Embarrassing Childhood Photos

I've recently had quite a few 'clear-outs', and whilst going through countless boxes of junk, I came across a few photos from when I was younger! So, what better thing to do than share them on my blog!

Simply majestic.

I loved my pet goldfish- Goldie!

Disneyland Paris was a good time.

Everybody say 'awwww!'

I clearly hadn't heard of sunglasses..

I haven't changed one bit!

So, that's a few of the photos I came across- I hope you enjoyed seeing them and had a good laugh! If you get the chance, I'd strongly recommend looking through old photos- it's so much fun!

LUSH Skin Top Picks

LUSH has to be one of my favourite shops of all time. The smell is amazing and the products work wonders- so I decided to run through a few of my favourite products!

Ocean Salt Face Scrub- This is definitely my number one LUSH product. It leaves my skin feeling so moisturized and exfoliated, and does so much to help spots. Lime and grapefruit create the perfect wake me up scent, and the avocado butter works immediate wonders. You can purchase this product here.

Herbalism Cleanser- My skin is always left feeling bright and clean after using this product. The ground almonds work wonders to exfoliate the skin, and dirt and grease are removed, preventing outbreaks of spots. One of my favourite things about this product is that a little goes a long way, so it's suitable for any budget. You can purchase this product here.

Mask of Magnaminty Face Mask- This face mask is a product I cannot live without. An immediate perk is the fact that it's in a tub- so there's no need to mess around trying to get the product out of a packet. The product itself works wonders- since using it my spots have improved drastically and my redness has practically vanished. This product is best used about once a week, as it gives a really deep cleanse(although all skin is different). You can purchase this product here.

Bubblegum Lip Scrub- As someone who's suffered from dry lips for as long as I can remember, I was always on the hunt for a treatment that worked! This lip scrub honestly works- rubbing away dead skin and leaving my lips fresh and moisturised. A bonus of this is that as your lips are left feeling smooth, lipstick lasts so much longer- what's not to love? You can purchase this product here.

Coping With Stress

As someone who’s struggled a lot with stress in the past, I decided to write this post to help others in the same situation as me.

Deadlines, exams, how you look- we all have at least one thing that’s stressing us out! Don’t stress over your stress- it’s totally normal and there’s plenty of ways to temporarily relieve yourself from it.

As a fan of The Vamps, I sent them all a message asking if they had any advice for people struggling with stress- and bassist Connor Ball replied! Here’s what he had to say:

“I’d say you gotta keep an open mind with everything :) then it becomes easier to see the bigger picture!”

I 100% agree with him- no matter what type of stress you’re struggling with, keep his words in mind!

Deadline Stress
Courses with no exam are both a blessing and a curse. Yes, it’s a good feeling having one less subject to revise for, but the stress that comes with putting together a folio/book of coursework can leave anyone wishing their workload would ease off slightly.

DO keep in touch with your teacher/lecturer. It’s a good idea to have their email address so that if you miss any lessons, you’re able to catch up easily before the next lesson, meaning you won’t be falling behind everyone else.
DO plan your time wisely. You’ll have the date for your final piece to be completed, but it’s never a bad idea to set yourself mini-deadlines so that you have a clearer idea of what should be finished when.
DON’T be afraid to ask for help! Your teachers are there to answer any questions you might have/help as much as they can, so if you do find that you need some advice, contact them straight away(this is another benefit of having their email address).


Exam Stress
Despite what anyone may tell you, exams are NOT the most important thing that’ll ever happen to you. Yes, you should aim to do well but there’s so many other routes to success that if you don’t get the results you may have been hoping for, it does not matter. However, it’s inevitable that we’ll all still be stressed out come exam time, so here’s some tips that may help!

DO plan your revision in advance. This way you are much more likely to stay on task as you will have planned out what you’re doing and when. Look at your exam timetable to help you plan your revision suitably- make up a new plan for each week so that your time is managed as effectively as possible.
DO take breaks. Working non-stop will not relieve stress- it’ll only make it worse. When planning your revision timetable, schedule breaks in between revision slots and make sure to take them when the time comes! Use your breaks for getting lunch/dinner, going for a calming bath or even taking a walk- fresh air is the best thing to relieve yourself from stress!
DO get plenty of sleep. The only thing that staying up all night is going to do to you is increase your stress and make you look like a zombie! It’s likely that you will struggle to sleep the night before an exam, so to cover this, go to bed an hour earlier than usual so you can have a better chance of having a good nights sleep.
DON’T leave everything until the last minute! It may seem a good idea at the time, but the more you spread out your revision, the less stress you’ll have the day before/of the exam.
DON’T worry! So long as you try your best and work hard, no one can expect any more from you. I can’t stress enough that grades aren’t everything, so please always put your health above anything else.


‘How Do I Look?’ Stress
These days, there’s so much pressure on both girls and boys to look good all of the time. But why? Yes, it’s nice to get dressed up for special occasions, but if that’s not for you, then SO WHAT? No matter how old you are, how tall you are, what you look like- inside, we’re all the same at the end of the day. I know how hard it is to see this though, but I’m speaking the truth when I say YOU ARE PERFECT, and you shouldn’t let people tell you otherwise. If you’re struggling to gather confidence in yourself, the following steps can help!

• Write down your 3 best features. Recognizing what you like about yourself is a crucial part of overcoming this stress. If you can’t gather 3 things yourself, ask a friend to say what they think your best features are.
• Don’t trust the media. Photoshop is only becoming more and more used to give models the ‘perfect’ look. These are NOT perfect- simply a wonder of digital doctoring to create something entirely unachievable.
•  Keep a confidence diary. Each night, write down 3 things you like about yourself- then whenever you’re feeling particularly low, look through the diary  and reflect on what you’ve written.
• Take a compliment. If someone says something positive towards you, accept it! If they can recognize how special you are, so can you.

Thanks for reading this post- I hope you enjoyed it and will be able to gain something from it! If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact me either below, on my Twitter (@hsimpsonxblog) or through email (hannahsimpsonx@aol.co.uk).

LUSH Sales Haul

Okay so who doesn’t love LUSH? The smell, the colour- it’s amazing! So when they released their Christmas 2015 products, I grew very excited for the January sales when I knew the products would be heavily discounted.

Here’s what I treated myself to!


SNOW FAIRY'S CASTLE

Fairy Dust- a shimmery dust perfect for adding a touch of sparkle to your body for a night out! The bubblegum smell is an added bonus, as it’s almost like a powder body spray.

Magic Wand Bubble Bar- LUSH’s famous bubble bars are probably one of my favourite products. They are sort of a cross between bubble bath and bath bombs, and you can use them more than once so your money goes further(I tend to break a bubble bar into 4 pieces). This is also bubblegum scented, and the wand shape and style gives it a very pretty look.

So White Bath Bomb- an apple scented bath bomb in the theme of a Disney classic- what’s not to love?

Snow Fairy Shower Gel- a LUSH classic. Again it has the deliciously sweet smell of bubblegum and is this time in the form of a handy little shower gel.


FIRECRACKER

Intergalactic Bath Bomb- A refreshing, peppermint and sweet smell combined with swirls of neon colours. What’s not to love?!

Candy Mountain Bubble Bar- Similar to the Magic Wand bubble bar, this again has a sweet bubblegum and vanilla smell. It also changes your water a gorgeous shade of pink and makes the water nice and silky.

The Experimenter Bath Bomb- I’ve had this bath bomb in the past, and I absolutely love it! Another sweet and comforting vanilla smell, this bath bomb erupts into an array of colours- a must have for any bath bomb fan!

What I Want to Achieve in 2016

-Be more confident. Every year I say this, but it never seems to happen. I’m hoping that this is the year I can achieve it, not drastically but I just want to become a little less awkward around people and gain some confidence and self belief.

-See NCL Richard Squad more often. These girls are some of my best friends and the only negative is that I can’t see them on a daily basis! This year, I hope to see them all a bit more regularly than just now and then.

-Be more healthy. Okay so this is pretty cliché but it’s still something I really want to achieve. I want to exercise on a regular basis and cut out a lot of unhealthy foods- in this other things will improve, including my general health and fitness.

-Read more books. I used to read every night and it’d take me little more than a week to finish a book, but as I’ve got older and my workload has increased, it’s become harder to keep up. However, I’m determined to pick it up again and fall back into my old reading habits.

-See Brad as much as I can. Anyone who knows me will know how much he means to me, and the two times I’ve been lucky enough to meet him in the past have been incredible.

 -Use a better routine for my hair and skin. I own quite a lot of good skin products, yet I have a terrible habit of not using them on a regular basis, so I’m determined to get into a routine and use the products to the best of their abilities!

-Get a job. I’d really like to invest in a new laptop and my own DSLR camera, but sadly everything has a price, so to be able to afford them both, I’m hoping to get a weekend/holiday job.

-Get work experience in media. Working in media production is a dream job and in order to get to where I want to be, its going to take a lot, including experience of the industry.

-Improve on guitar. I’ve had my guitar for a long time but because of other commitments, I’ve always been distracted from teaching myself properly.

-Grades that I’m happy with. I really don’t want to overly stress myself out by aiming for straight A’s. Instead, I just want to work my hardest and get grades that make me happy, rather than having to impress others.