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Skincare! My Affordable But Effective Routine

Hey guys,  Today I’m chatting all things skincare and the routine I have developed that has seen some really positive results when it comes to the overall condition and appearance of my skin! I am also going to include to added extra tips outside of my daily routine that have also made a positive impact. Small disclaimer: obviously it goes without saying that this is a routine that works for me and therefore won’t work for everyone. I am therefore going to describe my skin a little and the issues I’ve had that this routine has helped with, so that if you relate to my problems, the products I use may be something you want to try out too! My Skin I don’t think my skin falls on either side of oily or dry, and rather somewhere in between; pretty normal/combination. My main issue is that I get monthly breakouts (hormone related of course) that crop up on my chin, cheeks and forehead. These breakouts would take a week to fully immerse, chill on my face for another week, and it’d be anoth...

Couch To 5k: Becoming a Runner by the End of Lockdown

 Hello friends, Today I wanted to chat about fitness. It’s often been a sore topic for me and I have never been the type of person that has particularly loved any form of working out. It has always felt like a chore and something to stress over, even if I could see benefits both mentally and physically - I just never found anything that I was actively looking forward to doing no matter what I tried. I’m sure this is a problem many of you have also experienced. One example of a failed workout endeavour was over a year ago, when I decided to start the BBC app initiative ‘Couch to 5k’, which confidently claims that if the app is followed strictly, any person of any fitness level will be capable of running a 5k (the equivalent of half an hour of movement), in 9 weeks. The app introduces running extremely slowly, the first session being only 1 minute runs with regular cool downs. It’s easy to turn your nose up at starting so small, but the app urges that completing all runs is necessary...

The COVID Industry: The Changing Face of Music in a Pandemic

Perhaps one the most affected industries since the coronavirus hit has been the arts. Music, venues, studios and events have been widely impacted. Bands worldwide and famous, small and local, have had to deal with the aftermath of the virus in extreme and upsetting ways. The usual ways that the local music scenes would operate have been completely halted, with only few examples of gigs and events going ahead, still with strong restrictions that mean things just are not the same as before.  Whilst I wanted to discuss how exactly the virus has directly impacted local music scenes, particularly in Liverpool but elsewhere also, who better to speak from experience than some musicians who have seen the affects firsthand. So, I sent some questions to my musician friends to see what their experiences have been, whether they think things will ever return to the normal they knew, and whether these unique and frightening circumstances have made them rethink how fragile music is as a career....

Why I Withdrew My PhD Application

 Hellllooo, I am now free from my challenging (COVID centred) masters degree and am very excited to get back into regular blogging. Remember when second year Hannah posted weekly? I would like to challenge her energy again lol. For today’s post I wanted to do what I do best; discuss the positives and negatives of higher education. Having come to the end of four years of university, I’d like to think I’ve gotten the ‘uni experience’ to its fullest potential at this point. However, on a year off from education, I am not currently doing what I had maintained I would be only a few months ago. This next academic year was supposed to be the beginning of my three year doctorate in Theology, preferably at Manchester, delving into a feminist theology-based thesis. Instead, I have decided to postpone this for at least a year. So, why have I done this, and why do I think it’s a big enough deal to write about? Unlike A Levels or even undergraduate degrees which are, at this point, somewhat exp...

Five Things To Be Happy About in Times of Negativity

Hi guys. Today I wanted to contribute to the thousands of examples of uplifting, positive art and writing that many great people have been contributing into the world since the pandemic. Like many of us, I would not exactly call my lockdown experience a positive one; family illness, my masters degree, and my relationships with my family and friends are some of the things that have been tested during this time, and some days have felt unbearable. Despite all of this, I want to shine light on the positive things going on in both my personal life and the world, because it is in these positive things that we can find a light to focus on, to get ourselves through these unprecedented times. If any of you are having bad days at this time, just know that it’s totally understandable and that your feelings are valid. Tomorrow will be better! 1. The Success of the Black Lives Matter Movement  After the tragic death of George Floyd, it seemed that racism was at such a point that ...

The People I Idolise Would Probably Hate Me

Hi guys, Sending well wishes to you all at this continually weird time. This is a pretty random post but clear evidence that my mind really be WONDERING during isolation haha. Either way, I hope this is a somewhat interesting read. I fell down a bit of a YouTube hole the other day (nothing new) of watching celebrity interviews of people I like and look up to. In doing this I had a bit of a realisation; the majority of people, specifically musicians, that I idolise and look up to, would probably want nothing to do with me. Let me explain. There is definitely a stereotype that surrounds certain musicians. Stuff like; they are unnecessarily rude, they play up to the ‘tortured artist’ personality, or they refuse to answer questions on their music - generally tutting at the mainstream media obsession with asking too many questions. I will never know how I would react to this lifestyle (the media don’t generally care too much about Theology students lol), but I’d like think that...

So...You’re Isolating Away From Bae

Hey guys and gals! Sorry once again for being the worst blogger ever. Apparently not even a a lockdown and no plans is enough to motivate me (I have actually written a few things recently that never made it to post but I’m just self critical lol). I mostly blame Animal Crossing for my lack of productivity as I’m sure we all do, oh...and the global pandemic and threat of death. With the ‘current situation’, there are a lot of tips floating around regarding self isolation and taking care of yourself. I considered writing a very realistic version myself, no bubble bath suggestions in sight, but not only are these posts getting a little repetitive, but I really am in no place to give much advice on self care, crying approximately every three days in isolation, as I’m sure many of you are too. Buuuut...so many people are doing such cool and helpful things with their creative spaces online to offer whatever kind of help they can whilst we all muddle through this unprecedented situ...

My Three Favourite Podcasts

Hi there, Since travelling an awful lot on trains, coaches and the occasional overpriced Uber over summer, I finally began to jump onto the podcast bandwagon as my way of helping the time pass. Being such a fan of YouTube creators, I had always been quite visual and wasn’t sure that podcasts would entertain me in the same way videos did. If video wasn’t available, I had since always reached for music as my travel entertainment so again I saw no need for podcasts. But, with all of the travelling I was doing and not getting into much new music at the time, I got tired of listening to the same playlists over and over (plus unreliable signal on trains often prohibited me from watching YouTube), and finally gave podcasts a go. I have now found some that I really enjoy and that I will now often choose over music or video when on my daily commute. Banging Book Club - Hannah Witton, Lucy Moon and Leena Norms This is the first podcast that I really stuck my teeth into and have n...

Am I A Stupid MA Student? - Dealing With Imposter Syndrome

Hey there, Yet again, it has been a long time since I posted. Apologies. I have no real excuse other than life getting in the way. I do miss regular posting and maybe one day soon I can get back on track, but for now, I am popping in to have a chat about something I am hoping some of you can relate to. Apologies for the dramatic title, I’m not sure I’m quite at the level where I can use clickbait in any kind of serious way. Dramatic it is, but there is definitely some genuine feelings behind this claim. definition:  Impostor syndrome  (also known as  impostor phenomenon ,  impostorism ,  fraud syndrome  or the  impostor experience ) is a psychological pattern in which an individual doubts their accomplishments and has a persistent  internalized  fear of being exposed as a "fraud" I recently graduated from King’s College London with a 2:1 in Theology, granting me access to my chosen masters course in Religions and Theology at the Un...

Fan-Girling Over the Radiohead Leaked Tapes for 800 Words Straight

Hi hello, We all know I’m a huge Radiohead fan - if you did not know then, surprise I’m a huge Radiohead fan. I did not need any other reason to support and love them more than I do but this is quite possibly the most respectable and unprecedented move of their career in a long time. I am excited and I want to share that excitement and adoration with my readers. The general consensus of being a Radiohead fan is that getting direct information, updates or public appearances from the band are becoming more and more few and far between. Interviews are a very rare occurrence, new music is drip fed with no warning or press, and they’re generally very minimal in their fan communication. This week has been a crazy week for the band. Session tapes dating back to the recordings of their iconic OK Computer album, owned by lead singer Thom Yorke and dating between 1995 and around 1998, were hacked and began to be illegally released to the public, with a ransom threat of $150,000...