HOW TO: SURVIVE GCSEs

You may have noticed recently that my blog had slowed down quite a bit in terms of new posts, and as some of you may have already guessed, it was due to my GCSEs, and I simply didn't have the time to post as regularly as I would like. BUT, they are over now, and I'm reporting on how I survived. I know they are over now, but for upcoming years, this might be useful material for someone.

TIP #1 - FIND YOUR LEARNING STYLE
For a lot of people, revision hasn't been something they've done before and it becomes a bit overwhelming when trying to decide how exactly they are going to tackle the extreme masses of textbooks they need to plough through. Luckily, I did one GCSE a year early last year so had a bit of practice and mock exams are pretty useful too. I was a fan of making condensed notes in loads of coloured pens, as well as highlighting key information and using index cards to make flash cards that my mum could test me on. It is important to trial different methods to ensure you are taking in as much information as possible, and generally learning off by heart is not the best option, as you generally aren't tested on recall and you instead have to apply knowledge to certain information. Take advantage of the help available to you - if structured sessions are offered at your school try and go to as many as you possibly can rather than trying to sit alone with a book.

TIP #2 - ORGANISATION
Being organised makes things a whole lot easier. Setting out a revision timetable is a useful tool to ensure that you are making the most of your time as well as getting enough done. By starting this process early on rather than super close to the exam you will feel more at ease when walking into the examination hall. Revision should not rule your entire life for the weeks or months leading up to exam season, and you should keep some sort of balance between work and life, to help de-stress.

TIP #3 - STICK TO ROUTINES
This links to the previous point, but try and stick to the normality that would be occurring in your life before exams had started to kick in. Eat and sleep well, as well as putting aside some time to relax each day. If you find yourself cramming, take a step back and analyse what exam is closest and how to manage your revision for it. Worrying how much revision your friends have done is not the best option (I learnt the hard way) - and only you can tell whether you have done your absolute best in terms of working towards each exam.

TIP #4 - THE END GOAL
Perhaps the easiest way to get motivated is to stick to the end goal. Think about getting your results sheet and seeing all the grades you wanted. That doesn't mean the grade the next person wants, because everyone has better and worse subjects - it is all about what you personally want to achieve. Although you may feel like your life has come to a standstill, think about the long summer you will receive afterwards, and how much freedom you will have once everything is over.

Although I'm yet to receive any results, I hope these tips are somewhat helpful to another student out there somewhere, who is simply trying to power through an extremely stressful time. I'm looking forward to the time I now have to focus on my blog and get it back on its tracks.

EYEBROWS 101 - MY ROUTINE

The one where I show you all things brows. Unfortunately, the day of filming this was not a 'strong eyebrow game' kind of a day, so look forward to watching me attempt to groom some brows that aren't exactly on point. Nevertheless, enjoy my compilation of clips to jazzy music where hopefully you can gain some tips.

 

MY GUIDE TO: BLOGGING PHOTOGRAPHY

When it comes to blogging, it's safe to say that most of us with adore taking the photographs more than anything else. I am not a professional nor a photography student, just a self-taught obsessor. Cringing at the long gone days where I would use a 4 Megapixel phone camera to snap the polishes I had been loving, I soon realised photos speak 1000 words, and do products more justice than my ramblings.

I moved onto using an old AA Battery camera, which got very annoying and cost a lot of battieries, and it wasn't great at focusing either. My dad wanted to sell that, so it was time for me to buy my very first own camera. I skipped on over to Currys or Comet (I'm unsure), and snapped up (see what I did there, aye?... not funny Lauren. Haha) a FujiFilm one which I still use now for some pictures, and does wonders in natural light - AKA my windowsill, but struggles anywhere else. Nowadays it's a mix between that and my dads fancy Canon 550D DSLR Camera (used for this post), which I adore and hope one day I can get one of my own. I must say, this post was slightly inspired by Zoe's from Zoella.

You want to steer clear from having any kinds of clutter in the background. We are all guilty of it, but it really takes away the focus point for the product, causing all kinds of distractions. If you have a nice candle burning in the background, of the packaging from a product etc. in the back, its pretty acceptable, and we can excuse than from being branded as 'clutter'.

I never really edit pictures in this way for my blog unless it is for an 'About Me' page or a tag post, lifestyle post etc. It does have a really nice effect, but I feel like if you were to look at a review and the images were all edited of the product and swatches, it wouldn't be very true to life at all, and your readers wouldn't be able to see much at all about the product.

Using flash can be risky. If used in the correct way, you can brighten up your pictures and sometimes show a burst of colour, I won't tell you how to do this, just experiment in different lighting etc. Secondly, since blogging for quite a while, I now cannot stand photos out of focus, even the slightest amount. No-one likes to see an image without even being able to see what the packaging looks like... its a pet hate of mine.

One tip I would give to anyone, is not to use stock photos, unless you have been told by a company, or you are using them to make a wishlist type post. It is much more interesting and better looking if you use a photo you have taken, rather than using something you have found online in its white background looking very computer-generated.

Hands down, I will always take natural lighting over artificial, because most cameras will want to whip out the flash, and with most makeup packaging, the plastic can flashback, and it looks very bad. It also picks up any shimmer or fallout in the packaging which you cannot see in the natural light. Always use the natural light when it is available guys!

There is a reason we have a macro/'flower' mode on our cameras, and the closer-up, the better! Taking a picture from far away also means you have clutter and the focus point has been stolen by some random gathering in the background. Close up, you can really see textures, and colours well too. Just make sure if you are going for a close up - it needs to be in focus.

So, that was it! My mini guide to blogging photography. I love taking photos, and I am hoping this will have helped some of you to be more adventerous with your photos! It really is all about experimenting. As I said, I am not a professional or a photography student, I am just self-taught, and am currently taking part in a mini 10 week photography course until I start my chosen GSCE options, basically just learning some extra camera and photoshop skills.