How can I organise my life?

Crikey!- It has been a while hasn't it?!

Hi everyone, sorry it's been such a long time since I've been on here but my life has went from doing absolutely nothing in the summer to full on studying and just being very active in general. Although being busy is a great thing and you can really get cracking, I've been having trouble just get myself in order.

I don't know if this is the typical 'student lifestyle' we've all heard so much about, but honestly I cannot for the life of me stop procrastinating. Assignment due in next week? No problem, I'll just watch another four episodes of Gossip Girl.

So, I'm calling for help to give myself a good 'ole kick up the bum and start organising my life. Does anyone else get like this? How do you motivate yourself? 

I'd love to hear and maybe try a few of your techniques out myself.

Thanks for reading my word vomit,

Much love,

Chanel

xx

Book Review: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Hello,

Something a bit different for you today. Aside from my love of fashion and beauty another keen interest of mine is reading. Usually when I find an author I like, I read every book that particular author has written, a major example is John Green, I adore that man. Anyway, I had heard alot about thriller books and really wanted to try reading one as I usually read teen/love novels. The most popular thriller book by far at the moment is Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. 

I downloaded Gone Girl on my Kobo reader and to start with I was not exactly "gripped" by the storyline, infact I was a little confused and unsure if I wanted to read more. However, the beginning of the novel starts in a curious way and after deliberating I decided to read on to find out what happens. 

With spoilers in mind I will give you a quick run over of the plot without spoiling anything. Basically the novel starts from a man called Nick Dunne's POV and his wife Amy has gone missing. The book then follows the tale of Nick and his dealing with the case of a missing person and perhaps a suspected murder. However there is a twist in the plot as we also hear from Amy's POV through a diary written before her disappearance.

Although the book has a slow start I was plunged well into the plot about a quarter of the book through and began to try and solve the mystery in my head. After reading Gone Girl, I highly recommend you give it a read as not only will it have you shocked by the plot twists but also jumping from who's side of the story to believe. But just to warn you, the ending may be a little bit of a disappointment.

Also, another reason to read Gone Girl is because the movie version is due for release in cinemas in October 2014 and stars the very gorgeous Ben Affleck. Here is the trailer, but do NOT watch it if you are trying to avoid spoilers.

Do you have any reading recommendations for me, I'd love to hear them in the comments.

For now,

Chanel

xx

The Next Big Step...Uni.

Hi,

So I've been gone for pretty much three months now but I promise it was all for a good reason, I got into my first choice of university, Sheffield Hallam University to study Public Relations, yipee!

Although A levels were incredibly hard and caused a lot of stress, myself and my friends all achieved good grades and are now starting university all over the country. As I live in Newcastle and got into Sheffield Hallam, I had to move out and straight into student accommodation. I moved in over the weekend after a teary goodbye to my family home, here's a little snap...

Once I arrived in Sheffield I set up my belongings in my little room and made myself feel a little more at home, here is a couple of pictures for those of you who are as nosy as me.

                             

                                               

                                     

I'm sorry the pictures are not the greatest of quality as I left my bridge camera at home so had to use my iPhone. I start my course on Monday alongside Freshers, bring in the alcohol!

Have any of you started university or moved out into student accommodation, how is it? Let me know any tips or recommendations you have, I'd love to hear it.

For now,

Chanel 

xx

Coco Chatter: Summer Holiday

Hey,

So summer is officially here for me, yipee!

All my exams are over and now I have so much free time on my hands I just don't know what to do with myself. It's such a dramatic change from having an excess of revision and work to complete to having nothing to do at all that I just can't cope with it. I like to be busy mostly all the time otherwise I get bored very quickly and as I left my job last month for the right reasons, I find myself just slobbing about the house and generally feeling sorry for myself.

These are the times when I wish I had a hobby like drawing or playing an instrument to keep me occupied but if I'm being completely honest I'm a rather uninteresting individual and I just don't have the talent nor the patience. However, I am trying to lose some weight and exercise more to get fitter and just maintain a bit of a more healthier lifestyle before I go on holiday and university. I'm also attempting to learn a new language over the summer, Mandarin Chinese, which is keeping me busy too.

What do you do to keep busy? Do you get bored quickly?

Thanks for listening to my boring rants and I hope you all have a fantastic summer with lots of fun activities. I'll be having a lot more new content coming so watch this space!

for now,
Chanel
x

Save the Blow Dry- Yes please!

Save the Blow Dry- Moisture Eliminating Shower Cap Review

Hi,

I received a new and upcoming product in the post last week to test out and inform you lovely people of the magical wonder of beauty products which are yet to blossom in popularity. With the 'Save the Blow Dry' shower caps I can insure you that not only will you spend approximately 90% more time in the bath or shower (not legitimately proven), but you will also cut down on the time wasted of trying to style your hair after a soak.

If your hair stays perfectly styled after a relaxing bath or shower than your hair is one of a kind and I insist on you sharing your secrets. Unfortunately, for me, that is not the case. I have naturally very curly/wavy frizzy hair when not styled with heat (see below) so when I decided on having a dip, the struggle of having to tame wild frizzly bits and tats is almost off putting. Cue embarrassing old photo...

Oh dear.

The shower cap is like no other. The product has a absorbent towel on the inner layer with a water proof layer over the top, therefore trapping all humidity and condensation which would usually make you hair explode into a mass of frizz. I worried at first about the cap fitting as I have ALOT of really thick hair, but alas the cap is actually quite large and fit perfectly with all my hair tucked away.  I've used this product several times now and have yet to be disappointed, my hair looks great and also doesn't get greasy as quickly. I love the retro turquoise, it's very appealing and the patters are super cute, urgh I love!

This product can be bought at http://savetheblowdry.com/ for £14.95, and comes in a cute pink bow design also. Give it a look!

Thanks for reading, 

For now,

Chanel 

x

Coco Chatter: Skin Problems

Coco Chatter: Skin Problems

Happy Friday, woo!

So today instead of uploading a blog post full of pictures and reviews, I decided to just take a step back and instead have a little chat about skin issues. As I'm sure of, most of us have had a point in our lives (or several) when our skin gets so bad that we cannot bare to even step out of the house without a shop-worth of make up on, and if you're reading this and thinking, "this has never happened to me" then WHAT IS YOUR SECRET TELL US NOW. Anyway, I watched Zoella and Spinkle of Glitter's new video on body image and even though it did help me feel more comfortable about my body size and shape, it also brought to my attention that maybe they way we are shaped isn't the only thing getting us down but also the skin we live in. 

I personally think that skin is a huge part of body image and if we don't feel comfortable we tend to hide away and try to cover the problem. Although our skin may have it's absolute star days, when it looks revived and glowing, there is those days with breakouts. Acne is a massive part of teenage growth, as up to 40% of us are effected by it and even though, acne hasn't been much a problem from me, my friends who are sufferers tend to feel self-concious and paranoid about the way they look and what people think of them. This then brings on the whole 'caked' in make up idea as girls especially use an overload of concealers, foundation and powder to cover up any spots or scars caused by acne or just general breakouts. 

Instead of using make up as a disguise to hide our skin's true beauty, we should really be taking care of it more. Even if it's just drinking more fruit juices or eating more healthy food, it's a step in the right direction to not only feeling great about yourself but also giving our skin the essential vitamins and minerals it need. Also, cleansing your face daily is a must, otherwise any dirt or leftover make up can leak into your pours and start a whole family of new spots and blemishes (we don't want this).

Finally, embrace the skin you have. Even if you have bad breakouts, focus on the positives. Do you have beautifully rosy cheeks? What about that glow your skin tends to provide? That sprinkle of freckles across your nose? Whatever your skin positive is, always remember to highlight it and feel beautiful in your own body. If you or someone you knows is having a hard time with acne or spots, maybe suggest a trip to the GP to find out what can be done for your skin, and in the long-run it will clear up as you grow older.

That's all from me tonight!

Thanks for reading and I'll speak to you all soon,

Chanel

x