HEATWAVE ESSENTIALS

I'm pretty sure all the British public have been talking about for the past week is the 'heatwave' that hit us - and it was some of the best weather we have had in years, so, I had to prepare myself pretty quickly and this checklist-esque post should spare you the panic when the sun next hits.

The most obvious would be SPF. I love the La Roche Posay Anthelios XL for my face as it is super lightweight, and has an SPF of 50 so makes sure you are fully protected, and works well under makeup (the most makeup I manged during the heat was brows and mascara, but for a daily basis). I also have the Ultrasun Ultralip balm, an SPF lipbalm because I had sunburnt lips once, and I will take all costs to ensure that happens never again. For my body, I'll tend to use whatever we have in the house but I quite like the Boots Soltan Dry Touch Lotion for reference. I picked up the Sephora Softening Face Mist last year in Madrid, and it is still very handy for when you need a quick refresh.

Another pretty clear essential is sunglasses - and I have quite the stash for when they are needed, but at the moment this lightly rounded giraffe/tortoise shell framed pair from Primark are my current favourites, and cost a mere £2. This bandeau bikini is also from Primark (£6 in a set with corresponding bottoms) and is pretty good at maximising the tan in the garden - and the slightly slimmer centre makes it really flattering.

The headphones are pretty self explanatory, but when in the garden I like to listen to music either on Spotify or some of the songs I have on iTunes (they have to be pretty special to be purchased and the majority of my playlist is Kanye West albums), but at the moment I'm quite enjoying the slightly older album from him - Graduation. Another pass time is painting my nails in a bright nail polosh, I've got Color Club Bright Night and Ciaté Play Date shown here; great sandal colours. I also have a hair oil there, because my thick hair tends to suffer a little when it gets hot (more so on holiday and near pools/beaches, but it's best for me to keep the moisture up anyway), and its the Got2B Oil-Licious one, and is super softening to the hair.

What have your beatuy/fashion essentials been recently during the heat surge?

PROM 2015 JEWELLERY PICKS

My Year 11 prom is swiftly approaching and the preparation is in full swing. Until recently, I had the dress, shoes and bag all at reasonable prices and I was just waiting to see what jewellery to buy. I knew I wanted gold as my dress is a pale blush nude colour and silver washed it out a lot (despite it being my favourite for jewellery I had to make the compromise), and I got quite a few good picks.

The chunky chain you see is actually a head chain/hair chain. This was from ASOS and is the Flat Curb Chain Hair Crown and although I'm still not quite certain I can rock it I will be giving it an attempt on the night with some beachy curls. The necklace you see is from ASOS too, and is the Mini Shard Necklace and I really liked the small clear crystal-esque detailing it had and was super dainty too (my dress is strapless so it looks rather nice on).

That necklace then inspired my next purchase which were the earrings from New Look. These were a mere £2.99 and have the same sort of hanging clear crystal on them, so they look like they are literally made for the necklace. The ring was a bit of an impulse buy in a pack in Primark, but I realised that the stone in it looked very similar to the colour of my dress too, so it might be an addition on the night.

If you are interested, I could do a complete post on my look (dress, jewellery and makeup etc.) after the night as I'm sure I'll have plenty of pictures to spare.

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.

DAILY GRUNGE - THE OUTFIT

Flannel - H&M  /  Vest - TkMaxx  /  Bag - H&M  /  Jeans - Primark  /  Shoes - New Balance 410

The majority of my wardrobe consists of monochrome so for me it's not difficult to create grungy, dingy looks, but today I think the combination was worthy of a post itself. A black and white flannel shirt seems to make any outfit that little bit more edgy and it just seemed to pair really well with the sort of acid wash grey loose vest. I actually found it in TkMaxx for £8 the other day and instantly imagined this outfit, and it's lovely quality too. 

I think some ripped jeans would have tied this outfit together that little bit more, however they were in the wash so standard, slightly looser jeans were on the cards. I've also got a corresponding makeup look too with quite a warm red smokey eye and some cool toned lips that'll be going up at some point soon, so look forward to that one. 

NEW BALANCE 410 BLACK SONIC TRAINERS

For a while now, I've been wanting a decent pair of trainers, and I've never quite found a pair I loved (being the fussy buyer I am), and I've often been known to spend hours trawling the internet to find a pair - even making a few orders and returns along the way.

I'd seen the New Balance 410 style around and liked them a lot, but never wanting much colour I just waited, until I found these Black Sonic ones on ASOS. I kept sending screenshots to my friends, and eventually I caved. They are all black, apart from the white and grey sole, and are mesh with suede look panels, and I am in LOVE. Seriously, it is £60 very well spent.

The fit is amazing as is the comfort of them, but I would add that I usually fit a UK size 5 but after some research I went for a 6 instead as apparently they come up a little small - and the 6's were a perfect fit. I must admit, I do also love the neon coral lining on the inside of the shoe. I'd been looking for trainers that I could use to workout and to style in outfits, and these fit that category perfectly. They aren't your Nike Free 5.0s by any means, and they probably aren't major running shoes, but for workout DVD's in the house (my personal favourite), they fit the bill.

ASOS seem to have a good selection of New Balance trainers if you are interested - so go and have a look whilst trying not to spend all your savings...