I graduated in July and moved to London in August, and it just kind of feels like life has been on a fast-forward button since then to be honest. Time just seems to have gone so fast and before I had a chance to blink we're in March and I still haven't found a job in the journalism industry.

I certainly have a big soft spot for trainers, much to the displeasure of my bank account. Thankfully so does my boyfriend, so I don't get disapproving looks and eye-rolls if I buy a pair. He's also really good at remembering things. When the grey Adidas NMD's came out, I fell in love and showed them to him. I was lucky enough to receive them for Christmas from him, god knows after how long after I showed them to him. I've been lusting over them for so long and almost bought them so many times. 

I'm definitely one of those people that gets bored of my wardrobe easily. As much as I love jeans and seem to have acquired so many of them, it does get boring wearing them all the time. I've jumped onto the vinyl skirt bandwagon and have been on the hunt for one for so long, but I'm so picky so it wasn't an easy task.

I finallllly found one in Topshop and I've absolutely fallen in love with it! It's so versatile and I've paired it with different combinations. It just seems to go with everything, tops, shirts and jumpers! Which is definitely a bonus in this absolutely freezing weather.

I think the point of this blog post really is to just tell you to keep going. Embrace your support network around you: take a step back and realise those that are there to watch you prosper, and cut ties with those waiting for you to fail. Get rid of the negativity in your life. Don’t settle for things that won’t make you happy, and even if it takes a bit longer, keep going until you’re happy. Otherwise what’s the point? What is the point getting up every morning to go to a job you hate and allow it to make you miserable? That is not the life I want to lead, and I am so determined that I will get my dream career, no matter how long it takes. Keep going. When it gets hard, find your calm place, take a step back and analyse things. It will all be okay.

I seem to have developed an addiction to buying eyeshadow palettes, but you can never have too many, right? A couple of months ago I FINALLY ordered my first Morphe palette. It's safe to say I was not disappointed! I bought the 25B Bronzed Mocha palette, which is a mix of matte and shimmer shades.

I have numerous palettes and always use shades from a range of different ones, but this one has every shade I need in one! I've used this for so many different looks so far, from a smoky eye for an evening, or a subtle day look to a bold look by using the shimmer shades. I don't usually tend to use shimmer shades much as I prefer matte, so when I do I want it to be noticeable so always spray the brush first with a setting spray to make the glitter more intense.

Morphe products are such good value for the money: they're not expensive but the quality definitely seems it. The colours in the palette are so pigmented, so not a lot of shadow is needed to see the colour on the eye, unlike some shadows where you have to swirl the brush in a lot to get a little amount of shadow on the eye. Good pigmentation is definitely something I look for in an eyeshadow palette. It shows a good quality and means the product isn't being wasted having to build up the colour to match the one in the pan.

I've used this palette quite a lot already, but can barely tell by looking at it. The colours go so well together meaning a lot of different looks can be created! They blend easily together too, and I haven’t found them to go blotchy on the eye and just stick to one place.


Overall, I am so pleased I bought this palette! I was stuck between this and the 25A Copper Spice palette, but I'm so glad I went with this one. This is definitely my new go-to palette and I can't wait to invest in more Morphe products!

What are your go-to palettes?

I really am not a fan of Valentine's Day, or most holidays come to think of it. I'm a bit of a scrooge, but hey-ho. I just really don't see the point in them anymore: they're all just a marketing tactic for retailers now. But I won't bore you with my rant about it: we'll save that for another day.

On (what we thought) was our last day in Paris, Alex and I decided to visit the Yves Saint Laurent museum. I wanted to go so badly before we left, but on the way there I was reading the reviews online and was in two minds about it. We decided to just go as we'd done everything else we'd wanted to do, and I am SO glad we did. Admittedly, I do feel bad for Alex getting dragged along to various exhibitions and galleries with me!



The first room had a cabinet full of sketches, fabric samples and accessories to accompany the outfits. It was truly inspiring to see his designs come to life just along the hall and pictures in the cabinet of women wearing them. They are so glamorous and elegant with so much detail embedded in every garment.

My boyfriend and I have a big list of countries we want to travel to, so what better way to kick start the new year than a trip to Paris?! We booked it for our two year anniversary and found such a good Eurostar deal, we couldn't say no.

The Eurostar is so much more comfortable. No luggage allowance, no liquid limit, so comfortable and it takes you into the centre of Paris. I'd definitely recommend it over flying!

I've visited Paris once before, but I was much younger so was only really interested in the crepes. Alex has never been so we were both really looking forward to it. We left on Thursday 25th, and so we thought were supposed to return on Sunday - however we somehow booked our train for the wrong day (don't ask, I don't even know how) so after a huge panic at the check-in date, had an extra day! Thankfully our Airbnb host let us stay another night in the apartment (thank god - that saved us about €100!)



During our five days, we managed to do all the things we had planned, so we were chuffed about that. We visited the Eiffel Tower on the first evening we got there - it looks amazing lit up, especially when it flashes at each hour.

Before we went, we found a suggestion to visit the Shakespeare and Company bookshop. After reading about it we were sure we wanted to go there. It is located on the banks of the Seine, so we spent the day exploring and actually stumbled across it. We were visiting the Notre-Dame and didn't actually realise how close it was.



This is such a wonderful little bookshop - I can't sing it's praises more. It's literally filled floor to ceiling with books of every kind. They also only sell English books, so of course I had to buy one. I definitely recommend visiting it, even if you don't buy anything! It was quite busy when we visited, but that added to the experience. It was nice to see so many people interested in it. On the corner, we stopped for a coffee at the Shakespeare and Company coffee shop, and sat with a lovely view of the Notre-Dame.

Outside the front of the shop is stools of second-hand books for sale. There are so many of them that add such a nice touch - it really draws people's attention to the shop. So many people wandering past stopped to look at the stalls and then decided to go inside.




Definitely be prepared to walk a lot in Paris! We spent all day every day just wandering around, taking in the sights and scenery. We actually accidentally came across the Louvre! We were going to visit the day after what we did, but spent such a long time walking we just stumbled across it - sounds stupid, I know! We didn't go inside as there was quite a long queue, but it is so pretty from the outside!

When I was at school my friendship group was quite big. A big friendship group at such a young age leads to endless dramas, arguments and bitchiness. I just remember it being so draining and you're constantly wondering who likes you and whose bitching about you to someone else in the group.

Seven years on, I only speak to one person from that friendship group. At the time, I thought I could never be without them and that they were the be all and end all of life. Now, I couldn't be happier. Moving away from my hometown to university was the best decision I ever made.

Living two and a half hours away from home taught me so much. I overcame challenges I never expected to be faced with and learnt my own independence. I made true, lifelong friends that I know are friends with me because they want to be, and there's no drama!

One thing I have learnt that is so important is that I need to do things for me. I've learnt to do things that make me happy, and not do things to please other people. Since graduating, my boyfriend and I have moved to London. It was either that or move back to my hometown and back into the baggage that comes with it. London is the place we need to be for our career aspirations, and I'm so glad we just went for it. We have so many more opportunities from living here and I just love the city life. I couldn't imagine moving back home after three years of not living there.

Alex is so supportive of the decisions I make, I couldn't be happier that I met him. We met at uni, and coincidentally his dad only lives half an hour away from my parents! On Thursday we're off to Paris too! The Eurostar was so cheap we couldn't justify not going. We have so many places we want to visit so may as well make a start. What better way to start 2018 and celebrate our two year anniversary than in Paris?!
What I'm trying to say really is seize every opportunity that comes your way. Don't worry about what other people think, it's nothing to do with them. Life is short and you shouldn't spend your time unhappy. Anything can happen at anytime so we may as well make the most of it. If you're unhappy with something in your life, take the steps to make a change. It may take time and require patience, but if you get there, you'll be so thankful for it. Empower others, make them feel good about themselves and don't pass judgement on those you don't know. Putting others down won't make you feel any better about yourself.

One of my New Year's resolutions is to stop comparing my life to others. I'm trying to keep in mind that people's lives are not all that you see on social media: you only see what others want you to see. Nobody has the perfect life and everyone has struggles. I need to remember that when endlessly scrolling through Instagram making myself feel like shit.

What are your New Year's resolutions?