I Changed My Hair... Again

I have been growing my hair then cutting and it and growing it again for about 3 years now. I love the idea of having long, gorgeous hair that everyone would be jealous off but the reality is, it just doesn't look good on me. 

 I've recently just grown to hate it and I found myself wearing my hair in a ponytail most of the time simply because it kept it all out of my face.

 It's been 2 and a half years since I had my first dramatic hair cut since childhood. Recently I've been thinking about it and how both times I've cut my hair short, I've loved it. And also how every time I have it long, I end up hating it. 

 I have been at my most confident when I've felt good about my hair. 
 I have felt the best about my hair when it is short and blonde. 

 Short hair is easy to style, there's a lot you can do with it and it takes very little maintaining. So I made up my mind, I was going to chop it all off again. 

 Having recently moved to Worcester for University, I looked for a new, local place to try out. My first stop was Tony & Guys but I couldn't get an appointment there within the next month for love nor money. I couldn't seem to get in contact with other hair salons without phoning, (I have a weird phobia of talking on the phone. Don't judge me, I'm working on it just not right now,) so I was kind of despairing on what to do. 

 Last Sunday I had a moment that affected my week dramatically and to deal with it, I knew I needed to cut my hair. It was all I could think about, every time I got upset I was just like, 'I need someone to cut my hair!' 

 I said to one of my flatmates at one point, "If someone doesn't cut my hair soon, I'm going to do it myself." 

 Scared I'd ruin what little good hair I had, I decided the only think left to do would be to get in touch with where I used to work which I could get to by train. 

 So, one last minute appointment and a 50 minute train ride later, I found myself back where I used to call home ready to leave a whole new woman. 

 The whole round trip took me about 6 hours but it was so worth it. 

I now have short blonde hair again and I'm SO happy about it! I want to try and style it either curly or wavy each day and just play around with it while it's short. I also am planning to maintain the length and have it cut more regularly which is where I have failed every time I've done this before. 

 I didn't go too blonde, I wanted the change to be gradual and I can add more blonde at a later date if I fancy it. More than anything I just wanted to look and feel different. It's always such a weight lifted when you change your style. 

after

 I hope to share more posts about what I do with my new style very soon, see you next week! 

before

Alice by Christina Henry | Book Review

I read both Alice and The Red Queen during my last weeks of the Summer and, at first, I wasn't sure whether I liked it at all. 

 Alice in Wonderland has become one of my favourite stories and ideas. I would say I'm quite attached to the idea of a wonderful, magical land where nothing makes sense. This book duo takes the familiar story to a very dark place. If you're easily put off by horrific tales and especially attached to Alice in Wonderland, I'd maybe advise you to give this retelling a miss.

 I've recently found my love for retellings of traditional stories after exploring Angela Carter's work. I loved the idea of an Alice in Wonderland with a twist. While I wasn't sure about it at first, I've realised with time just how clever this book is. 

 The characters are familiar, the world is not. The traditional rabbit hole seems to have been replaced by a dirty, diseased river Alice and her companion, Hatcher, must swim through and the quest to kill the Jabberwocky has been complicated by what appears to be Henry's allusion to sex trafficking. 

 Here is where I must pull in a trigger warning because this is not a pleasant book to read. I myself found it quite difficult to read some parts. There is fairly graphic reference to rape and women being bought and sold for sexual exploitation. At first, I didn't like this at all; my favourite childhood story being twisted into a very adult, very unpleasant reality. However, the more I think about it, the more praise I have for Henry's message. 

 The reality of Alice in Wonderland is that even the original was based on some awful thing; drugs and alcohol for one. 

 It can only be celebrated that a writer would use such a story to put out a powerful message about a social issue and while it is uncomfortable to read at times, it is done as tastefully as it possibly could be considering the nature of what some women go through. 

 Henry uses the familiar characters of the Caterpillar and the Cheshire Cat renamed simply as Cheshire. These are characters we didn't fully trust in the original novel and neither should we trust them here. 

 The reality of Alice in Wonderland is that the world they are in seems like a wonderful dream but it has an eerie feel to it that suggests Alice isn't safe. Henry uses that in a way that hasn't been explored before but it works. If you are attached to the nature of Alice in Wonderland, try to see this separately from the original. 

 I did read the sequel, The Red Queen, but I didn't enjoy that as much as I enjoyed Alice. The message in Alice is very clear and has a lot of impact. 

 I would recommend giving it a try but it is not for the faint hearted. 

Cosying Up Your University Room.

Hello Friends, after a hectic couple of weeks I am back with a Sunday post and a few prepared and up my sleeve to see us through! 

 I have completed my first week of lectures at University which feels crazy to say when I wrote so many posts so recently about it being in the future. It's now real and it's very overwhelming. 

 I have written a post about how overwhelming it really is moving into university, but now that I am happy and settled, I didn't want that to be my first University Life post! It will go public when the time is right, but not just yet. Today I wanted to share my top tips about how to make halls feel more like home!

 There are still some little bits I want to get for my room, but I'm just going to share a couple of things that you might find helpful if you're struggling to settle into your new little space. 

 A must for me was bringing some of my favourite stuffed toys.

 Regretfully, I couldn't bring the whole gang and so some of my furry friends had to stay home... but I narrowed it down to two and I'm going to introduce you to them now!

 This is Pink Teddy and Archibald (3 guesses who is who.) Pink Teddy and I met when I was very small, hence the unimaginative name, but she has been my closest friend for all of these years and she just had to come with me. Archibald I actually built myself at the infamous Build-a-Bear workshop, (not sponsered although I'd be more than happy to work with those guys if they ever got in touch!) He's so cool and just makes me laugh because the only clothing I could afford for him on my 14th birthday was a pare of pink heart print pants because, of course, he couldn't go naked all the way home! 

 Having some cuddly toys close is such a comfort and will always warm your heart, no matter how 'grown up' you think you are.

Another thing that came in handy for me was this reed diffuser. When you first move your stuff into halls the smell is very unfamiliar. Every home has it's own smell and so a foreign smell can be very unsettling, even if it's not remarkably unpleasant! This is a christmasy scent from Primark Homeware. I love Christmas and so, I figured, if my room started to smell Christmasy it might be some comfort to me. 

 It's important to have little items dotted around that will remind you of home. I brought books and mugs with me so that when I cosy up in bed with a nice cup of coffee, it feels cosy and not painfully Uni-Like with the same mug over and over again! 

 And, for when everything gets terribly exhausting, it's nice to have a small supply of your favourite alcoholic beverage to have a wind down with your flat mates (drink in moderation!) 

Putting up photographs is always a good idea. I have covered the provided cork board with pictures of old friends and my family as a little comfort blanket when I miss home. But I also dedicated a corner of this display to 8 powerful women who have inspired me over the years. To name a few, we have Judy Gardland who starred in my favourite childhood film, The Wizard of Oz. We also have Miss Taylor Swift who has been my favourite musician since I was 8. And some of my favourite songwriters Alanis Morissette, Gabrielle Aplin and Sara Bareilles. This is such a comfort for when I have down days and feel a lack of motivation. I can look up at those women who worked hard for their careers and it gives me the push to keep going. 

 There are many other ways you can make a uni room feel more like home so if these ideas don't work for you, keep reading other blogs, (that's where I got most of my inspiration from,) and I recommend Lucy Moon on YouTube for more ideas, she's fab! 


 Thank you so much for reading, I'll see you next week and Good Luck for your own University endeavours. 

University Stationary Haul

I always go overboard with stationary this time of year. I didn't have the budget for that this year and so I have limited myself to the bare basics of what I will need based on the advice off of experience YouTubers etc. I am sure that over the first semester I will invest in many more folders etc. but this is the bare minimum I will be carrying around during my first week of lectures. 

 I am studying joint honours and so I invested in two separate subject divided notebooks; one for English Literature and one for Creative Writing. I also picked up one A5 notebook to write notes in during lectures. I felt this would be easier than carrying around big folders like I was doing all throughout my A Levels. My plan is to then write/type up my notes in neat later to revise from. 

 I also picked up one folder to keep any handouts or documents I may be given neat which I plan to keep at home to revise from. 

 All of this was purchased from WHSmiths along with this set of highlighters which I have found crucial during my years of doing GCSEs and A Levels. WHSmiths tends to always have deals and offers on their stationary. This was the case with the set of Pukka Pads I purchased as well as their 3 for 2 offers on much of their stationary. 

 I picked up this lovely water bottle. I have always tended to refill plastic bottles which can get pretty messy if they leak in a bag and so I thought this screw top bottle would limit the chances of that happening (hopefully.) 

 I also picked up a pot of pushpins due to an offer. In my room at university I will have a cork board on the wall which I plan on decorating with fairy lights and photographs. I thought these would come in handy for putting that together as a way of cosying up my bedroom. 

 In ASDA, I picked up this set for £6. I wasn't a huge fan of the colour of it but it seemed like a cheap way of getting desk organisers. It contains a magazine rack, pen pot, letter rack, A4 paper tray and memo block holder. While I don't much like the look of it, I figured I can use it temporarily and then replace the pieces I use with nicer ones when I have a little more money. The paper tray and memo block holder, I doubt I will use for instance, so I can use much of it temporarily and replace as and when I can. 


A few weeks ago I purchased this pencil case from New Look for under £5. It seems to dupe a Ted Baker design of a bow on the front. I grabbed this because it matches a bag I have had my eye on for a little while that could be a potential birthday present but theres never any harm in having a pretty pencil case. 

 That is pretty much it for my university haul because I have several refill pads left over from A Levels. There are still a few things I need to get but I think at this stage, it is best to keep things simple because your money can be used for more important things such as food! 

 I hope you have found this useful or interesting. Please feel free to comment if you think there is anything I have forgotten or may find useful! 

 I will be doing a Vital University Supplies Haul in the next week which I hope you will find useful! 

University Homeware Haul

It is now a little over a week before I, and many students my age, leave home for the first time to move into University accommodation or other similar arrangements. I have found it a little overwhelming to know what to buy. Having spent a lot of time watching YouTube videos and reading blogposts and articles to attempt to navigate what I need, I decided to put together my own post to widen the resources and advice out there for Students like myself. 

 I will be doing a separate University Necessities haul to filter it down to what you absolutely must have to move into accommodation; however, this post is for inspiration regarding making your small room in halls feel a little more like home. This post comes with a little naivety, I haven't yet moved in or know whether all of these items where practical etc. but I wanted to write this anyway to give ideas to anyone still doing some last minute university shopping.

 There are still many ideas I have for my room and little pieces I want to get hold of, but I hope this gives you some ideas as to making your new home feel homely. 

 I used this as the perfect opportunity to explore Primark's new homeware range. They have some lovely pieces at the wonderful, budget friendly Primark price range we all know and love. 

 My first purchase was some bedding. By bed at home is a double whereas my bed in my uni room will be a single. I wanted to leave all of the bedding and cosies I had bought for my room at home behind so that when I am staying at home, it will all still be ready for me. So I purchased this simplistic set from the new Primark range which I hope to cosy up with a lovely throw and scatter cushion combo. The single duvet cover and pillow set was £15 and I picked up a sheet and spare pillow covers for under £10. I wanted to keep my bedsheets minimalistic so that I can have accessories in my bedroom without everything looking too overwhelming. 



 I also picked up these two storage containers in a lovely rose gold finish for £5 each. I thought these would sit nicely underneath a desk; one containing notebooks and desk stationary and the other holding by bath and shower products. They are fairly small and so will tuck away easily without the need to clog up the little desk space I will have. 

 I also picked up this necklace display, again with a rose gold theme. Jewellery can be one of the hardest things to store at home, I have a necklace hanger that screws into the wall. Obviously when renting university accommodation, you cannot drill into the walls and so this was a vital find for me which can just sit on my desk and hold all of my necklaces. 

 When standing in line to pay I grabbed a set of pink/rose gold hangers for £4 because you can never have too many! This in itself may not be enough but I didn't want to over buy before I know exactly how much wardrobe space I will have. 

 The Primark shop only crossed a few things off my list and so I kept my eye out in ASDA when doing my kitchen necessities shop. I grabbed this lovely set of butterfly coasters because I love my coffee in the morning... and evening... and anywhere in between! I also don't want to be staining my desk or doing anything else to harm the return of my deposit at the end of the year. 

 I am also a self confessed mug hoarder and despite already having a couple that I couldn't possibly leave behind, I couldn't resist these two. The first is a lovely baby pink with a gold feature at the bottom, the second is an actual unicorn shaped around a mug. Nothing starts off the day better than a fun cup of coffee! 






















This next buy is probably going to be a life saver for everyone! I knew I needed something to store my shoes and none of the provided storage seemed like it would fit the bill. In Asda, this laundry hamper caught my eye, not for dirty washing, but due to its deepness yet dainty size, it would be perfect to store my many pairs of shoes without taking up too much floor space. Sat at the end of the bed or next to the desk, you can get away with having one of these and not being too cluttered! I bought this for £8 so if you're stuck with what to use for shoes, grab yourself one of these.

And that rounds up my homeware collection for university so far. I still have a few things in mind for finishing touches, but these will probably come later on once my room is mostly put together! I hope this has helped inspire you with how to store certain things or just how to cosy up your space. I will be back later on in the week with my University Stationary Haul!

I'm Off to Uni

Hi Friends. 

 I took the majority of August off blogging to gain some perspective. I have loved blogging every week and I plan to continue; however, over the summer, as my routine shifted, I found myself scrabbling for something to write about. My content became forced and unauthentic. If I am uploading weekly, I want the quality to remain consistent; I took a break to do some key planning and also to gain some inspiration. I have some awesome posts planned for you guys including another Look Book which is a massive project for me; hence why I haven't done one in about 18 months. I also have a whole bunch of Uni posts lined up for you so I thought I'd get started on that today. 

 I wanted to chat to you today about how I picked my University and my course in order to help anyone who is in the same position as I was last year. 

 My first piece of advice is something I followed right when I was picking my GCSE subjects when I was 14. I believe that unless you are following a specific career path such as Law or Medicine, it really doesn't matter what subjects you take. My advice is to pick what you enjoy. When choosing my university course especially this was crucial to me. I knew I'd need the motivation to read huge amounts on this subject, I'd have to stay up late some nights writing essays, I'd need to research in my own time. To be quite frank, I probably could have done well doing Law or Politics, but I know for a fact that I wouldn't have been interested enough to put my heart and soul into it. 

 When it came to picking my A Levels, it was fairly easy for me. The subjects I had done best in were the ones I loved because that's how my motivation correlates. 

 It was the same for picking my degree. I knew I loved History. But I also knew I was struggling a lot. I just couldn't get my head around how I was meant to write and my grades didn't match my love for the subject. It was quite hard to kiss history goodbye. It had always been one of my best subjects but I knew at that point that I was an English student. 

 My passion had always been in books. 

 So I researched Literature degrees and decided to include Creative Writing in there to give me a career prospect aside from teaching. 

 I didn't have a career in mind when I chose my degree but I don't think that matters too much these days. The reality of the world at the minute is that jobs for post graduates are few and far between... my priority was having the best three years possible in order to end up with the best mark in my degree. 

 I have since thought more about the jobs I would be qualified for and realised I would love to work in publishing. This, I think, proves that if you follow the path you enjoy most, you'll be qualified for a job you'll enjoy whether or not you know what that job is at the beginning of the process. 

 When I began looking at universities I was sure I'd stay at home to save money. It was always incredibly important to me to go to university, primarily because I grew up believing we were too poor to go to uni. I kept this misconception with me when visiting university websites because I misunderstood the financial aid and processes in place. I believed I couldn't afford to live away from home. 

 So I picked a local uni that I loved at planned to stay home for the next three years.

 My only regret in this whole process is that I didn't shop around the country more for a uni. Since the atmosphere at my home has shifted, I have decided to live at uni and I couldn't be more excited. But because I went through most of this process alone, I didn't feel like I had the option to change my mind and look into a university across the country. There are so many areas of the UK that interest me: Bath, Brighton etc. I wish I had had the knowledge and understanding this time last year to know that it was possible for me to be financially able to go to any uni I wanted to. 

 Despite this I am so excited to go to Uni in a few weeks time. I have picked a University that suits me. I'm not a massive nights out person. I picked a university that is relatively small but expanding quickly which I truly believe will suit me more and allow me to focus my attention in the right places. 

 When choosing a university research is so crucial. If, like me, you don't have a family that really know much about uni and you're left to your own devices, make sure you research everything. Try not to limit yourself. Anything and everything is possible when it comes to university no matter your financial background or what degree you choose. 

 Good luck to any of you off to uni in the next few weeks or to those of you completing your A Levels. I hope this helps you plan your research process a little more efficiently. 

 I am aiming to get back into my regular Sunday blogging schedule over the next few weeks!

July Book Haul

It feels like years since I wrote one of these. It's been so lovely to finally be able to submerge myself in books again. I have started a new job, so I haven't been able to read as much as I'd like... but I think I've completed a pretty interesting collection this past month. 

 My blog posts have been all over the place, I apologise for that. Leaving college and starting a new job has completely messed up my sense of routine and so Sundays tend to creep up on me a little bit. Nonetheless, I will aim to continue to post weekly, as close to Sunday as possible, until I fall back into a 'normal' weekly routine. 

 This first book, The Sense of an Ending, I began at the end of June but completed on the 1st of July. It's a very quirky story. It reminded me a lot of Alan Bennett's The History Boys but as a sort of 40 years later type sequel. The story line is remotely quite sad. A lonely, retired man explores his thoughts and letters to discover what led to his best friend's death. It's a quick read, an easy read and one that will stay with you once you've finished the last page. I was drawn to the cover which has an elderly dandelion scattering through the air which, one completed, you realise reflects the book rather well. It's definitely worth picking up if you need something to read over a weekend or on holiday. 

 I moved on to one of the novels I had decided to save for this Summer, Agatha Christie's Crooked House. Determined to read more Christie after finishing Murder on the Orient Express before last Christmas, I have found myself jotting down random titles of hers to add to my trying collection. This was one that I put on my Christmas list without really knowing much about it. The story line was gripping. I did guess the culprit at an early stage and was correct, but it still left me even more curious about her writing. Proclaimed to be one of Agatha's favourites, Crooked House reflects an immense level of planning and thought. It is evident when you read this book that these characters were with her for a long while before pen touched paper. A true work of art. 

 I wrote an in depth review of Into the Water a few weeks ago, so I will keep this paragraph short. In my opinion, this is the best of Hawkins' work so far. I loved it. The story line was everything I want in a modern thriller. It was exciting, emotional and heartbreaking and I can see it becoming a very successful TV series in the future. 

 I'm Travelling Alone had been on my To-Be-Read list for a very long time. It came up in a Creative Writing lesson and as I always did, I jotted down the title to look into at a later date. I didn't rush to buy it. I happened upon it in a supermarket for £3 and decided to just pick it up rather than order it online for a higher price months later. I have told myself I have to read all of my unread books before I can buy anymore on my list so I found myself picking this up to read simply to get through my shelf. It's a very gripping story and the writing is just wonderful. The conclusion doesn't tie up all of the loose ends; however, what's left can be left much to the imagination. As much as I loved the story line, it left me feeling kind of empty. Often with thrillers, you find the impossible happening to give it a happy ending, but stories about serial killers aren't happy. The featured detective manages to save his granddaughter from the killer despite every other victim being killed. I guess once you've fallen in love with Game of Thrones, those kind of happy endings don't satisfy you anymore. 

 Murakami is another writer who's works I want to explore much more in depth. I was drawn to After the Quake after a little synopsis at the end of Norwegian Wood which I read last year. It's a swift, sweet collection of short stories that explore people's reactions to an earthquake. It ends up being quite an abstract piece, the kind of story you would read to a child to convey a life lesson or moral message. It wasn't what I was expecting. I'm not sure what I was expecting but it was fun and, as always, extremely well written. 

 I then moved on to my current read, The Essex Serpant. People have obviously raved about this and I can see why. There is something so poetic about the writing. Again, I was drawn to the beautiful cover and the quality of words does not let that down. However, I have been kind of stuck on it. I just can't seem to get through it. I love the concept and I love how beautiful each sentence is but the craftsmanship of words seems to distract me from what is actually going on it the story. I've been reading this for about 10 days now and I'm only halfway through which is so unlike me. It's a shame because I really wanted to love this book! Perhaps once I have managed to finish I will see it in a different light. 

 I'd love to know what you've been reading! Let me know in the comments what your favourite read of the Summer has been so far.