Reasons why I'm proud of myself this year so far

..for pushing myself out of my comfort zone of my previous job and completing a Hair and Make-Up course at Greasepaint for Film, TV and Theatre

.. for not letting the unknown and uncertainty of the future scare me as much as it did this time last year

..for pushing myself and being the sole make-up artist on my first photoshoot, even though I was painfully nervous the day before the feeling I got when I completed it and had had fun doing it was well and truly worth it.

..for spending a week living in London, although what may be a somewhat mundane task this was the first time I had spent a significant period in London since leaving university

.. for completing a week at the BBC Wig Store

.. for assisting on a BBC shoot and actually feeling excited for it, a lot of the times I am too nervous to even consider being excited

.. for impressing a future employer

.. expanding my horizons and going to see a play at the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford

.. for not being afraid to stick in one place for an extended period of time as it means that skills I will gain will be incredible

..for agreeing to do the hair and make-up for a student film and the fact I am actually feeling really excited about it

..for getting a week's work experience at the world renowned Glyndebourne Opera later this year in the wigs department

.. for not being afraid of what I want to do


It's amazing what you can achieve in only 2 months.

Quotes For When The Future Seems Uncertain

(all photos can be found on Pinterest)

Morning Reading

The first alarm goes off at 6:10 and then 6:15 and then I finally drag myself out of bed at 6:20. I put on the outfit that I have laid out the night before, wash my face, put on makeup (if any, it really depends on the day), clean my teeth and then go downstairs. After saying my hello's to my sleepy dog, a very important step although she does tend to ignore me as if telling me it is too early for this kind of affection. Rude. I then put my breakfast in my bag and any other snacks for the day, layer up, grab my car keys and am out the door by absolute latest 6:50. As I turn on the car the Radio 1 breakfast show is already playing in the background and I start the 20 minute drive to the station. I normally get to the station about 10 minutes before it is due to arrive, that's the early bird in me. I walk to the place I stand on the platform every day and I wait for the arrival of the train (and more importantly the arrival of warmth).

Then comes my favourite part of the morning. My phone gets unlocked and the first and most important thing to do is check my newly stocked Bloglovin' feed. It has become a part of my morning routine and I really do look forward to it. So I thought I would share the blogs that I read every single morning without fail who set me up for my day. It is a method of relaxing for me whilst I'm on the hour long train to London, shortly followed by scrolling down instagram and plugging my headphones and dozing to my favourite music.

Without further ado here are my favourite, must read all blogs...

Vivianna Does Makeup

Lily Pebbles

From Roses

JennyPurr

That Grace Girl

gh0stparties

Cider with Rosie

Nouvelle Daily

A Little Opulent

HelloOctober

Bonjour Luce

thunderl0ve

Hunstanton, Norfolk

Last weekend myself and my family made our seperate ways up to the north coast of Norfolk to one of my favourite places in this world.  I am spending my weeks in London at the moment which I am really loving but the chance of a getaway to the beach was one that I was really looking forward to. On Friday afternoon I made my way to Kings Cross station and managed to (just!) catch the train. I went straight from the station to meet the rest of the family, who had driven up that day, in a local restaurant that we frequently go to whenever we visit.

The dark nights had fully set in at this point so on Saturday morning myself and my dad went out for an early morning walk to the beach, when I say early I mean we left at half 7, which may sound strange but because I'm getting up at 6am throughout the week I wanted to see some daylight. The sea was almost all the way in so the tiny strip of beach was a contrast to the vast amount which is normally there. Then later that day the whole family got out and we walked along the beach from Old Hunstanton to the main town of Hunstanton. Waiting for us in all it's glory was a cafe on top of the cliff where I could almost smell the English breakfast that I was going to order. My cheeks had turned numb from the blistering cold wind, the first of this autumn/winter time so far.

We have been visiting Norfolk irregularly for a good 10 years now. It holds some amazing, happy memories for me and I always love going back there. In fact I don't think I had visited for a couple of years before last weekend. I love being by the sea, there is a sense of calmness and serenity that even with the billowing winds calms me. I love seeing my dog sprint along the beach with the stupidest grin on her face. I love being in a place that holds only good memories for me. I'm certain I'll be back soon.

Lavender & a love of photography

Without really thinking about it I've always had a love for taking photographs. That's one of my favourite things about running this blog. Since a young age I've been taking photos. It was always me who would bring the camera on family holidays, take the camera out with me on a dog walk, on days out with friends. At the time I thought it was because I wanted to remember those days but I can't help feel a sense of pride when I look back on a photo which has exactly the right lighting, difference between definition and blurryness, set up of the photo etc. I love how in the top photo the majority of the lavender stalks are slightly blurred with just one standing out, the depths of colour changing as you look at different aspects of the photo. In the second photo you can almost see the bee's wings moving in front of the lavender stalks which have almost merged into one creating a sea of green as the backdrop.

At random points of my day I often find myself noticing something and thinking that that would make a good photo. It's the creativity which is so much a part of me that influences this.

On The Reading List

I used to be a real book worm. Every night before I went to sleep I would read and I used to love that part of my day. However since leaving education I really feel like it has tainted the prospect of reading for me. Instead of finding it a relaxing process I linked it to the negative aspects of my school work and therefore for the past couple of years I have read a very minimal amount. 

Since I've started commuting to London during the week I have found myself craving a book to read and another world to get lost in. So on a recent trip to a local bookshop (yes, those do still exist and I could easily spend hours getting lost in them) I picked up these two books, of which I am now halfway through 'Me Before You' by Jojo Moyes. The second book I had seen on one of Tanya Burr's videos and I had been interested in reading it until promptly forgetting about it ten minutes later after watching the video, anyone else? I've relished reading over the past few weeks and it really does make my commute fly by.

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes / Rivers of London by Ben Aaronvitch

It's The Little Things

It's a Monday. The start of the week with a whole week of commuting ahead of me. I hadn't had the best weekend and I couldn't wait to get home. On a spur of the moment decision I decided to go get something from a cafe on my short walk from the tube station to the main train station. It's a simple order, a peppermint tea and a chocolate brownie. I could tell that the two workers who were in the shop, one cleaning the shelves and the other slumped behind the counter are beginning to tire from their day. I always feel like I can relate to that feeling having previously worked as a waitress for 2 years. Despite my lack of energy I always put on a happy smile for the baristas as I know a grumpy and difficult customer is not appreciated towards the latter end of the day. The man behind the counter made my tea whilst I scavenge around my bag for my purse which is of course right at the bottom in the most difficult place to reach. I heard him mumble a price but didn't quite catch it averting my gaze to the price on the till. He sensed my confusion. 

"The tea's on the house" 

I couldn't quite believe it. It's ridiculous that such a small act of kindness startled me so much. I thanked the barista and walked out with a big smile on my face and a much better mood. It was such a little thing that that man did, and he got nothing out of it but it's those little things in life that can really make someone's day. 

I wanted to write this down so I could remember it and also share it.  Small gestures can so often be overlooked, by myself included,  but they really do mean the world. I want to make sure I remember that. 

An Autumnal Walk

I'm spending a lot of my time on trains at the moment, so one of my favourite things to do at the weekend is to go for a walk. Autumn is my favourite season for walking the dog, the air is brisk but there's still a hint of warmth. We were even lucky enough to have bright blue skies as we made our way around a nearby lake. It doesn't take a lot of effort but it really makes me feel better for the rest of the day. Also it's nice to see a bit of the countryside when I'm getting up in the dark and spending all week in the hustle of Londons streets. 

Wishlist :: Other

Boden Woven Pull-On in Blue/Rosewater Check / Cath Kidston Guards A5 Fabric Covered Notebook / Moleskine Diary / Topshop Fairisle Handwarmers

Magazine Reading.

Magazines are my ultimate weakness. Always have been. Over the years my taste has suitably matured from the teen reads such as Mizz (I definitely still have some of them hanging around) to the oh so sophisticated likes of Vogue and Elle. Those are monthly reads of mine, but when I get the chance I like to pick up some other options as well. On my recent holiday I picked up the French Vogue and the much sought after Allure (overpriced, but worth it). It was really interesting to read the French Vogue as I read British vogue on such a regular basis. I have an A-level in French, hence why I am able to 'read' the French edition. I tend to get the general gist of what's being said and skim over sections I don't.  I read Allure on the Eurostar back to England from Avignon and I loved reading a magazine that was primarily focused on beauty. I don't think I'd go out and buy it every month, but if the chance arose again I definitely wouldn't say no! Finally LOVE is a bi-annual magazine which is full to the brim with interviews and amazing photo spreads. This one I only found about this year after seeing it lying around at work and promptly reading as soon as I was on my break.

This months editions have really got me excited for the upcoming Autumn/Winter months. As much as I like summer, I do have a soft spot for the colder months.

Provence France :: Week 2

St Remy de Provence / Eygalieres / Aix-en-Provence / Arles

Provence France :: Week 1

Vaison de la Romaine / Bedoin / Valreas