I will have a post about the last week I spent at Durham university but today I will be posting about my first week of NCS. It was one of the most challenging but fun weeks of my life. I discovered I had a fear of heights and tried to challenge that and I also made some incredible friends along the way. So I'm just going to tell you what I did throughout the week. None of these photos were taken by me because only one person in our group was allowed to take photos during the activities.

Tuesday 7th July
The day that we got the coach up to Kingswood in Hexham, I was feeling quite nervous to begin with because a lot of the people in my team knew each other already and I felt a bit left out and to begin with we weren't really that close. Once we got to Kingswood which was an hour away we got our rooms and sorted out everything in there. Then we had our first activity, the first thing that we did was Hopes and Fears which was where we just talked to our group about our worries about that week. We then went on to our proper first activity which was Night Line. A blindfolded obstacle course, my friend Taela held my hand through all of it because I couldn't hear what any one was saying, I got really muddy but it was really fun. We then had dinner, the food wasn't too bad and after that did fencing, which I wasn't that great at. Our last activity of the day was meant to be Problem Solving, but our instructor was just telling us all riddles, because we found that to be a lot more fun.

Wednesday 8th July
The beds were not very comfortable and we had to wake up at 7:00 am in order to get breakfast at 7:45, so that was a struggle especially on the first morning. Our first activity on Wednesday was Rock Climbing, I have no upper body strength so I was really bad at that, but I did have a go. We then had review which we just discussed how we were feeling. Shelter building was after that but the weather was getting worse, however we didn't let that get us down. We also had our first Archery Lesson that day, I am also not very good at that but I had ago. After Dinner we had one of my favourite Activities which was the 3G Swing, which is a massive swing, we didn't go right to the top like the others, because I got really worried, but it was such an adrenaline kick. By this time our team was really starting to gel, and I started getting close to Bethany, through an inside joke which spiralled out of control.

Thursday 9th July
The weather was getting better and we had another review session to begin with, we then did Jacobs ladder, which I hurt my leg on and got a massive bruise. However it was really fun. Afterwards we had another archery lesson thing, I started to improve but i'm still not great. We then had knife skills, and abseiling, which I got to the top and couldn't abseil down so I went back down the stairs. We also did  Zorbing on this day, that was really fun, although all of the boys thought it would be funny to try their best to knock into me as hard as they could.

Friday 10th July
On the Friday we had high equilibrium on our list, however I didn't do that, it was way too high. We had environmental art, fire lighting. We then had leap of faith, which my friend Amir challenged me to get quarter of the way up, but with some encouragement from my team I got half way up before I started to panic. During that day we also had Zip lining, we had to get to the top of the same tower as abseiling, and I was really panicking, but the instructor and my friend Bethany helped me get through it and I had the most fun ever. Apparently I never stopped smiling when I was on it. We then had team challenge which was an obstacle course we had to complete, it definitely wasn't easy but we had fun trying.

Saturday 11th July
Our first activity was rock climbing on the big abseiling tower, I was really bad at this but kept trying my best to get as high as possible. We then made bottle rockets for our last activity at kingswood. We were all quite sad to leave, especially me. Because although I was really challenged, I had so much fun. I had also gotten really close to the people in my group and we were getting along really well, I knew at that point that these weren't just friends for NCS, they were friends for life.



So I hope you've enjoyed the little run down of my first week of NCS, it honestly has been one of the best experiences of my life and if you get the chance to do it, you should grab it with both hands. I have learnt so much about myself, and I became so much more comfortable with being myself around others, and not worrying about what they think of me. Because actually I am quite a loud person, but in order for me to be myself, I have to be around people who I feel 100% comfortable with, like my team for NCS. Hopefully this post wasn't too boring, and I will be posting a lot more now fingers crossed. Enjoy some of the photos I am leaving below.

Until Next Time, Katie