Growing Up | Lifestyle

Last Year

Yesterday a year ago was my prom.
On the 26th June 2015 I attended my sixth form prom and had a pretty good time.
But this post isn't about my prom, it's about the fact that time goes by so quickly, and in such a short amount of time so many things can happen and change.

Me and my friends spent a small part of yesterday texting each other about how much things have changed in such a short amount of time. We also talked about how it feels like we finished sixth form years ago when in reality it's only been like a year.
It's so weird to me that we finished sixth form more than a year ago because it honestly feels like we finished our last exam years ago.
I guess, when I started uni, I used it as a "new chapter in my book" and I started fresh (so fresh and so clean clean). I created new friendships and made new memories with those friends. We've laughed and cried and I honestly love all my friends from university.

Towards the end of sixth form, certain things happened which made some of my friendships with people fizzle out and come to an end, including friendships that I've had for like 4 or even 7 years. At the beginning of this year I realised that I missed some of those friendships and I started regaining contact with those friends, and I'm so glad I did.
I've kept in contact with a few other friends throughout my time at uni so it wasn't like I didn't have any friends from school, but I am so grateful I have stayed in contact and re-connected with them all.
I love reminiscing on memories from sixth form with my friends and I'm so glad we can keep making new memories together.

Although I'm still friends with people from sixth form, there have been quite a few friendships that haven't been successful and have fizzled away. In the new year I realised that most of the bad stuff that happened at the end of sixth form was quite ridiculous and when I think about it now it makes me laugh. So if any of my old friends who know what I'm talking about are reading this I would just like to say - I'm sorry for how things ended, I'm not even sure 100% sure how and why the problem happened but I still like you and if you ever see me please stop and say hi :)

This Year

Growing up is a scary thought and when I was younger I thought I would wake up one morning and be an adult, but now I realise that's not how it works. You have to work at it and really debate with yourself if certain things are really worth holding a grudge over because ain't no one got time for that.
A year after prom I realised some of the things that happened were stupid and it was just us being teenagers, and I'm glad that most of my old friends feel the same way.

What I'm trying to say within this 'story' is, although growing up seems quite scary it does you a favour within your life and your relationships with people. If you're having an argument or a problem with friends at this moment in time, just know that in a year or two years time it won't matter. You'll either be friends again or you'll be old friends that ended on, hopefully, a good note.
Although the bad memories usually out weigh the good, it's very important that you keep note of the  good memories because no one likes looking back on bad memories.


I'm sorry this is so long, but it's something that's been on my mind a lot recently and I just had to let it out.

BINGE ~ Tyler Oakley | Book Review

As a massive fan of YouTube and a massive fan of reading, I thought it was a good idea to read a well-known YouTuber's book. I have read a couple other YouTuber's books (Girl Online by Zoe Sugg [zoella] and All I Know Now by Carrie Fletcher [itswaypastmybedtime], and I've enjoyed them quite a lot, but I wasn't overly sure on YouTuber's autobiography books. Carrie Fletcher's book could be classed as an autobiography, but I saw it more as an advice book rather than a description of her life.

I like reading autobiographies of celebrities that are well-known like Ant & Dec or McFly, but I wasn't so sure if I would enjoy reading a YouTuber's autobiography. I've watched Tyler Oakley for quite a long time, but I wouldn't say I'm a massive fan of his - I watch some of his videos, and he's hilarious, but I don't watch him religiously. So I wasn't sure how much I would enjoy this book, but I was curious due to the reviews I had read previously.

 

When reading the 'BINGE' by Tyler Oakley,

I realised that there was a lot I didn't know about the YouTuber that has been on my computer screen quite a few times. There are quite a few surprises in this book, including Tyler's actual birth name, but there's a lot about his past that was quite unexpected. I never knew the struggles he had been through so it was interesting to read about that, but also it was fun to read about the amazing things he has done due to YouTube.

Not only is the book insightful and interesting, it's also hilarious. His humour is definitely carried throughout the whole book, and there are certain parts in the book that you will read with a grin upon your face. My mum read one of the first chapters and found it hilarious, so it's good for all ages (maybe not for young readers though).

I really enjoyed reading this book due to the humour and the background of the YouTubers life. I may have to look into some of my other favourite YouTuber's books. I  would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is a big fan of Tyler Oakley and also anyone who is a big fan of YouTube. There is so much you don't know about people you watch online and it's quite interesting to see what they've been through. Some people, like myself, can relate to some of the things Tyler went through, which makes me like him even more.

 

Overall I enjoyed this book and if you watch YouTube, then this is definitely a book for you.

Lunch Date Lipgloss | Beauty Review

My favourite lip look at the moment is pink nude tones. The only nude toned lip product I own is a nude lipstick but there isn't any pink undertones to it. Due to my pink nude lip obsession I decided I needed to purchase something that I could wear on a pretty much daily basis. The product I found and later purchased is a Tanya Burr lipgloss n the colour 'Lunch Date'.

Lunch Date

Product

From the first look of the product, I must say, it looks very glam and quite sophisticated which I LOVE. When Tanya Burr first came out with her lipgloss beauty products, the look of the product wasn't terrible but it was quite basic for a lipgloss. I'm glad she re-vamped the look of the products as I think they're definitely more eye-catching and pleasing to the eye.

The colour of the product is amazing. It's definitely a pink nude tone which makes me very happy, and it's fair to say I wear it every day. I find, with lipglosses, you have to re-apply every hour or so, but with this product you really don't. It stays on for a good amount of time, and although I have to re-apply for the glossy effect, the colour stays on your lips the whole time.
The product looks great for an everyday make-up look as it's a very natural colour, but also it works really well on top of lip liners and lipsticks. If you wear it with a lip liner, it definitely adds to the nude lip look which I personally love, but don't let this put you off. As I said it's a lovely natural colour and definitely would work on any skin tone and really any make-up look.

I'm going to rate this product a 9/10.
I definitely recommend this brand and colour of lipstick.

The Ship of Brides ~ Jojo Moyes | Book Review

As a fan of books, I thought it was only right to start writing short(ish) reviews on the books that I have read and enjoyed.

From word of mouth, I heard about the author Jojo Moyes and wanted to read some of her stuff to vary my reading and add to my book selection. The first Moyes' book I read was called 'Sheltering Rain'. I really enjoyed the story as well as her writing style which obviously led me into reading more of her books. Which leads me, nicely, onto this book review.

The Ship of Brides

This story is based around the non-fictional story of 655 Australian war brides being 'shipped' to Plymouth in the UK. Here is some information on this event (URL: http://www.plymouth.gov.uk/warbrides)

During the Second World War, many British sailors, that were serving in the Pacific and Asian theatres, married Australian women who they met when taking shore leave. After the war, the sailors came home to Britain on board their ships, leaving their brides on the other side of the world. In July 1946, the British authorities and Royal Navy decided to reunite the husbands with their wives by giving the wives the chance to board the aircraft carrier HMS Victorious, which was set to arrive in Plymouth in early August.

Even though the book is based around a true event, the story itself is fictional, and quite romantic.Without giving away any spoilers, you start to develop an attachment to many different characters in the book. Mainly to 4 of the brides that share a room, all from very different backgrounds, and 2 of the workers on deck - one being the captain and the other being a marine.

The book is separated into 3 different parts after the prologue, which introduces the story, in a more recent time period, and in an unexpected but very effective way.

Part 1: Going back in time, you are introduced to 3 of the main characters. At this point I felt inclined to pick my favourite character out of the three, but as I carried on reading the book, my perspective changed.
Part 2: You are brought into the main part of the story, which is the brides being on the boat. This section is where the story goes into full swing, and things start to get interesting.
Part 3: After being left on a happy but also disappointing note at the end of part 2, you are brought back to the same time frame as the prologue. This part is my favourite because you have an inkling of how the characters, at the start, fit into the story, and the best news, that made me giddy inside, is revealed to us at the very end of the book.


It's fair to say, that once I had finished reading the last page and closed the book, I was a mess of emotions. I wasn't crying, because the ending wasn't sad, I was smiling so big my jaw began to hurt.  I even ran down the stairs and jumped up and down in my kitchen while telling my mum what had happened and how happy I was. It was a very good ending to a very good story.

Due to the relationships and bonds you make with the characters in the book, you begin to feel empathy for them and don't wish anything horrible upon them - except for the characters that aren't so nice. In a way, you begin to see the story through their point of view, even if it isn't written in first person. Or even, you feel like a fly on the wall, watching into their lives and learning things about them.

Overall, I'm really pleased with the ending of the book, and the story as a whole was gripping, interesting and enjoyable.
Definitely a must read.