Where Has The Time Gone? - End of Year 2!

Hey,

It feels like 5 minutes ago I was writing one of these posts but that was a year ago; I'm not quite sure I like how fast time is going. In a months time, I will go to board and will be known as a 3rd year student nurse...crazy!!

I went in to 2nd year expecting it to be a tough year as that was what I was told. That was such a lie as it was actually a really enjoyable time. Don't get me wrong I had my stressed out, hair pulling moments but nothing like I was expecting. I had the best placements I have had in the 2 years and my exam result just proved that I'm capable of  a lot more that I give myself credit for.

My one big stress this year was my accommodation. You may have read the posts I had wrote about some of the issue but I'll fill you in anyway. It started with my 2nd year house falling through as it wasn't ready in time and franticly searching for a new place. Found one which sounded and looked amazing in pictures but turned out to be the opposite. I went to view the place to see that it too was not ready but was told it would be before move in day. Move in day came and it still wasn't! A few weeks later when it was ok to move in I started to have problems with my room. These problems were water leaks coming from the flat above every time they had a shower. I spent my entire tenancy complaining and all they did was paint over it for it to then come back. Lets just say I will never recommend the company to anyone I know.

The academic side of the course is not my forte as I have never been the brightest kid in the class but this course has tough me how I learn best so I'm improving as the time goes on. To start the year off I had to do a presentation on a public health issue. I chose smoking as it is something I am passionate about especially as I'm doing children's nursing and passive smoking is worse than smoking yourself. That went ok but we were not given enough time at all as there is so much to cover. That was followed by an assignment which was a critic on a research article. This amazed me as we were told it was very hard but once I had wrote all my notes it was very easy to put together. The assignment was due in as the exam was due to be sit so this was a real hair pulling time but both came with great grades and that's all I ask for.

After the exam I had a few days to pull myself back to reality and it was straight into placement. My first placement was a general ward which looking back wasn't my favourite but while I was there I thought it was great. I had an assignment which needed writing during my first and second placement so I got a lot of that done on night shifts to help the heavy eyes which happened every time I sat down. My second placement came health visiting which every 2nd year has to do. I loved this placement mainly because the ladies as they were just so lovely in the office and working 9-5 was a novelty. My final placement was on a neonatal unit and I could talk about this placement so much but I wont bore you to much. I'll just say it is where I want to be when I qualify. I knew from previous ward placements that babies were my favourite patients and having a whole unit of them just made me very happy and I felt at home. I also had the greatest mentor who knew I was good at what I do and knew I knew my own limits so I was able to do everything you are allowed to as a student. Of course there are a few things like IVs that that you have to be qualified to do, but there was always something else to do while these sort of things where being done so I didn't really feel like a student as I always had something to do and was trusted to do it all by myself.

Overall, 2nd year has been great and I'm looking forward to 3rd year as this time next year, this chapter of my life will be over and I will be starting a new one as a qualified nurse.

Sarah x

 

The Summer Tag!

Hey,

Now I know this tag my be a little behind everyone elses but when better to do it then when we are going through a British heatwave! I was tagged to do this by Carol over at Carol Clarke Blogs.

1.  What's your favourite thing about Summer?

How light it still is at 10pm! 

2.  Do you have a favourite Summer drink?

Anything cold!! I wouldn't say I have a favourite drink but a cold lemonade wouldn't go a miss. 

3.  Is there a location you like to go to each Summer?

A beautiful lake somewhere. I love fishing and the summer is my favourite time to do it. 

4.  Favourite makeup look for Summer?

Very minimum makeup! Dr Jart BB cream is my go to product and then a bit of blush and mascara. 

5.  Dresses or skirts?

Dresses 100%! Although I wouldn't go for a maxi dress when we are in a heatwave as I need my legs out. 

6.  Sandals or ballet pumps?

Flip Flops? I don't wear ballet pumps 98% of the year and sandals can take so long to put on with their silly buckle! My summer wardrobe needs to be easy to wear and that includes the shoes. 

7.  Do you prefer to wear your hair up or down for Summer?

Up! my hair is down to my hips and is very thick. Its unbearable in the heat but its solved with top knot. 

8.  Deep smokey eyes or bold lips?

Bold lips! MAC Girl About Town is my go to this time of year. 

9.  Favourite perfume for Summer?

Can we just call this, favourite summer scent? If so then I would say Soap and Glory Mist You Madly! I love floral scents all year around. 

10.  Last but not least, favourite music for Summer?

I have a thing for 90's music in the summer. All the old classics that I grew up to listening to in the car. 

Sarah x

Bedroom DIY!

Hey

I have wanted to add splashes of colour into my room for about a year since painting it cream, but with being away at uni 80% of the year it has been a slow process! I don't want to spend to much money on it so I'm trying to think of ideas for DIY projects I can do when I'm at home. This one is the first which I did while home for Easter.

What I used:

• Canvas - These were from B&M and cost a whole £2.99 for 4; BARGAIN!! I have only used 3 because of where I want to put them in my room but for the price, I wasn't to bothered about not using one of them.  
• Magazines - I seem to collect these without even knowing about it.  
• PVA Glue - I purchased this from The Range for £1. It's a great glue bottle as you don't have to pour it out to make sure you don't get massive blobs of glue where you don't want them.
• Paint Brush - Who doesn't have one of these laying around in the house!  

When I cut pictures out of magazines I don't just go for beauty items; I like having models on them and anything that looks like it could be used but make sure there is no prices or writing over them! I also just cut out until I get bored. I find being creative and hands on with a little project therapeutic so I managed to get plenty with some left over, which is always nice to have so you are not restricted to use pictures that don't quite go with what is already on there. 

Once cut out, I start to lay them out on the canvases to get a feel for them and move pictures around until I'm happy with what is in front of me. When happy I glue; trying to move as little pictures as possible. My trick for this is to take pictures of them on a phone, so there is always something to refer back to if you sneeze and they go flying. 

This DIY really does add colour and would be perfect in a beauty room, if your lucky enough to have one!

Sarah x 

Whats Caught My Eye! #1

Hey

Over the past couple of months, I have picked up some goodies. I'm the type of girl that goes out and gets stuff because I think I may need it soon but normally that's not actually the case. Lately i have been in a weird buying mood and have only brought stuff when i have actually ran out of something and have brought products i have not tried before.

The Body Shop Hemp Hand Protector

This is a new and exciting product for me, as anything to help with dry hand is golden to me and I'm willing to try new products I have been recommended. Normally I will carry a Soap and Glory Hand Food mini in my pocket on placement but it ran out and when I went to repurchase, I was in the mood for something I hadn't tried before. When I picked this up, I went in for the small 30ml as it would fit lovely in my pocket but the big 100ml was the same price so picked it up; would have been silly not to!

L'Oreal Paris Skin Perfection Velvety Soft Toner

I love trying different toners. I don't think I have actually repurchased a toner yet as there are so many out there on the market. This is lovely as it has a thicker consistency than just the average toner has so I'm excited to test it out.

Charles Worthington Volume and Bounce Texturising Spray 

Everyone should own a tin of this beautiful product. I wanted it because I heard it was the dupe for the Oribe Dry Texturing Spray, but also because as my hair has got longer it has got curler and I want something that will allow me to embrace my hair without using any heat tools. I have used it a couple of times and so far I'm really impressed

P.S. Love Your Skin Gentle Cleansing Wipes 

I have started to use face wipes in my morning skincare routine as I just don't have the time to wash my face with my cleansing system in the morning. I picked these up because they seem to sell really well and in my local store and they go really fast so I wanted to see what was so great about them. They are £1 to 2 packs which is great value for the quality of them. I have used a whole pack of them now and I'm definitely going for more of them when I next go shopping.

Look Lipslick Lipgloss - Raspberry Crush

This product I just love. I have had my eye on these lip glosses for probably about a year but never picked one up because I'm not a great lover of lip glosses as I hate having sticky lips. When I had another look at the Look Beauty stand in Superdrug they had a half price sale on, so I would have been silly not to give something a try when it was £2.50. Its not sticky but the wear life doesn't seem to be very long. Its a beautiful colour though so i don't mind touching up in the day.

Garnier Eye Makeup Remover

I need to start remembering the blog posts I read! I brought this just to try because I liked the look of the bottle; yes you read that right! I don't think this works as good as their other makeup remover (Garnier Simply Essentials 2-in-1 Makeup Remover). and because I loved that makeup remover and used it right until the end I thought the eye one would be just as good! I take my makeup of when I cleanse so only feel the need to take my eye makeup off with a solution and I loved the fact it was in a smaller bottle. I wont be repurchasing this and with probably replace this very soon!

Dove Hair Nourishing Oil Care Leave-In Spray

I don't know what is going on with my hair lately; it has gone very dry at the roots but I go greasy quickly at the roots so I thought I would purchase this to try and replace my other Organix Moroccan Argan oil which i feel is probably past its shelf life date! I'm hoping this is going to help as I have heard lots of people talking about it.

No7 Pop and Glow Cream Blush Stick - Rose Blossom

I haven't stopped using this since the day I purchased it! I'm not normally a No7 fan but this blush stick caught my eye the day it came out and I just had to but it in my basket. It has a beautiful pop of colour and is quite pigmented which means it is sure to last. I may just have to try more from them.

Sarah x 

Botanics Ultra Calm - Skin Relief Serum

Hey,

With the weather change over winter my skin seems to have gone all super sensitive on me (boo) and all my skin care products have had to change to help calm my aggressive skin down.

This Botanics Ultra Calm Skin Relief Serum has become a must in both my morning and evening skincare routines. On the box it states you should notice a difference within 2 week and I will say I did; without a dealt! I would say you can tell its doing something after a few days even using it morning and night.

After using it for 2 weeks I noticed that my skin is a lot less red and I would probably go as far as saying my skin is back to a normal pigmentation. Another point I noticed was that it didn't just work after you put it on but it was working to keep the skin calm at all times, because before using this product I was coming out the bathroom after washing my face with a very warm red face. After the first week this was still the case but a lot less aggressive and after the 2 weeks, it doesn't happen at all which is fab!

I would recommend this to anyone with sensitive skin who struggles to find products that work with their skin. Even though I don't have the red skin anymore I will continue to use this product until they take it off the shelf.  

you can get your hands on this product for £7.99, but if your quick its on offer for £5.33

Sarah x

Brush Collection!

Hey

I don't have the biggest of brush collections for someone who is completely obsessed with makeup; I have the bare minimum. So if  your like me and hate using fingers, this is what you need! 

Avon All-Over Face Brush

I have had this brush for about a year and I'm not ready to replace it yet so I must be loving it! I use this brush to apply my setting powder. It picks up just the right amount of powder and is easy to glide across the t-zone. I don't believe you have to pay lots of money to get great quality brushes and would purchase more brushes from Avon!

Barbara Daly Blusher Brush 

This brush is probably my least favorite of the bunch. I purchased it around Christmas because I was sick of my Primark one but still to this day I'm finding the odd bristle on my face after I use it! I should probably replace now. I'm not sure if this brush is still available from Tesco as I got it at a bargain price.

Real Techniques Buffing Brush

This has to be my favorite brush of all because it allows me to apply my foundation perfectly. there isn't a whole lot to say about this brush apart from if you don't have it you should.

Real Techniques Contour Brush 

This brush does not get used for contour, as personally I feel its a little to small for that so I have given it the job of concealer. It works perfect as its small enough to fit in the corner of the eye but big enough to have the ability to blend the concealer into the skin without leaving any lines.

Primark Blusher Brush 

Back in the day when I used my fingers to apply most of my makeup, this was one of the only brush I owned. I still think this is a good brush and would repurchase but as a blusher brush I now feel it is just a little to big for my liking. I wouldn't be without this brush though as it still gets used when I forget how pigmented some of my blushers are!

Real Techniques Pointed Foundation Brush

Does anyone use this brush for foundation? This brush is a bit of an odd bod in my collection. I use this for concealer that I just want to tap into place but don't want to use my fingers.

Superdrug Blending Brush 

This is a great brush! I purchased this because only having one eyeshadow brush was driving me crazy! It picks up a lovely amount of product and applied it to the eye evenly. i must get my hand on more of these.

Real Techniques Shading Brush 

After applying eyeshadow with the Superdrug blending brush, I use this brush to blend the edges into the skin and would say it is the perfect size for the job. I also use it to apply a second shadow to the outer corners and blend.

Real Techniques Detailer Brush 

This brush doesn't get used daily/weekly; its used when I have super bad skin which thankfully I haven't had for a while. It is great for people that hate using their fingers at all as it works just like a little finger when it comes to covering up all those unwanted little spots.


Are there any brushes you would recommend? 

Sarah x