Bryony Kirkham: January 2015

Here I am, finally half way through my final year so what better time than to post about my University experience and what I would change if I could go back and do it again.

The biggest thing I've learnt at Uni is that, quite frankly, I don't think it is for me! However, I still think coming to uni was the best decision I have ever made. It sounds a bit contradictive (I don't even know if this is a real word, but it fits so lets roll with it) I know!

I'll give you a bit of background to my 'Uni Experience'. I go to the University of Leeds, it is a fabulous institution, I've been rather impressed with it over the years and I study Psychology (I question why I'm doing this every day). Originally I'm from between Manchester and Liverpool, so it was the perfect distance away, far enough to not run into anybody from home but close enough that I can easily drive back if needs be. So yeah, quick little bit of background, now for the advice:

1. Halls

Make sure you live in halls for the first year. If, like me, you think you don't want to be dealing with people everyday and would rather be living in a studio/flat on your own it is not wise. Fortunately, I was placed in halls with a flat between 6 of us, if I hadn't have been in this flat I wouldn't have made any friends in the first year of uni and most definitely wouldn't have had anyone to live with in second year! It's great to have a group of people you're forced to meet to get you out of your shell, as daunting as it can seem!

2. Course Choice

I chose to do Psychology as I figured it seemed employable, interesting and mainly because I hadn't done it before. Probably a stupid choice, over the course of 3 years there have been roughly 3 or 4 modules that I have been really passionate about, but as for the rest I couldn't have cared less. I really wish I had that passion for all my modules, and the degree as a whole but I don't! So my advice here is choose a degree you're passionate about/will enjoy. This mainly applies to those who have no idea what they want to do in life (I'm still stuck and clueless!), I've always loved art, photography and design so I really wish I did a degree following that path, the only reason I didn't was because I thought a degree in those subjects was pointless and probably wasn't valued as much as a BSc.. How very close minded of me, the degree I'm using now potentially won't come in much use but had I chose an art based subject I potentially would have enjoyed it a lot more! So make sure you do something you love. That being said, psychology is a great degree just a lot of it isn't to my taste.

3. Get a job!!

Seriously, get a job. Whether it be in gaining relevant experience (which, apparently, is a reaally important thing to do to get a job in most fields), or a simple bar/restaurant job I would definitely advise it. Not only does it allow you to get extra cash whilst at uni it is such a great place to make new friends and to get chatting to new people! I was, and am, terrible at making friends at uni but at works I just clicked with a lot of people. I worked as a Shot Girl* on weekends, and I honestly loved it. Through that job I found some of my best friends and my boyfriend, then I moved onto another bar job where again I've met the majority of my friends in Leeds! Working is the thing I've loved most about uni, met so many amazing people. As mentioned earlier, it's also a great time to gain experience in areas that interest you, although the experienced I've gained hasn't been relevant to psyc I have gained experience in areas such as modelling which has been a fantastic experience! Get out there and see what you can do.

*I worked for Smoking Drinks as a shot girl, they have work in a large array of regions. If you fancy a job with them, find them on facebook or at smokingdrinks.com and apply!

4. Get Involved

I think my biggest regret at uni is not getting more involved with the clubs and activities. In first year I was a competitive cheerleader as I had been doing that for a year or two before uni. I loved it, it was great getting to compete with such an amazing team! However, because I'm so bad at making friends and barely went out to the socials I wasn't as involved as I could have been, I definitely shot myself in the foot there! So don't hold back and get involved! There are so many societies I would have loved to give a go such as yoga, pole dancing, Harry Potter and Pokemon but I've just been too shy/scared to do it. I have nobody else but myself to blame for this! Oh well, I've learnt my lesson now and know to join in when the opportunity arises! Learn from my mistakes.

5. Get out of Town

Finally, Uni is the perfect excuse to move out and to experience what it's like to live in a different town/city! Don't miss out on this opportunity. With grants and student loans it's the one time where you'll be best funded to do it, especially those who are lucky enough to have their parents financial support as well. That being said, rent prices are generally pretty high for students and can take up your full student loan, but if you also decide to get a job you should be able to manage quite fine. Living on your own is a great experience and I have never looked back. You get the freedom you've always wanted and it gives you the independence you need. Again, living out is the perfect way to make friends! It gives you something in common with those at uni and can throw you in with a group of people if you do decide to reside in halls. Living on my own has been the best experience about uni in my eyes, and I'm pretty certain I'd find it troubling to have to move back in with my parents now (Sorry Mum and Dad, love you really!). So yeah, give it a go and move out! - although I may be preetty biased on this one, since I can remember I've constantly had it drilled into me that I should move out of the town I've grown up in, regardless of that though it has been fab. Get to play by your own rules!

And there we have it! My best advice for those going to uni, although I'm sure the majority of uni goers would probably have had it figured out I know I would have appreciated a little more advice along these lines when I was applying.

All in all, do what makes you happy. There will be ups and downs, and alternative routes should you wish to take them! All I know is my uni experience (if it has really been a proper uni experience) has been fab even though there are a few things I wish I could have changed!

I would love to hear any advice you all have for future students and of your university stories! Please leave some comments about it.

Pictures from weheartit.com

Here's to the first post of 2015! Hope you all had a fabulous Christmas and New Year. I got quite a few make-up products over the holidays which I just HAVE to post about.

The first lot of reviews are going to be about the Lime Crime products I have. Some I have had for months and a couple others I was given as a Christmas gift. Even before I ever placed my first order from Lime Crime I've been obsessed, I've followed their instagram for a while now and always longed to actually buy some. When I finally decide to purchase some of their lipsticks I found a UK seller really easily on their site under retailers, although from just checking the site it seems to have been updated to a significantly smaller list of retailers which are based only in the USA, Mexico and Brazil, I'm not 100% sure if this means the retailer I was using, which can be found here, will stop getting new orders and so will have to order elsewhere for new/currently sold out products or what. Hopefully that isn't the case because shipping fees and customs and taxes can add a hefty additional price tag to the order. Fingers crossed!

Before I jump into the review I'll give a little background on the company. The company was set up and is run by Doe Doree, now most definitely a style icon. She has made sure the make up is vegan and not tested on animals, which is always good to hear! The company is based in America, hence why you probably have never seen products in shops here in England (if that's where you're reading from, although there are only 2 Lime Crime stores in America!). There seems to be more lines coming soon, one of which being a face range which already has its place ready on the website. There has also been instagram posts from Doe Doree which suggest there is a hair dye range on it's way as well, Doe herself is usually found to be rocking an out of the box colour on her hair, it was blue and now bright orange (Girl after my own heart), which means there should be a large range of colours available if a hair dye is in the works. I know I sure as hell am hoping so!

Unicorn Lipstick

So lets start with the unicorn lipsticks I've had for months (sorry about how tatty the chinchilla one looks). To begin with I just love the names of some of the colours, definitely not your run of the mill! All lipsticks come in a small box, I have no photograph of this, then the tubes are inside. The outer packaging had a unicorn printed onto it, much like the same style as the tubes, along with some additional information such as ingredients. The tubes are pink with a unicorn, stars and it says 'Lime Crime'. One of my favourite things about these lipsticks is the smell of them, never in my life have I ever known a lipstick to smell so good! I honestly think its worth buying one just to experience that. Before even using the product you can see how much effort is put into the design process and final touches, something I always like to see.

Photographed above, from Left to Right- Airborne Unicorn, Mint to Be, Chinchilla.

I just love the colours that are available from Lime Crime as well, just a range you don't see from day to day. Naturally I wanted to buy some odd colours I hadn't used before. One of my favourite colours is Chinchilla, I like that it is a greyish colour with a hint of purple. Definitely not a colour I had come across before, one I liked to use a lot! The Airborne Unicorn has a nice purple colour to it as well and also gets regular use (on the days I'm not being a lazy so and so and actually make an effort with my life). I am yet to use the Mint to Be properly, I mainly purchased this colour because I thought it would look pretty cool for photoshoots and has the potential to really stand out.

Below I have done a swatch on my wrist of the lipstick colours, as you can clearly see they are well pigmented and really show their colours. I would definitely advise anybody who loves lipstick to invest! Not only do they have these out of the box colours but they also have many everyday colours, so there is something for everybody! If you don't wear lipstick that often they even have the perfect shade of nude (Coquette), I really need to get my hands on it!

Top to bottom - Chinchilla, Airborne Unicorn, Mint to Be.

Velvetine

Left to Right - Black Velvet, Red Velvet.

If you've ever wanted a genuinely kiss proof, drink proof, basically anything proof lipstick the Velvetine collection is the one for you. Goes on like a lipgloss, dries perfectly matte and doesn't budge until you take it off! Brilliant. I currently only have these lipsticks in black and red but they give such an even, good coverage. You can see a small swatch I did of them below. More and more colours keep being released as well, due to writing this review I've ended up ordering 3 more Velvetines in Salem, Wicked and Cashmere.. Ooops. They have such a fabulous range of perfect everyday and going out colours in this brand, they're awesome. Although there are no unicorns on the packaging for these, gutted, there are roses on the screw top lid which give it a really nice look, again you can see the attention to detail.

Don't they just make the perfect Harley Quinn combination?!

Eye Shadow Brightener

Finally, last but not least, the Lime Crime Eyeshadow Brightener. This is an eye shadow primer but goes on white, which is perfect to get the full, true colour out of your eye shadows! Many times I've put on a nude/slightly lighter than skin tone eye shadow on and barely even been able to notice, with this product it definitely gives you the 'blank canvas' they promise it offers. It has a really good consistency and it is clear it would work perfectly over normal or oily eyelids, which is perfect! They also offer an Eyeshadow Helper which is just like a normal primer but it is waterproof, so when you place your eye shadow on top it will not budge one bit! How fabulous, perfect if like me your eyes water like a mother** all the time. I haven't got the helper myself, but they have shown a video of eye shadow swatched on a hand with and without the helper and then held under a running tap, it's safe to say from seeing that video it most definitely worked. The only downside I had from my eye shadow brightener is that it seems only half full when you first use it, from use I've found that it only takes a small amount to cover an eyelid but it would have been nicer if it was filled to the brim! Now this may have just been a faulty product or this is just how much you get in every one, but either way it's only a small drawback.

1. Halls

2. Course Choice

3. Get a job!!

4. Get Involved

5. Get out of Town

Unicorn Lipstick

Velvetine

Eye Shadow Brightener

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