Tuesday, 26 May / Skincare Essentials: Dr. Organic

I am forever in turmoil over the radically spontaneous nature of my skin. The fortnightly tease of a 'good skin day' is overruled by acne, oil and hyper pigmentation on more frequent occasion. Having checked my way through a medical shopping list of various gels, creams and tablets, I came to the devastating realisation that perhaps what was going onto my face wasn't causing what was going on on my face. So, along with attempting to reduce dairy ever so slightly (and failing, god dam you Whittard's hot chocolate), altering my contraceptive choice, and becoming an obsessive cleanser, I decided to look further into my skincare measures to solve the problem of 'problem skin'. 

My long-enduring best friend, flatmate and life advisor introduced me to Dr. Organic skincare back in second year of university, no doubt after enduring my latest rant over stressed-out skin and an inability to buy cheap, own-brand mozzarella in our local Tesco. We scurried into Holland and Barrett after a lengthy (ahem) gym session and in that moment, she converted me to a brand who take pride in utilising 'natural and organic raw materials'.  I began with using the Tea Tree soap as a cleanser, following the removal of my makeup. I've always taken immense pleasure in the simplicity of a bar of soap; transported with ease, looks fancy by the sink and takes a few minutes to soak the face before left feeling fresh. However, standard soaps can often leave the skin feeling dry and, in fact, overproduce oil, as they strip the natural oils from the skin. Well, my low-maintance, soapy needs have been satisfied with this little number. After removing my makeup with Bioderma, I lather this little guy into my hands and caress my face for longer than I need to, to revitalise and thoroughly remove any nastiness remaining on my sensitive skin. I can 100% say that I have noticed a huge difference in the appearance of my skin since getting personal with this soap. The soaps come in various types, from my favourite, Tea Tree, to Vitamin E and can be bought from Holland and Barrett (they often have offers on this brand, and throughout the store so take advantage!)

My love affair with the Dr doesn't end there however, as I have recently acquired his Olive Oil Day Cream.  This, along with an assortment of lip balms that appear to have finally rendered my lips acceptable for venturing outdoors (minus cracks and cuts), contribute to my opinion that this brand has truly revolutionised my skincare routine and, therefore, life. Perhaps it sounds extreme, but as a bad-skin-sufferer for almost ten years and a victim to stress-induced breakouts, it is exhausting to hunt for a helpful brand, and incredible to find one that settles these situations and uses natural ingredients. I urge you to give it a try and have fun experimenting with all Dr. Organic has to offer. Next on my list is the Snail Gel, purely for intrigue of this strange little pot of snaily goodness.

This brand has massively helped with the reduction of my acne, but I've also discovered another little gem for dealing with the aftermath: acne scars. Look out for a post coming up on that soon. 

Monday, 11 May / Tips for the Stressed-Out Student

Given that my flatmates and I have ventured outdoors only one day this week, and, therefore, have remained in fleece loungewear throughout this duration, I have been unable to offer any form of ‘ootd’ throughout the past few weeks. Unless you wish to witness how I style my maternity joggers (I'm not pregnant, unless you count food baby, but these have proven a valuable gift from my mother during these biscuit-fuelled, revision times), leopard print dressing gown and assorted character socks, then I’m afraid we reach an unavoidable conclusion: I am not allowed to discuss personal style during this difficult time. Instead, given that I can’t remember a time before my current deadlines, and so the opportunity to discuss anything except Shakespeare is enough to make me physically smile, today I am popping something a little spicy up on my blog, and by spicy, I mean anything except the Iambic Pentameter. So here is my post to you today: an unfashionable, unadulterated and, hopefully not uninteresting, compilation of my current recommendations and general thoughts to pull you through uni stress. I will warn that this emerges as procrastination, so grab a cuppa and make yourself comfortable.

Take a break

My preferred activity during this time is to watch ITV Be: I was originally unsure of the concept of this but now ‘struggle to find the remote and change the channel’ when Dinner Date, Don’t Tell The Bride or Millionaire Matchmaker is gracing the screen. These TV breaks are heightened by the commentary of my flatmates, who are an essential component to not losing your mind during exam time. If possible, try and make a few friends who are also decent at head massages, this has proven invaluable over the last few weeks.

Find a treat food that genuinely excites you

Is this embarrassing to confess? Perhaps. Digestive biscuits were my original holy grail, but the transition to Nice Creams has got me just about as excited as that time Harry Styles winked at me in the back row of an area at a One Direction concert (don’t argue, just let me believe it). Though for my more nutritious flatmates, figs, bran flakes and a light salad may satisfy their tasty cravings during revision breaks, I find the sugar of a cracking biscuit an essential tool for an afternoon’s graft. I sometimes opt for raspberries also, just to keep things interesting and the love handles at bay.

Read for fun

Whether this is your Twitter feed, Daily Mail Online (nothing will make you feel less stressed about your own problems than the ‘nightmare’ situations posted on that website), a few articles on The Guardian or a juicy novel you’ve been desperate to start. Cleansing your mind of equations, formulas, or in my case, darling William Shakespeare, will keep your work interesting and revitalised when you return to it: just make sure you do…

Listen to music

This is a tough one for me as I actually can't handle lyrics playing in the background whilst I work. The number of times I’ve began a sentence about a modernist author and it has concluded with the lyrics to a Taylor Swift track is astounding. I do, however, believe that a little background noise helps prevent the descent into insanity during this difficult time, so give instrumental tracks a try. My current favourite is a Disney compilation instrumental, though my inability to stop singing along is perhaps defeating the purpose. Either way, embracing Mulan’s ‘I'll Make A Man Out Of You’ is just the inspiring mantra I need to power through my essays.

Do not let it break you

We’ve probably all witnessed this in various forms. My 'breakdown' occured last year and involved lots of tears and subsequent pizza. More recently, I've experienced a number of physical screams circling our little house from a flatmate who just can't take it. For me, the key to overcoming the university breakdown was being surrounded by an incredible network of friends and family and their reassuring comments. Though it may not have felt like it at the time, I promise your degree isn’t everything/the end of the world. Try to remind yourself that you’re there for a reason. Whether you were chosen by interview or from your application, someone at some point decided they wanted you as a representative of their establishment. Allow yourself breaks without the guilt (though pizza guilt is a tough one to shake), talk about it when you’re struggling, drink lots of water (infused with coffee granules and milk…), and be proud of absolutely every decision you make, as there is no worse feeling than regret (and photographic evidence is surprisingly erasable).

My recent posts appear entirely related to university life at the moment which, though I do apologise for, is relatively unavoidable given my current situation. Roughly one more month then the last three years will officially become the ‘best days of my life’ as a generic term in conversation and exist only as memories. These tips emerge as a personal realisation that allowing the more difficult aspects of university life to overpower you, only diminishes the genuiney incredible times that you will want to always remember. So grab yourself a Nice Cream, snuggle up to a friend and have a good old bitch about life’s struggles. I promise you’ll feel 100% better before returning to your work. If not, use the sugar high for singing along to that Disney medley: you won't regret it.

Sunday, 03 May / Place to Shop: GAP

My first encounter with GAP was a pale, duck egg blue fleece hoodie with the infamous letters boldy splurged across the front. I wore my blue fleece with pride, acknowledging this as my first entry to designer wear, whilst my older sister donned the identical version in pink. In our GAP jumpers, we joined the collective of school kids promoting the same attire: this being the latest trend craze, before the Jane Norman shopping bag or platform trainers. So long as my mum was dressing me in the morning, I'd be wearing my GAP. Nowadays, though she may no longer choose my outfits, my mum has continued to push me in the direction of this American-branded store for my casual basics and sports-luxe attire, establishing a relationship that has ensured a loyalty as strong as that to completing the "Lost" series (6 years of confusion and Josh Holloway appreciation). 

Last weekend, on a shopping trip with my aforementioned older sister and not-so-little little sister, we entered the realm of GAP and remained indoors for almost an hour. Granted, the 2 changing rooms and 6-person queue influenced this duration, but the mass of decent clothing held my attention for almost as long as Sawyer and Kate's "never have I ever" scene of season 1. Clambering into the changing room with more than I could afford to buy, I began the rigmarole of the dressing room routine which usually leaves me heavily disappointed and very much in-pocket. Instead, everything was nice. I mean everything. You know those 'yes'/'no'/'maybe' piles you're forced to create on really great shopping trips? The yes pile was stacking up and it was exciting.

From skinny jeans to lightweight bomber jackets, the cut of the clothing was adhering to the temperamental curves of my body that usually causes immense distress in changing rooms. I pulled back the curtain and smugly smiled to the sales assistant in response to his question "any good?". "I'll take it all". 

Perhaps this has become somewhat of a novella, and in fact, I purchased five items, not the entirety of the collection. But my point (if there is one), is that I found some quality clothing, in the perfect size, with a sale price reduced to a further 20% when I hit the till. Is there ever a greater feeling than that?! I returned the following day, unable to shake the thought of the pale grey utility jacket I'd become acquainted with on my first trip. Regrettably spending a further spritz of my work wages (though really not regretting at all), I genuinely felt sorrow waving goodbye to my new favourite shop. With my nearest GAP a small concession in a local department store, the probability of finding such success within the clothing rails again seems far in the future. Though with a now fully stocked wardrobe of key transition pieces to head toward the summer, via this gloomy month of April, perhaps that's for the best.

If you're of any shape (my sisters and I vary greatly between clothing size and eating habits: read - I can't put down the chocolate), and appreciate minimal basics with a relaxed yet sophisticated vibe, do check out GAP in its current state. Our love affair began many years ago, and we're still in the honeymoon phase.