When I Laugh, I'll Think Of You.

My wonderful Auntie, Diana, very sadly passed away earlier in May. 

I called her 'Nana' (Said: 'Narna' We're not sure how that came about, just a nickname that stuck since me and my brother were little)

I've been a bit a bit distant from my blog since it happened, my Auntie loved reading my blog. In fact, my blog brought my auntie and I a lot closer, which I couldn't be more thankful for. She would always tell me how much she loved my blog posts, especially my '10 Things That Made Me Happy This Week' because it really did make her think about what had made her happy. I even mentioned her in this blog post to make her smile, and it did, I received an excited email from her only hours later!

She was such a happy and cheery person, we always laughed so much when we were together, even when times were hard, she'd laugh and still find reasons to smile.

I miss her terribly, but I know that wherever she is, she'll be in the perfect cottage she always wanted to live in and reunited with her beloved dog 'Digby'.

 She was always so proud of my brother and I with our music. My brother wrote an amazing song for the funeral titled 'When I Laugh, I'll Think Of You' (I thought it was so fitting that I've stolen the name for the blog post!) I recorded a cover of 'Over The Rainbow' and I think she'd of loved them both so much.

xxxxxxx

Jamie's Italian!

Granny & Pa came down to Brighton to take Henry and I out for lunch, so we went to one of our favourite places, Jamie's Italian. 

This place is super lovely. It's not overpriced, in fact the prices are so reasonable (we're student's and we still eat there!) you can guarantee the food will be amazing and it's pretty cool inside, with really lovely staff too. 

I ordered my favourite drink, a Non-alcoholic Ginger Mojito, which is pretty much a 'must-have' every time I go. Really refreshing & it looks great; Satisfying on the tastebuds and the eyes!

 I had a 'Meat Plank' which is a combination of the loveliest meats, cheese and vegetables, Henry & Granny went for 'Crispy Squid' which is to die for, especially dipped in the garlic mayo and Grandpa went for 'Crab & Avocado Bruschetta', which I've never had but it looked great!

Just look at this beast of a burger! Pilled high with bacon, gherkins, lettuce, tomatoes, mozzarella and onion relish. The most popular choice this time, though, was pizza!

The one pictured below was the special; mozzarella, sausage meat, sultana's (Yes, I'm a fruit on pizza kinda gal) and red onions.

So after all that food, lots of laughs and reminiscing over funny family stories, it was time for dessert.
I'm such a dessert person, not matte rhow many savorythere is always room for dessert! Henry on the other hand is not, so opted for tea, I went for Tiramisu & G&G went for lemon sorbet.

Had to get a snap with my lovely Grandpa!

♥

My Skin Care Routine!

I thought I'd write a post on Skincare as it's something I've never written about before and I've recently really got into it. I'm no expert, just saying what I do!  I think have Normal to Dry Skin, my skin is normally fine, I don't tend to break out very often, and occasionally my forehead and cheeks get a bit dry. This is skincare on a budget, so they can all be purchased in drugstores like Boots and Superdrug.

As awful as it is, I've never actually been very good at looking after my skin. I never used to wear that much make up on my skin (foundation etc.), so apart from taking my make up off, most likely with a make up wipe (which doesn't really do anything good for your skin, apart from take off your make up!) didn't really think to cleanse or moisturise. If I did moisturise it would be with a moisturiser that was way too thick to use on your face, but I used to be clueless! Now I'm a bit older and wearing a bit more make up, I thought it was time to start looking after my skin!

I take my make up off using Simple Cleansing Face Wipes, or Garnier Simply Essentials 2-in-1 Make Up Remover which really does take every last bit of make up off. It is oily, which I'm not a massive fan of (texture-wise) but it really does remove your make up well! 

I will then exfoliate using Superdrug's Tea Tree Exfoliating Face Scrub  which really leaves my skin feeling clean and refreshed OR I use Garnier Pure Deep Clean Foam Wash. Although the Foam Wash isn't an exfoliator, it does feel quite strong on your skin (which I like, because it really does feel like it's doing a 'deep clean'!) so I don't like to use both at the same time as it could be too harsh for my skin.

Once my skin is feeling clean and refreshed I use Witch Blemish Stick on the areas I think I could be getting a spot or a blemish. It's clear, so can be used at anytime and fights bacteria that causes spots. It's also small so great for popping in your handbag or make up bag if you're away!

I then moisturise with Garnier Moisture Match Moisturiser in 'Start Afresh' (Blue) for Normal/Dry skin. I absolutely love this range of moisturisers with different ones for each skin type. 'Start Afresh' smells incredible and is so light on your skin, so I always look forward to putting it on. This, and I'm sure a combination of the above, has made my skin feel suuuper soft and hydrated recently!

So, that is my current skin care routine. I am looking for products that are good for dark circles under eyes! Mine are the bane of my life, so if you know any products please recommend! 

I would absolutely love to know what you do for your skin care routine, so drop me a comment or a link to your own blog post if you have one!

M U S I C // Why Music College?

Hello!

Today I thought I'd address the issue of picking universities. I know UCAS etc. means people have already made their choices for next September, but this is something I have wanted to write about for a long time. You'll know if you read my blog, I go to a music college, not a 'standard' university and making this decision wasn't easy at first!*

*This blog post will probably help those of you looking to do a similar thing to me, but may help in other circumstances too :) These are all my own opinions.

(I do not own this photo. Source: weheartit.com)

I was certain for years that I wanted to follow in the footsteps of my older brother and study Drama at university. I had always loved acting, I had taken it for GCSE and A-Level and taken exams outside of school up to Grade 8. I had always loved to sing and dance too, but drama was my main focus throughout school. I knew I wanted to be a singer around the age of 15, but I was still set on studying drama at university.

I was worried if I studied music, I would lose my passion for it and that it would become my subject and no longer a hobby. I was also worried that I hadn't taken GCSE or A-level music and didn't know any theory, and the length of Year 13 (my last year of sixth form, when I had to make these decisions) wasn't long enough to learn it all. When I did a little research, I realised that I didn't actually have to know music theory for quite a few of the places I looked at, as it was going to be taught to me there.

It dawned on me one day when I realised I would have studied drama for three years, to come out of university still wanting to sing, that maybe there wasn't much point in studying drama! When I could of spent that time studying how to be the best at what I really want to do, learning the ins and outs of the industry and learning the best vocal techniques.

I study Professional Musicianship (I study Vocals, but this course is also in guitar, bass and drums!) at the Brighton Institute of Modern Music (BIMM) and I can honestly say it was the best decision I ever made. I looked at a few institutes in London and one in Liverpool, but Brighton was 100% the place for me. They started teaching theory from scratch and I realised I wasn't the only one that didn't know any. They have taught me what I need to work on and where my areas of weakness are. They have taught me what is great about my voice and performance and how to make that shine even more. They have taught me how to sing in different styles and what ones suit me best. They have also given me some amazing opportunities, masterclasses with incredible musicians and I got the chance to perform at their End Of Term gig, which was insane!

 I don't want people to think taking a Music Degree is a doss. This course is not easy, and it's only going to get harder as I reach the end of my first year. It's part of Sussex university, so we do have to write essays and do presentations, it's not just singing and playing guitars on the beach all day! We do have to put the work in and although it's not a 'university' as such, we do get a full degree at the end of it! 

I'm in no way saying everyone should do what I did, I'm just saying what I did and how it worked for me. This was just something I wanted to write, because if I'd of read something like this when making my decision, it probably really would of helped. 

♥

Note To Self...

Something I seriously need to start doing. 

'I need to do this'

'I'm going to do this'

'I want to do this'

It's time to just do it. 

(Nike quote toooootally not intended!)

:)