2015 Favourites - The Best!

Hiya!

I thought I'd start this year with a bit of reminiscing, and sum up last year in a whopping great favourites post :)

♥

Hair:

I don't usually use products on my hair, apart from shampoo and conditioner. I like the feeling of a clean product-free scalp, and besides, I find after using hairspray my brush gets really gunky - gross!

However, when the time comes to refresh my hair, I have been liking Batiste dry shampoo. It smells great (I use the original, though I might test a different fragrance next time) and adds volume to my fine hair. It also helps with styling as it gives hair more hold. However, I do get annoyed with the white residue it leaves, but spending a bit more time rubbing it through gets rid of it.

Skincare:

Neutrogena Visibly Clear moisturiser has been my one and only this year. It's a great oil-free moisturiser for those with acne, doesn't dry out skin at all, and sinks in quickly leaving skin that feels unclogged and clear. I've been using the pink grapefruit one, which smells wonderful and fresh too. I've tried many moisturisers, but this one has been the best for reducing my acne and keeping my oily skin under control.

Makeup:

I've been using No7 Beautiful Skin BB Cream for normal/oily skin when going out, it does a ton of wonderful things, though what I love most about it are the SPF 15 and the light consistency. This has been my go-to product for coverage (I'm not a fan of foundation), and I love it very very much.

Rimmel Kate Moss lipsticks are brilliant, especially the Lasting Finish collection. There are some gorgeous colours in there which last long (I'm in love with 05, a pretty pink), and as weird as it sounds, they taste really good. A quick swipe of lipstick is the best (and easiest) way to go from casual to formal!

Finally, I can't have a favourites without my best friend Bourjois Khol and Contour. This eye pencil is so smooth and soft, and produces a lovely line without having to scratch at your eyelid. I like to blend it a little so it's not too sharp, but it's amazing without smudging too.

Fashion:

Bershka Blue Neoprene Coat - I don't think they're selling this anymore, but nevertheless, this is one of my favourite coats. It's a light blue coat made out of neoprene, which is really strange (and not really suitable for rainy days, lesson learnt!), and I remember when I got it I was unsure whether I could pull off that colour and texture or not. But it turns out I could, judging by the compliments I received for it, and it became my everyday coat. I love the fact that, though it's thin, it's also warm due to the neoprene.

My Uniqlo scarf deserves a mention here too, as I've been wearing it religiously these past few days. The definition of cosiness and warmth, massive blanket scarves are the best thing in my life.

TV/film:

QI is a game/quiz show which I can depend on to always be there on BBC iPlayer, and you've no doubt heard me rant about it before. As dull as it sounds, it's the complete opposite. I mean, QI stands for Quite Interesting, and it is, as well as being funny and cool :D

YouTube: (I used to add this section to TV/Film or Person, but I've decided it needs a section for itself).

My two obsessions (and role models) are Markiplier and Jacksepticeye. They're both so enthusiastic and in love with what they do, and genuinely care about their fans. And as successful as they are on YouTube, they don't let it get to their heads and are still down-to-earth guys who are grateful to everyone. Also, their commentary is the best, with so much hilarity and passion put into each video.

I love them so much and wish I could be as enthusiastic about my work as they are.

Music:

2015 for me was all about All Time Low and The Killers. I guess if I were to pick a song by each, I would say 'Therapy' by All Time Low (with 'Lost in Stereo' as a close second) and 'Human' by The Killers.

I'm someone who likes to listen to a song on repeat until I get sick of it, so my favourite song changes very often. But, I'll share some of the songs that I can never get bored of:

We Are Young, Fun. - I would say that this is my all-time favourite song and one that I've been listening to since the beginning.

Demons, Imagine Dragons - This song is just gorgeous. 'Nuff said.

Build God, Then We'll Talk, Panic! at the Disco - I have no idea why, but I'm always humming this song. It's so bad now that I'll start humming it without even realising what I'm humming... The thing I like most about this song is that it's catchy, and halfway through when it goes 'raindrops on roses and girls in white dresses...' it sends chills down my back every time. Anyway, I don't suggest watching the music video, it's almost porn...unless...NO!

The Ballad of Mona Lisa, Panic! at the Disco - Hehe, I like Panic :)

Book:

My beloved, The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, AKA, the best book in the world. It's what made me fall in love with Greek mythology, and for almost half a year I slept with it on a pillow beside my head (not weird at all...). This book it so well-written, well-paced, well-everything-ed. It's hard to put down, the characters draw you in and the little details Miller adds just make it all more special (and magical!).

I also enjoyed reading The Martian by Andy Weir. Such a clever, sarcastic, gripping book... Every time something goes wrong and I lose hope for Mark Watney, the protagonist, he's there to solve his way out of it. Some of the solutions he comes up with are incredible and so so clever. That, in my opinion, is the best thing about this book. Mark Watney, you are amazing!

Food:

I'm a great fan of having cereal after school...try it out! Cereal is much much better when you have it at any time but breakfast time - there's something about 'breakfast' that makes me just go *uuuuugh*. I mean, it's the start of the day, too early in the morning to function properly, and my taste buds are still asleep. Everything tastes better when your taste buds are actually awake...

And here's another love - white chocolate with cranberry. Not everyone's cup of tea, but I love white chocolate and this gives the perfect balance of sweet and fruity.

And, BUTTERCREAM!! I'm constantly craving this...imagine your favourite cupcake with a dollop of vanilla buttercream on top...mmmmmm...

Moment:

I'd say that NCS The Challenge was the best thing I did this year, I had an amazing time, especially in the first week in Devon. I also felt pretty proud of myself - I was dropped in the middle of nowhere with 14 or so strangers my age, and we were left to our own devices. I'm glad that I became friends with some wonderful people during the Challenge, and had an awesome time doing it.

If you ever have the opportunity to do it, I would recommend it!

Place:

The view from the top of the Sacre-Coeur in Paris was gorgeous, so I have to mention that. Also in Paris, the Louvre gave me so many feels as I gawked at the Greek statues - a statue of Thetis almost made me cry and freak out! But by far my favourite place is that little crepe takeaway shop I visited twice during my stay, they made the best crepes, fresh right in front of you.

You know what, just go to Paris - there are so many cool places it's hard to choose the best ;)

Apps:

YouTube, hands down, is my most used and favourite app. I hardly ever go on YouTube on my computer, I find it much easier being able to walk around with a video on full screen on my tablet than being fixed to a desktop.

Wattpad is another love, it's where I do most of my reading. It's basically a website where anyone can create and read stories for free, and there's a wide variety of different genres, from romance to science fiction, to poetry and even random things like bucket lists and life hacks. I'm not writing anything myself, but I love reading so much that any spare time I have (and I will 'create' spare time if I have to...) I'll spend it reading something on Wattpad.
Warning! Some books aren't very well written, and it gets very annoying when you come across these, especially if the description gets your hopes up. However, finding the gems is a great skill which comes with practice (and trial and error), and the ones you can find are good, I promise.

Onwards, with your quest to find the hidden gems!

Game:

I'm not a game player myself, but I've watched many videos of people playing games in the last year. Also, I just really wanted to mention Undertale <3

I would say the three best games of 2015, are Undertale, Life is Strange and Until Dawn. I won't spend too long here describing each of them...

Undertale is amazing. I don't even know where to start in my praise for it because there's too much to say. It's an RPG which breaks the fourth wall, contains the best/most cringey jokes, and it remembers your actions even if you start again, which leads to much more awesomeness... Also, the characters have so much personality and life - they're the best!

Life is Strange, one of the most mind-boggling games I have come across. It's an adventure RPG which relies heavily on the butterfly effect. The player makes choices and the outcome changes according to these, though there's also the awesome time travel feature included. The music and graphics in this are so pretty, the style is one of the things that drew me in.

Until Dawn is a horror PS4 game, where your decisions determine who survives and who does not. It's a bit like Life is Strange, with the whole butterfly effect thing, but, well...scarier. I'm actually terrified of the horror genre, but again, the graphics in this game are gorgeous so I thought I'd give it a shot. I'm glad I did.

Person:

As cheesy and cliché as it sounds, my friends are the best people in the world. They've always been there for me and I, in turn, would do anything for them. I love them so much, for making my life a million times better.

As well as those numpties, I'm also in love with Hannah Hart and Ingrid Nilsen - otherwise known as Hangrid (who came up with that name?! It's not a very flattering ship name...). As individual people, they are amazing themselves and make inspirational role models, but together they are just the cutest of all patooties.

♥

I hope you enjoyed this massive favourites post and my loss of all things normal at the end where I spiralled out of control.

I love you

xxx

A Foggy Aftermath...

Hiya!

It's been really foggy.

Ever since Halloween...

And usually it clears up by noon, but no, not this time.

This time, it gets worse.

What is happening?

The Halloween spirits have not been appeased!

We're all doomed!

...

Ok, I'm fine.

I think.

Here's a photo, with no editing:

This was in the morning. Before it became worse.

And I have done nothing to the colours, they're just sucked out in real life.

What if everything disappears tomorrow, turns into fog and whiteness?

Whelp.

♥

In other news:

I didn't do anything today. I've been mainly watching YouTube videos, broken by toilet breaks and food.

So I'll leave you with this photo. See if you can figure it out...

;)

♥

I love you

ttyl

xxx

6 Month Favourites...

Hiya!

Wow, haven't done one of these in a while...

Enjoy!

♥

Body/skincare:

Simple Hydrating Light Moisturiser - I'd heard good things about this product, and by chance my friend, who didn't use it any more, had a bottle which she gave to me. I love the thin consistency and the fact that it's non-sticky and feels amazing to put on. I've had this for a while now (almost half a year, it was in a May favourites draft!) and have finished the bottle - got to get a new one soon :)

Zoella Candy Cream Body Lotion - I love Zoella, and for a fan, I've been pretty late in purchasing one of her products. But I got this, and I am obsessed. It smells so good, it's moisturising but not thick, it feels wonderful to put on ( it has pink bursting beads!), it's got fruit extracts, the packaging is gorgeous...

Makeup:

Bourjois Khol and Contour Eye Pencil - I don't have much knowledge on eyeliner, except for the L'Oreal Super Liner Perfect Slim (which is amazing, and I believe I've mentioned it before) and this Bourjois Khol and Contour pencil, but I can tell you it's good. Compared to others, I don't know, but it draws a dark line without needing to press too hard and lasts a good time considering my oily complexion. I wouldn't suggest wearing this in hot weather (I wouldn't suggest eye pencils for hot weather at all), but it's perfect for England so I'm happy.

Rimmel Lasting Finish by Kate Moss Lipstick in 05 - I'm a big fan of lipstick - I think it can smarten up any look, complete an outfit, or even change your whole face. And I've had enough fails with lipsticks which don't suit my skin tone... 05 is gorgeous though, it's a darkish hot pink (does that make sense?) which doesn't make me look like a zombie or ghost. The opposite actually, I didn't think it was possible, but I look like I have a slight blush. Strange...

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in Warm Medium 3 - My lifesaver. It's an amazing concealer with great coverage and blends wonderfully. Although it doesn't match my skin tone perfectly, with a little bit of blending it basically disappears, yet still conceals blemishes extremely well. My mum is also now obsessed with it, going so far as to steal it from me...

TV/film:

Until Dawn - Ok, this is a video game, but I don't have a section for it and this is the best... Hear me out - I don't actually play it, I like watching other people play it, like TV. It's a survival horror game, and I've been obsessed with watching Markiplier and Pewdiepie playing it. It's like watching a horror series on TV but it changes depending on who you watch playing it, and you get hilarious reactions from the gamers. This is all I've been watching on YouTube recently, and I think I'm going to start Jacksepticeye's...

Music:

All Time Low, Therapy

The Killers, Human - My friend told me about The Killers and Twenty One Pilots, and said I would like them. I very much do. Human is one of my favourite songs, and it's one of those songs which will stay a favourite for a very long time <3

The Killers, Neon Tiger

Twenty One Pilots, Tear In My Heart - I've had this song in my head for days, it's my favourite song at the moment.

Twenty One Pilots, House of Gold

Food:

Walkers MixUps Crisps - The sweet/spicy popcorn one is my favourite...it's self-explanatory, and so good.

White chocolate with raspberry pieces - Not everyone's cup of tea (or 'bar of chocolate', should I say), but one of my favourites nonetheless. It's a perfect combination - white chocolate (I love!) and raspberry to make me feel better about myself for eating half a bar, even though the truth is still terrible.

Moment:

Sleepover with friends - This was way back in June, but it really was the best ever.

Rock climbing and canoeing - The highlight of the first week of the NCS Challenge. I felt so proud of myself :)

Place:

Sainte Chapelle, Paris - This place is amazing. So gorgeous and colourful, and the photos I took really didn't do it justice at all. I think the problem with only seeing photos is that you can't feel the atmosphere and the whole experience of coming up a dark spiral staircase into a coloured airy room. It was breathtaking.

Golden Gate Cake Shop, London - For somewhere a little closer to home, there's a really good Chinese cake shop in London Chinatown. I've been going to this bakery for years, and it's still as good as ever. I recommend the triangle cake and custard bun ;)

Book:

Andy Weir, The Martian - This book is so clever. It's a sci-fi about a man who is stranded on Mars and needs to survive until rescue. The writing is informal though, so it's not all complicated nerdy talk, it's actually hilarious. Weir has also done the research, and you can tell that through Mark Watney's solutions to problems, which are so cool and clever. Also, the film's coming out soon, so now would be a great time to read it :D

Apps:

Duet - a fun little game where you control two paintballs on a wheel and you have to turn them around obstacles. There's a slight plot, and it's simple and rewarding, but frustrating when you can't get past a level, which ultimately gets you even more stuck because you have to stay calm. But it's so addictive and has a lovely soundtrack, and though I'm currently stuck, I'm still playing it too much.

♥

This became very long...

I hope you enjoyed it, and check out some of the stuff I've mentioned.

I love you

ttyl

xxx

Favourite YouTubers

Hiya!

I've been thinking about the few years that I've been watching videos on YouTube, and thinking about the videos I mainly watch now.

I, like every other teenage girl, started off obsessed with Zoella, Joey Graceffa, Grace Helbig...all those cute vloggers who look gorgeous and have amazingly awesome lives. I used to watch every single video and fangirl over their prettiness.

Don't get me wrong, I still do love those YouTubers. And they're still pretty :)

But now, I've found myself moving towards the gamers and can get so absorbed in Pewdiepie playing 'Catherine' or Markiplier the 'king' of 'Five Nights at Freddy's'. I have absolutely no idea why, but my views have shifted.

Once I was watching a Markiplier video, and a boy told me I "don't seem like the type of person to watch his videos".

Now, what the hell is that supposed to mean?

Is it because I'm a girl? Because I'm too fragile and delicate to be watching 'Five Night's at Freddy's' videos? Because I'm supposed to love makeup tutorials and girly outfit lookbooks?

*sigh*

Pewdiepie wouldn't be at almost 39 million subscribers if all his Bros were guys.

Just saying.

♥

Wow, I have no idea where this post was going, and where it went tbh.

I love you

ttyl

xxx

It Wreaks Havoc With My Emotions!

Hiya!

I've been chilling lately - catching up on YouTube, reading on Wattpad, re-watching The Princess Diaries for literally the tenth time.

I think I've been in denial about this film. I've been telling myself that I like it only as much as I like Mulan or Evan Almighty, or other chick flicks such as Wild Child. But I realised today when I suddenly really wanted to watch it again (and ignored a long list of films I've been meaning to watch for ages), that I'm obsessed.

I now admit, I think The Princess Diaries is my favourite film.

Anyway, I stepped my game up in an effort to relieve myself of boredom when YouTube just wasn't enough and played Presentable Liberty today.

Such a good game, a very awesome and different game, but so bad for my emotions!

You start in a prison cell, and you'll receive letters and read them, and it goes on for ages. And then you start depending on the letters...but then the ending comes...and oh my.

I need a hug now, it was terribly sad :(

There's also an alternative ending, I'm going to play it again tomorrow to check it out.

Play along if you want to, links here. Word of advice, it takes 45 minutes to an hour, and you cannot save during the game. So it would be best if you have an hour to spare and play it in one go :)

Enjoy!

♥

I love y'all

Goodbye!

xxx

Another YouTuber Comes Out!

Hiya!

Another YouTuber has come out! This is Ingrid Nilsen - someone I've been subscribed to for some time now, and who I look up to for skin advise. I also love her fashion videos where she shows some of the chicest outfits ever, and her GIY (Glam It Yourself) tutorials, although I'm always too lazy to try them out.

This was a surprise, to be honest, a pleasant one, but still very surprising. It's so rare to have women come out as gay on YouTube and the Internet. I feel like now every single hot guy on YouTube is gay, whilst all the girls are straight...

But anyway, when I first saw the video, I swear my heart stopped, as it seems to do for all these sorts of videos now. I stare at my screen, mouth wide open, silently (or not silently) screaming and having 'Ohhhhhh Myyyyyyyy Goooooooood' running through my head. The joys of being me...

The video was so lovely and made me cry and feel sad, then really happy. I'm just glad Ingrid can truly be herself and has found the courage to come out...so inspirational :)

And something she wrote in her video description:

We all deserve our best chance.

♥

I love y'all, and goodbye!

Joey Graceffa's Music Video - 'Don't Wait'

Ok, quick update because I just have to...

Joey Graceffa.

One of the first YouTubers I subscribed to just came out in the most gorgeous music video ever. It's absolutely amazing!

Check out Joey's music video below, in which there's a bit of cheeky tongue action!
(I'm British, couldn't help it [sorry]) 

It's been years since the first video of his that I watched, and I am so utterly proud of him. And my respect towards him is sky high now - it takes so much courage and is so draining living life hiding away.

I mean, I'm no good with sentimental words and expressing myself. To be honest, I'm speechless.  I'm not like those people who gush wonderful things about him in the comments, I don't have the best words to describe what I'm feeling.

But I can tell you that I'm so proud of him. Yes, it's a common thing to say...I 'stole' this from more than 4.5 million people...but it's the truth. Him coming out was so brave and done in the most perfect and creative manner. I'm glad that he has overcome his monsters, and in doing so has probably inspired many others to do the same. To live so much of your life being teased for who you are, and to overcome the struggles whilst still remaining true to yourself- that's one of the most admirable things.

The video itself is pure perfection. The storyline is personal to Joey, with many references to his mum's alcoholism, bullying and obviously the scrumptious gay smooch at the end, but it's also kinda generic and relevant to everyone. It's about finding yourself and not letting others dictate your life, about overcoming monsters, both inner and outer.

It's just the most perfect thing.

♥

Anyway, sorry if I bored you if YouTube isn't your thing, I just really had to talk about this. YouTube means a lot to me ('too much' is more accurate!) and I have those few original YouTubers who I've stuck with since my first discovery - Joey being one of them.

I know this isn't a great post - as I said, me and writing about feelings isn't a great mix. I had to try though ;)

♥

I have to go now - I spent way too long trying to write this

I love y'all, and goodbye!

And remember:

Don't wait!

'RESOLUTIONS' FOR THE NEW YEAR

Hi y'all

I haven't been on here in ages...

So school started on Monday 5th. That's what happened. Although nothing much is happening at school at the moment, I still can't have my late sleep-ins. On Monday at lunch, I sat in the canteen, stared at the clock for a while, and realised that in the holidays I woke up at that time.

I've also been addicted to Wattpad and YouTube right now and haven't got enough will-power to get myself to write anything. But I'd just say my excuse is that I've been 'busy'.

Sorry

I mean nothing much has been going on.

I guess there's been the start of the new year, and I haven't really done anything on my blog for it. No list of resolutions, things I accomplished, reasons why last year was my best year, or reasons why this year will be better.

Have you made any new year resolutions? I know it's been a week into 2015 already, but have you broken any? I usually fail mine in the first 24 hours. Last year, for example, I promised myself that I would write in my diary and on my blog. I guess that turned out badly - I can't even find my diary anymore.

I haven't made 'resolutions' as such, more like 'ways-I-can-improve-myself'. And I don't plan on sticking to them all the time, it's just a few general tips to myself. And I tried to keep them realistic. I hate it when people make resolutions such as "I'm going to do 5 hours of exercise each day". Unless you have a job which consists of only sports, or you don't have a job at all, then that's not possible.

Anyways...

I guess the first one is to be nicer to people. I realised the past year I've been really grouchy and become irritated easily. I mean I haven't been doing a very good job so far...but I really need to be nicer to people around me.

Another is to be less awkward in social situations. I'm not talking about a whole change in personality, I just want to be more outgoing and be able to actually talk to people. I used to have a friend, but then our friend groups were really different so we kinda just stopped talking. Now it's really awkward to talk to her and I never know what to say. So I want to be able to be myself around her, and others, rather than think too hard about what to say.

Too deep, I'm sorry :/

And I guess you can't start a new year without a goal associated with health or fitness. So, finally, I also want to keep a watch on what I eat this year. I've tried setting myself fitness goals, but I can never be bothered to do anything physical. And I don't exactly want to go on a diet or lose weight. This goal is mainly just getting me to eat a bit more healthily. Stuff like eating more vegetables, eating more of the foods that are good for you, and drinking more water.

It also means to cut down on chocolate (not doing well so far - I've had exactly 4 and a half 100g chocolate bars, as well as others, in the past week), sweets, fizzy drinks, and other foods which I eat purely for the pleasure of the taste and happy feeling I get. I get high on sweets ;)

These are my main goals. Obviously, throughout the year, I'll make other smaller goals, which will be much less vague and more...refined? I don't even know if that's the right word... But anyways, that will be for another day.

❤️

Well, I guess that's all for today. From the short post I expected this to be, to the long post it turned out to be.

I love y'all, and goodbye!