My Travels

Happy Monday :)

I've been having a really really down day today and at first I was hating myself for feeling so negative, but then realised that instead of moping and crying, I should try and think a bit more positively.  So, I started thinking through happy memories to try and make it better, and I found that nearly all my happy memories were on holidays throughout my life.  I then got my photo hard drive out and started flicking through all the photos and it really made me smile, so I've decided to share some of them with you :)

These are from my college trip to Paris, June 2013.  This was my first holiday with really good friends and as we are in college, the teachers weren't strict with us like they have to be when you're in school.  It was really really fun and I had so much fun with some of my best friends going to Disneyland and doing an amazing tour of Paris, where we went on a River Cruise and to the Paris Opera House.  It was perhaps the best few days of my life and I'll never forget it!

I was also lucky enough this year to get a double dose of Disney on my family holiday to Orlando.  This was a really nice holiday and (though we didn't realise it at the time) it was most likely going to be our last big family holiday with just the six of us whilst everyone is still living at home as we're getting older so we'll either be moving out or bringing boyfriends and girlfriends along.  I'm really glad that this was our last one because it was really fab.  We went to Disney World, Universal Studios and Sea World countless times and I did LOTS of shopping, taking serious advantage of the exchange rate.  Some of my favourite things were... ok, it was all amazing.  But I really loved the Harry Potter world (it was literally the coolest thing ever), watching the live shows at Sea World, dancing with the minions at Universal and snuggling up to my favourite characters at the Magic Kingdom.  It was also really special going back as we have gone there a lot, our first trip being in 1997 when I wasn't even one yet.  Everytime we've been, I've been spotted snuggling up to Eeyore and have always loved doing the big rollercoasters.  The great thing about this holiday is that there is something for every single member of my family and even though I've been quite a few times, each time I think I fall in love with it more.  Below are a few photos from my Florida Adventures over the years...

We've been in 1997, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2009 and 2013 - and I can't wait to go in the future with friends and my future family because it is genuinely where amazing memories are made and I'm so so so lucky I've been able to experience it so much.

Another one of my favourite family places is Phuket, an Island just off Thailand.  We've been a lot, because when we were living in Hong Kong, Thailand was like our version of France in terms of distance and easiness to get there, so we went pretty much every year.  When we came back to England, we stopped going as often, but we've got in three trips, which have all been amazing.  The older I get, the more I love this place because it is the perfect mix of adventure, culture and relaxation in my eyes.  I've haggled in the markets, ridden elephants, held snakes and seen lady boys; and then in the same week, I've ridden a jet ski, sunbathed and had massages.  It's the most amazing place in the world and I would happily go and live there forever.  Again, I can't wait to show my friends this beautiful place. 

When I was seven, I had the amazing experience of going on Safari, as my brother's godfather is living in Kenya, so we had the chance to go and stay with him.  It was probably the first holiday I fully remember all the details of, which it what makes the whole thing so amazing when I look back at it.  We went on both tent and lodge accomodation safaris and had lots of chances to interact with the animals.  We even went off chasing Wilder beast on Easter Sunday after being tricked by our parents and the other grown ups that they had the next clue to find the Easter Eggs on their horns.  

Seven years later, our family went on our second Safari.  My dad was working in South Africa for a couple of years which was sad because we didn't see him that much, but also sort of OK because we got flown out to see him for a whole three weeks one summer.  We spent the first couple of days in Capetown, where we got to do really cool things like whale watching and going to the Robben Island museum and learnt all about Nelson Mandela and the Apartheid.  We then went to Pretoria where my dad lived and spent a week going on day trips to various animal sanctuaries, where we got to do some amazing things like play with baby lions and tigers, pet cheetahs and play with bush babies.  We then had a few days on a small game reserve just outside Kruger.  This was the best weekend ever as we went on lots of Safaris, saw lots of animals and I even got the chance to go horse riding through the game reserve.  It was so cool galloping alongside zebra and various other animals; we didn't pass any hungry lions though (luckily).  Also, this was when I was going through my 14-year-old 'I'm such a photographer' phase, so I had lots of fun using my dad's good quality camera to take *ahem* 'brilliant' photos of the wildlife.  

Finally, some of my favourite holidays have actually been in Devon.  My grandparents live there and I always have lots of fun seeing them.  They always either had animals, took me out to see animals, or took me to riding lessons.  They also even taught me how to skateboard(!).  We used to go as a family every single year, but as I got older I started going by myself once a year, which has been really nice as its given me a chance to have a break as well as have lots of fun at the various Devon Adventure Parks like The Big Sheep or Creally Park.  As I've gotten older though, I've become more interested in visiting the quirky little shops and just keeping my grandparents company and help them out with little bits and bobs.  

I'd love to hear about any of the cool places you guys have gone or any of your experiences of some of the places I've mentioned.  

Remember, if you're having a bad day, just think through happy memories and if you can't think; look for them!  Flip through photo albums or old video tapes and you soon find a smile on your face.

Thanks for reading :)

Rosie

-x-

"Everything will be alright in the end.  If it's not alright, it's not the end."

Everyday Make-up Routine :)

Hi guys!

So I've decided to do a quick (I say quick, but let's be honest, it'll probably be far from it) blog about my make-up routine on a typical day (college, chilling at home, etc).  This literally takes me about five minutes tops in the morning and is really easy to do.  I am much more experimental when it comes to weekends and events, but on a day-to-day basis, I just want my make-up to look good, cover blemishes and make me feel that little bit more confident.  Some days I might pair this with a slightly bolder lipstick, but usually I go for a more natural look all over.  

Here is a photo of me without any make-up (not taken today, I forgot to do a 'before' shot):

Such a normal face, it's actually quite depressing, aha.  The pros are my big, blue eyes and long eyelashes.  The cons are the dark circles under my eyes, my light, sparse eyebrows and little scars on my face (from walking into things as a toddler or one little burn from, brace yourself, a pot noodle).

Before I even start my make-up in the morning I cleanse, tone and moisturise, using No7 Beautiful Skin range for normal/oily skin (a blog about skin routine to come soon).

This is the finished look:

They're not the best quality (sorry) and my hair is an actual catastrophe because I left it in plaits last night.  As you can seen though, the face is a lot brighter and better looking than when I'm completely face-naked.  

Here are the products used:

From left to right: Boots Natural Collection Eyeliner in Black, Real Techniques Blush Brush and Expert Face Brush, Collection 2000 Mosaic Glow, Maybelline Fit Me Powder Flawless in Silky Beige, Maybelline Volum Express The Mega Plush Mascara, Rimmel London Lasting Finish Mono Blush in Live Pink, Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer in Medium and Benefit Brow Zing in Bronzing Light.

Step 1: I dab the concealer under my eyes, over my scars and on any blemishes and then blend it in using my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush.  This concealer is really good for people with oily skin as well.  

Step 2: Using my blush brush, I put on a thin layer of the Maybelline Fit Me powder to just help even out my skin tone and stop any shining.  

Step 3: Bronzer.  Although my bronzer is broken and gone from pressed to loose powder, I still use it.  I just shake it so nothing explodes when it is opened and then use the powder collected on the lid. I then use my blush brush to dust the bronzer under my cheekbones, around my temples, on my forehead, down my nose, on my chin and just under the jaw line.  This sounds like a lot, but I only use the smallest amount so I don't look orange and it just gives me a sun-kissed glow.  I find its better to blow on the brush to remove excess powder before starting because its easy to add more on if its not enough, but its really annoying and hard to remove if you end up too bronze.  

Step 4: Next, I use my blush brush for its actual purpose: blusher.  I do a close-mouth-pouty-smile (if you get what I mean), because it really pushes out the defined shape of my cheekbones and guides me to where I should be putting on my blusher.  Like bronzer, I blow on the brush first because I don't want it to be too much and its easier to add to it rather than take it away.

Step 5: This is slightly in the 'wrong' order to some people.  Most like doing eye liner before mascara, but I do the opposite, just because I find it easier to apply eye liner closer to the lash line once the mascara is on.  Anyway, I use the Maybelline mascara, wiggling the wand from the lash line to the ends a few times.  On a college/normal day, I'll only do one layer.  To do the bottom lashes, I really tilt my head down and look up into the mirror, gently brushing the lashes rather than wiggling the brush because I don't like my bottom lashes to look clumpy or too thick.  

Step 6: Liquid eye liner.  This is a really cheap brand that most would turn their noses up at.  I constantly try new brands like L'Oreal Super Liner and Rimmel Scandal Eyes, but I've been using this since I was 12 and a really like it.  Mainly because a lot of eye liners say they are black, but they can turn out a more grey colour, which I don't like.  Also, I've gotten really used to the application of this brand, so I find it easier to create good lines.  However, I'm determined to try out other kinds and let you know if I find anything better than this £1.99 beauty.  I start off slowly sweeping the brush right along the lash line.  After that, I follow the natural creases in my eye to get flicks.  Like blusher and bronzer, it's better to go slowly and increase the thickness of the line as you go.  Alternate the stages with your eyes so that they look nice and even and this way its easier to get even flicks and line shapes.  

Step 7: Eyebrows.  I naturally have quite light, mousy brown hair and so my eyebrows are the same colour.  They are also quite sparse.  So, I do need to fill in my brows.  However, I hate how obvious it looks with pencils and I don't like it being too obvious or thick.  This brow kit is literally the best thing out there for your brows EVER.  It comes with a wax, a powder, two brushes and tweezers.  I use the angled brush to apply the wax on both eyebrows.  Then, I use the other brush to put the powder on, which sets the wax. Then, if I have any horrific hairs out of place, I'll pluck them with the tweezers.  I makes my brows look really good but not nasty and obvious, more natural.  I'd definitely recommend that EVERYONE gets one of these palettes.  One of my aims is to actually bother more with eyebrow maintenance and I'm going to start by going to get them waxed next week (which I'm not sure I'm looking forward to).

That's it!  I don't really wear lipstick.  But when I do, on a normal day I'll wear a Revlon Colour Burst Lip Butter.  My favourite shade is pink lemonade.  Or, if I'm feeling bolder, I'll use the Maybelline Superstay 14 Hour lipstick in infinity fuchsia.  

I hope this makes sense and helps for any tips you might want.  

This literally takes me five minutes maximum in the mornings and it just gives me that little bit of a lift before I go out the house.  Also, I understand that maybe some people have more blemishes and want to use foundation as well as concealer.  When I'm having a bad skin day, I'll use the Smashbox 15-hour wear foundation and apply all over using my expert face brush after my concealer application.  But I'll do a demonstration using this product when I do more 'going-out' make-up looks.

I'd really like to hear about your favourite brands and any recommendations you have for me (especially on the front of liquid eye liners).  Please leave a comment and let me know what you think :)

Thanks for reading, hope you found this useful or at least got a bit of amusement out of my little ramblings :)

Rosie

-x-

"Don't wish for it, work for it"

My First Blog...

Hello!

So basically, this is my first time writing a blog post ever and, if I'm being honest, I still don't know what has possessed me to do this.  I've been sort of wanting to do this for a while, but I wasn't really sure that anyone would be interested in what I have to say.  But something in me today has been different and I've finally decided to take the plunge.

This blog is just going to be about beauty, life skills and fashion.  I am in no way, shape or form an expert in any of these areas but I've read other blogs and spoken to friends who have said that I give good advice and hints and tips in these topics, so I thought that I might as well do a mix of the three.  Also, it is my final year of college and I thought that if I don't do this now, I never will.

I think this is the part where I tell you a little bit about me.  Well I'm 16 (nearly 17) and in my last year of college.  Some of you will have read that and realised that is the wrong age for my year group, and that's because I was moved up a year in school when I was five.  It wasn't me being a child genius or anything freaky, it was the fact that I was born in Hong Kong (as my parents were stationed there during their army years for a while), and they start school a year earlier that we do in England, so when we moved here I'd already done the year of school for my age group, so I was just moved up a year.  At first, I was bullied a lot in primary school as I was an easier target, but as I've gotten older, people have stopped caring and most people don't even notice (and neither do I, really).

I started out as a dancer, but as I got older I changed my passion to musical theatre and then narrowed it down again to just acting.  I made this decision when I was 11 and I've never looked back.  I went to Stagecoach until then, but when I decided to specialise, I moved to Stage2 Youth Theatre and it was the best decision I have ever made.  I gained the confidence to do all sorts of things, from performing in a 300 seat theatre several times to being trained in sound design/operation.  I have also done LAMDA Exams in Acting and Musical Theatre and achieved results that I am very, very proud of.

Though acting remains just a hobby with most, for me I wanted to take it a step further.  So I applied for (and somehow got into) Birmingham Ormiston Academy to study a BTEC in Acting, where I am studying/have studied devising plays, rehearsing for performance, auditions for actors, historical context, audio performance, classical performance, contemporary performance, physical theatre, voice and performing arts business.  It was a hectic year last year, and it's getting busier as I get into my last year.  Though I've had loads of fun on the course, I have realised that I don't want to be an actress, but rather go into theatre business.  I don't know exactly what department or how I'm going to get there yet but luckily I have a while to figure it out.

As mentioned before, I was moved up a year at school when I was younger.  This means that I can't go to University or Drama School next September as I won't be 18.  This means I have a year or more to play with before I go into higher education.  So, I've decided to do my gap years in New York, working as an Au pair, which I am very very very incredibly excited (and slightly scared) for.

Those are the key things about me practically, but there is one thing which I've had to deal with throughout my teenage years.  Sadly, when I was 11 I started showing signs of depression, but they were dismissed by doctors as 'hormones', and by the time anyone took me seriously and let me take the tests I was 15.  This sadly meant that I spent the first few years of my teenage life slowly going into a dark hole, without any help of support - in fact, I had the opposite: lots and lots of bullying on a daily basis.  This made it very hard for me to make friends at school and I only found friends at Stage2.  Though it was quite late when I was diagnosed, I managed to get therapy and medication to help turn it around again.  It's taken around 18 months now, but I've completely stopped therapy and I'm off medication.  Of course due to the scientific nature of depression, there is a high risk it will happen again so I do have to keep an eye on my mood a lot and work hard to keep myself positive.  Luckily, with the help of all my amazing friends at college, this has become a lot easier.  To make it worse though, I not only got depression on its own but I also got really bad anxiety and have a lot of issues with my weight and image - they're all getting better but I do have good days and bad days.  Overall, I feel a lot happier and healthier than ever before and I am thankful for this.

I'm hoping that my posts will be a mix of not only beauty and fashion but also coping mechanisms that I wish I'd had when I was going through tough times.

I've rambled on far too long now, so I'm going to stop and you can find out more about me along the way if you follow my blog.  I hope that my blogs are of some use to you and aren't too cringey!

Rosie
-x-

"The only difference between 'try' and 'triumph' is just a little 'umph'"