Hey everyone!

Today I thought I'd talk about something I was considering for a very long time - cutting my hair short. My hair used to be my pride and joy, and it was down to my bellybutton. I loved the swishy ponytail and plaits, but when I wore it down it always seemed to get messy and tangled. A few weeks ago, I decided to cut my hair short, and I love it. However, it was something I was very unsure about, so I thought I'd share some of the benefits and drawbacks of each.

Long hair
The main benefit I thought of is that long hair is very pretty. It's long and flowy, and suits almost everybody. If you're slightly insecure, as I am, it's easy to hide behind it and it draws the focus from other places on your face and body. It's also very versatile in terms of braids and other things. I used to be so creative with how I wore my hair, thanks to cutegirlshairstyles, but I just couldn't be bothered most days.

If you're lazy like me, you most likely wear your hair down every day, without straightening or curling it. I have the type of hair that gets tangled very quickly, and always looked frayed and old-lady-like. If you have the type of hair that stays long and shiny, or you're motivated enough to do something with it most days, long hair would definitely be the best.

Short hair
When I'm talking about short hair, I don't mean a pixie cut, I'm talking about Taylor Swift length to shoulder length. To me at least, this is very easy, and I can sleep with my wet hair, and next morning it'll look cute messy and I barely even have to brush it. It doesn't need to be taken care of much and can pretty much be left alone.

This next one is going to be a paradox, but just let me explain. In a way, having short hair provides one main look, and you can't really braid it, wear it up, and other similar hairstyles. But at the same time, you have so many more opportunities when it comes to curling it, and it goes so quickly too, as there isn't as much hair.

In general, I am absolutely in love with my short hair, and if you think you'd suit it, I'd definitely cut it. I first cut mine to shoulder length but I've later gone back and shortened it, so it's now the length of Taylor Swift's.

I also want to mention that I donated my hair to a charity that make wigs for sufferers of cancer, and I'm planning to do a separate blog post on that experience in the future, if anyone is interested.

Also, I'd love to share some of my short hairstyles I wear, if anyone would be interested in that.

I hope this post was of use to some of you,

Hello everyone!

I noticed that my blog post full of photos from the UK seemed very popular, and as those are also one of my favourite types of blog posts, I thought I'd do another one. This blog post is full of photos from Thailand which is where I spent my Christmas this year!

I absolutely loved it, and it was the first time I've ever visit Asia. I loved the culture, it's so different and amazing! I'd like to say though, that these photos aren't of the best quality, because 1) they were all taken with my crappy digital camera from about 2002, and 2) all of these were taken before I knew anything about photography, and so they're all quite rushed and not the best. I thought the elements of some of them were quite interesting though, so I thought I'd share them with all of you!

Are you ever struck by this feeling that you love someone or something so much? So much that you literally can't explain it, and when you try to tell someone nothing comes out? It's the kind of love you feel is so cheesy and overdone, but at the same time, you can't help but let it envelope you until you're so deep into it that it literally consumes you soul.

I bet you know what I'm talking about. I bet you've got one person, or thing on your mind right now, and that you have a small smile on your face because I just reminded you of how much you love them.

I'm very lucky to have several of these, several things I feel so passionately about that I honestly can't explain it. Mainly Emma Watson, Zoella, Ed Sheeran's music, Taylor Swift, but I have one overpowering one, which I know nothing will ever be able to replace. Most of you have probably already guessed it, but it's Harry Potter.

The typical white girl expression 'I can't even-' doesn't do justice to the feeling I get when I reread the books for the umpteenth time, but that's not what I'm here to talk about today (oh god, I feel like I'm a talk show host).

I'm here to talk about fandoms in general, and what they can do to a person, because although it is ridiculed by many, to some people, fandoms are the strength they need to get through each day.

In case you've been living under a rock for the past decade (you'll be surprised how many people aren't familiar with this type of vocabulary, my friend asked me the other day what a ship was), a fandom is basically a community of people who love a tv programme, book series, person, or basically anything else. I don't think love is a strong enough word to use when describing fandoms, but it's the best I can find.

Fandoms are like quicksand - you start out by watching one video or listening to one song, and for some reason you feel the need to search it up on twitter or tumblr. Once you've come so far as to follow users dedicated to this particular topic, it's too late. You've been captured. A thing that started out as a 'Oh yeah, that's nice' has turned into a 'OH MY GOD I LOVE IT', and there's nothing you can do about it.

Here we go with another random post for you all. I've just been feeling very inspired recently, and it's definitely due to Taylor Swift's music.

I'm having one of those sessions where I just sit here and listen to old music by artists I love, and tonight it's Taylor Swift. The quote 'you might think I'm bulletproof, but I'm not' hit me really hard tonight.

I mentioned this briefly last night and I don't want to go too far into it because it honestly makes me fee like shit, but I get teased a lot by my friends. I'm seen as an easy victim, because I don't show that I let anything get to me and I always laugh it off. The truth is though, it hurts me way more than even I care to admit.

My friends make fun of me for my voice when I sing, and so I've stopped singing out loud to my favourite music unless I'm 100% sure I'm alone.

They tease me for being 'too preachy' so I'm afraid to tell them about feminism, body positivity and vegetarianism, because they'll most likely make fun of me.

They make fun of me for the fact that my left eye is slightly larger than my right when I wear glasses (due to the difference in strength), and now I no longer wear glasses to school because I know they'll point them out.

The thing is though, I know none of them mean to hurt me. None of them truly want to make me miserable, they just find it funny.

The entire post of this long sob story was to tell you all to be careful about what you say. Words, even if they're not meant in a harmful way, can hurt a lot more than you think. And I'm not talking about only to your friends, but to celebrities, people you don't know, and your family.

Sure, you have freedom of speech, but do you really want to use that on being a douchebag?

I'm sat here at my desk at 10 o'clock at night, and I'm just struck by how much I love everything.

For some reason I felt the need to google quotes from The Perks ofBeing a Wallflower, and I realised how much I've missed reading it. There are so many quotes I feel like I can relate to and it feels as if Charlie is my best friend. Somehow he manages to put words to the feelings I can't describe, but he really doesn't understand how special he is.

I spent 2 hours this afternoon wandering around my neighbourhood on the phone with my best friend. We moved away from each other a couple of years ago, and sometimes its hard to keep in touch, even if it's just a couple of towns over. Today though, we chatted continually for almost two hours, and it reminded me of how much I love her, but also how much I'm loved.

I sometimes find it hard to remember that, because even though I do have a great life, I struggle with certain things. I have close friends at school, but they tease me a lot, to the point of it being on the brink of bullying, but it's always meant in a friendly way. I think. I don't really know.

Gosh, this quickly turned from a post about appreciation to my sob story. What I wanted to say was that sometimes a good chat with an old friend can really make your week, and be as comforting and relaxing as lying in bed all day with netflix.

This blog post is all over the place, and I don't really know what the point of it was. I'm just really overtired (is that even a word?) and I had a sudden surge of inspiration.

I also want to let you know that if you don't have a friend to call up and chat with, I'll always be here. You can direct message me on twitter, or comment on my blog, and I'll always reply. I care about every single person I cross paths with, and you're definitely one of them.

I'm not even going to proofread this post, and in the morning, after a good night's sleep, I'll probably regret that.

Hello everyone!

As some of you might know, I went home to the UK last weekend. I love it there, everyone is so incredibly friendly, and there's something about the nature that always amazes me with how subtly beautiful it is. Anyway, I thought I might share some of the photos I took while I was there.

Even though it hasn't been that long since I updated my blog, I feel as if it's been forever, since my two last posts were pre-written. I don't usually like to pre-write my blogposts, but sometimes I'm struck by inspiration and write five posts in one night, and then school takes over, so it's actually quite useful.

The courtyard is another of my favourite parts of Gloucester Cathedral. I love the bright flowers and the very friendly couple from out of town sat on the bench.

I struggled a lot trying to capture the stained-glass windows on camera, but I saw them reflected in this fountain-like-thing, and it just like one of those aesthetics you see on tumblr.

This may come as a surprise to some of you, as I sometimes feel like my blog falls into the 'beauty blog' category, but I'm really not big into makeup. I wear it when I go out, but on an everyday basis I usually can't be bothered. One thing that I do enjoy spending a lot of time on is skincare. I find that if my skin looks nice and acne free, I don't really need makeup anyways. Clear skin makes me feel so much better about myself, and although this may sound stupid, it makes me feel so much more accomplished.

My skin, as most teenagers', is quite oily most of the time. However, it also gets very dry, particularly during the winter months, and so I consider my skin to be a combination. It is also very sensitive and I get rashes if I use the wrong product.

Lastly, before I get into it, I would like to point out that my skin is naturally quite clear, and although I do get breakouts, I don't have acne. I also think the state of my skin is a lot due to my lifestyle, as I do exercise and eat healthy most of the time.

I apologise for the blurry image here - I snapped a photo, and I wasn't able to tell that it wasn't in focus until now.

The first thing in my skincare routine is this Simple Kind to Skin Moisturising Facial Wash. I use it most nights if I haven't used the scrub below, and every single morning. It's definitely more of a gel than a cream, and it really foams on your face.

I featured this in my last post, so I won't talk too much about it here, but I truly believe this is what clears up my skin the most. It's the Simple Clear Skin Oil Balancing Facial Scrub. This is such a miracle product. When I first bought this a month or so ago, my forehead was covered in acne, and this is probably the main component that helped me get rid of it. It's grainy, just as a scrub should be, but not abrasive, and it's also gentle enough to use every other day or so.

This is the moisturiser I use everyday, morning and evening. It definitely isn't too oily, but  perhaps the other way around. If my skin is feeling particularly dry that day, I usually apply it twice.

That's all! I don't really know whether my skincare routine is worth a post of itself, because it's quite short, but I really like to keep it simple (see what I did there??). I do like the Simple range though,as I find it very gentle towards my sensitive skin. It's also very cheap, and you can definitely get all of these three products for a total less than £8.

Hello everyone,

Today I'm going to be doing a book review on one of my very favourite books, Girl Online by Zoe Sugg. If you follow my twitter, you're probably aware of how big of a fan I am of Zoella, and so it was a no-brainer for me to pick this up as soon as I could get my hands on it. That took me a surprising amount of time, but I ended up reading it in one go right after christmas.

Let me just start off by saying that this book is such a good fit for me. I love books set in large cities, particularly Paris and New York. I also happen to love books about bloggers and online presence, and so is there really a book that fits this description more perfectly?

I also really love the cover of this book. It's very cute, and it looks very cute on my bookshelf. The texture of it is what I really love about it though. It's very... soft. I can find no other word than that to explain it.

There's one issue that continues to bug me no matter how many times I reread this book though - the disappearing-parent syndrome. What kind of parent lets their fifteen year old girl ride across New York City alone with some guy they don't know? And further, what kind of parent wouldn't mind their daughter disappearing for an entire day in New York City without really telling them where she was going? For a book that's so relatable in all other aspects of it, this is one part that has been completely overlooked. I also find the idea of 'love-at-first-sight' a bit ridiculous, and the way they coincidentally get to spend christmas together is quite unrealistic.

One thing I do love about this book is the style it's written in. Although whether Girl Online was written by Zoe is up for debate, you can really hear her voice throughout the novel. The very same narrative voice I've grown to adore through her blog is very present in this book, and there are certain quotes, such as Zoe's signature line; Every time you post something online, you have a choice. You can make people happy or take away their happiness.

I've never personally suffered from anxiety, but I do know what it feels like to be very, very anxious. I know what it feels like to suddenly feel like you just need to get out of a situation, no matter the cost, and I find that this book describes that feeling perfectly.

Overall, I love this book. It's a perfect mix of the struggle of every day life as a teenager and escaping from reality. I'd recommend this book to any teenage girl, but I truly feel like everyone has something to learn from this book.

Have you read this book, and what was your opinion on it? Let me know!

It's April Fools day today, as I'm sure you're all aware. Personally, I'm not a big fan of today, as it's basically an annual occurrence that my brother switches the sugar for salt, which is, to be honest, a pretty good trick.

Anyway, April Fools also means that march just finished, and it is therefore, officially spring. To celebrate this, I thought I'd do a blog post telling you all about some of my favourite things that I've been using consistently throughout this month.

Beauty

I'm not the type of person who wears make up every day, simply because I value sleep over my appearance. However, I do love my Baby Lips lip balm. This particular one, Peach Kiss, just adds a very shiny texture and makes you look more refreshed. Another one I love, but is currently lost, is Cherry Me, which just darkens your lips and makes them more prominent.
At the end of last month I started an entire new skincare routine, and I've been loving it. This is the main product, and I'm sure this has played a large part in fixing my skin recently. It's very gentle and although it definitely exfoliates well, it doesn't feel harsh or grainy. It's only around £2.50 from Superdrug, so it's worth a try, isn't it?


Contradicting what I said earlier, here's another make up favourite: Maybelline Dream Fresh BB cream. On the days I've been wearing make up, I've been loving this. It's very light, and blends easily. It also builds easily, and it can easily cover hyper pigmentation and dark circles, which is mostly what I struggle with. It definitely needs to be powdered, and so if you want something slightly higher coverage I would recommend powdering it with the Rimmel Lasting Perfection Powder Foundation. If you're going for a natural look though, I do love the Rimmel Stay Matte Powder. I apologise for the stock photos on this section, but I left my BB cream at home.







Fashion


I have absolutely terrible eyesight, and I've been wearing glasses since I was two weeks old. This pair arrived a couple of weeks ago, and they're gorgeous. Dark tortoise shell and quite a lot rouder than what I would usually go for, but they're so comfortable.
Next up are my all time favourite boots. I got these for my birthday two years ago, and I love them. They're the brand Dr. Martens, and in the model 1460. As all Dr Martens boots, they're a pain to wear in, but as soon as that's done, they're like wearing fuzzy socks.

Entertainment

As I mentioned in my last post, I'm on break this week, and so I've had some extra time to read. I ordered this book a few weeks ago, but haven't gotten around to reading it until recently. It's about Anna, a girl who goes to boarding school in Paris, so it's a great fit for me, as I love stories set in large cities, and I also love boarding schools. It's quite cliche, but it's very well written and definitely manages to show exactly what it feels like to be in love with your best friend. If you're interested in seeing other books I've read and enjoyed, I do have a goodreads account!


I've been spending so much time in the car this month, and the one thing that's kept me sane has been podcasts. I love Psychobabble by Tyler Oakley, which is absolutely hilarious, and I can't really listen to it in public because it genuinely makes me laugh. The nerdy side of me loves Alohomora, a podcast dedicated to discussing every single chapter of the entire Harry Potter series, and I find it really interesting. It also makes me slightly ashamed of how much of the series I've overlooked.

This next favourite has not only been something I've loved throughout March, but ever since it came out in October. It's such a feel-good album, and even if you don't like Taylor Swift it's still worth a listen.

Twitter is something I haven't really gotten the hang of before now. However, I've been using it consistently this month, and I love it. It's such an easy way to chat to people and make friends, but I'm sure you all know what it is already.

There we have the majority of the things I've been enjoying this month. Please let me know some things you've been using, because I'm on the look out for new favourites, especially clothes for this spring and summer.

Have you tried, read or listened to any of these? What did you think of it?