Summer Essentials 2014

Everywhere this week on blogs and vlogs I have been seeing peoples suggestions on how to survive this glorious weather that we are surprisingly experiencing in the UK at the moment. So I thought I would give you my top 5 lifestyle, beauty and fashion tips for Summer.

1. Urban decay eye primer is a must have for me. I am a lover of eye make up but, due to my oily skin and the outside elements I had always found that my eyeshadow and eyeliner either creased or smudged. The Urban decay eye primer completely eradicated that problem and keeps my make up looking mighty fine come rain, snow or shine.

2. As mentioned above I suffer with oily skin which in turn can sometimes make my face look like a mirror; especially in this heat. I used to be constantly reapplying powder but, sometimes it simply just didn't do the trick or I looked slightly caked in make up. However, this summer I made the revolutionary purchase of Superdrugs own brand 'shine remover tissues.' They basically feel like tissue paper which you wipe across your face, absorbing the excess oil and massively reducing shine. This either means you don't need to powder at all or gives you the perfect surface to add a little powder while still looking natural.

3. Water. An age old essential for summer. I always carry a bottle around in my bag, meaning that I am always hydrated but also means I don't need to waste my money on something that is ultimately free.

4.  Now although we are experiencing marvellous temperatures in the South of England, it does not mean that there has been an absence of rain. There has been incredible thunder storms and living in the UK, lets be honest you can never be to far from a shower. I always carry an umbrella in my handbag just as a precaution and you would be surprised how often it requires use.


5. Sunglasses solve all kind of problems and could perhaps be one of my favourite things about summer. They automatically add style to an outfit, as well as obviously protecting your precious little eyes from those nasty sun beams. They can also be used as a source of deception- didn't have time to do your make up? Not a problem; just whack some shades on and nobody would know the different! Didn't want to style your hair? Use the sunglasses to push your hair back. Stylish, simple and protective! 

I would love to hear your summer staples in the comments! I am not used to these extended periods of heat and while I am loving every single second, any tips would be useful 

Peace Out My Lovelies xxx

Track of the week: Heart- It's War

Feminist Punting

I live a short train journey from the wonderful and historic city that is Cambridge; meaning I often dismiss the city and just focus on its brilliant shopping ability. I have wanted to go Punting for the last couple of years but just have simply not been able to find the time or funding for this adventure. Luckily my friends listen to my dreams and for my eighteenth birthday took me on this famous tourist attraction. 

 Guys I was not disappointed! The views were truly beautiful, with every inch of the river displaying historic beauty and nature.  You can opt for a toured guide, whereby an employee punts for you while giving you the fun facts of Cambridge or alternatively you can just go down the river on your own accord giving punting a go. Obviously this gives you a less informative experience but I can guarantee it makes it a lot more amusing. 

Clearly, as strong independent women, my four girlfriends and I chose to have a whirl at punting ourselves and although we may have not become pros we were successful in completing our mission. It was hilarious attempting to avoid crashing into other boats and trees as well as, attempting avoiding falling into the water. We also gained a couple of fun facts from ear wigging into the tour guides facts- did you know that apparently you can walk from Cambridge to Oxford on land solely owned by Trinity University! (fascinating I know) So, in my humble opinion, I would definitely recommend punting yourself because I think it makes a much more memorable experience; just perhaps ask for some tips from the staff before setting sail. 

Now I'm going to make the assumption that the majority of you reading this blog are in fact females, shocking I know! So I think you'll agree with me that we are perfectly capable of doing anything we put are minds to. We made 'friends' with nearly every boat that we passed down the river -mainly due to us crashing or being incapable of chatting quietly. And while the majority of people just gave funny banter, I was personally shocked by how many people commented on the fact that we were an all female boat, with some people asking where our boyfriends were *cough, single, cough* and one man even offering to join our boat so that a 'stronger' male could help us out.  I am aware that I am probably overthinking this situation and that the feminist in me is just suddenly making an appearance but I just don't understand why they thought it was necessary or indeed positive to make those comments.  Us five gals had a fabulous time punting and it was honestly not that hard to punt; especially with us all taking turns, so defiantly do not let the physical nature put you off! 

 If you ever get the opportunity for a day trip to Cambridge then take it! It is truly vibrant and historic city, with so much to do and explore. They have shops of all nature, sprawling parks and tourist attractions; with punting being the pinnacle of all of these. I hope that my cheeky iPhone snaps have demonstrated to you that we all defiantly need to explore 'local' areas because otherwise we can walk straight past them without even noticing. 

Peace Out My Lovelies xxx

Track of the day: Little Death- You Me At Six 

Summer Dreams #3

9th July- 20th July: The week I legally became an adult 

I think it shows that my summer holiday mission of being adventerous has been a success this week as I’m a whole 4 days behind on Home and Away and I do not miss an episode lightly my friends. The reason for this is because it has been MY BIRTHDAY and I have reached the great big landmark of 18 meaning that in the UK I am legally an adult allowing me to vote, a rise in the minimum wage to £5.03 and more importantly being able to drink alcoholic beverages and enter into pubs- fickle I know! Its been a week of complete highs so we’re gonna have a hopefully short chat about the beautiful people I love, who spoilt me rotten and made it a week to remember. 

First of all on the 9th July I passed my driving test (first time round, might I add) which was a massive accomplishment for me as well as huge weight of my shoulders. It set the tone for the rest of the week and meant I could celebrate with zero worries as driving had been a huge challenge for me; if you want to read more about my struggles here's my whole blogpost about it: http://theamygill.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/the-hardship-of-learning-to-drive.html

This meant that all focus could be put into celebrations! All my life I have loved occasions of any form and birthdays, especially mine, are at the pinnacle of that. So for my eighteenth my family and friends went all out, god bless their souls, to ensure that it I couldn’t have had a better birthday week- because lets be honest a day is simply not long enough to celebrate me entering the world. 

Every year for my birthday we throw a huge family BBQ and this year was no different. However, for this ‘landmark’ birthday my parents threw in a couple of surprises such as, decorations, balloons, fireworks, confetti cannons and a collage of my all my birthdays. This combined with games that have become traditions in my family such as water balloons, great food and phenomenal presents meant it exceeded all my expectations.

Originally on my actual birthday all my pals, old and new, were meant to come round my house just for a chilled day of chatter and laughter. My old school friends had other ideas and I was whisked away (that is a lie I had to wait at the train station for an hour due to cancelled trains) for a day trip to Cambridge. We had a picnic full of champagne and cake as well as present opening in one of their beautiful parks before the highlight of the day was revealed; punting! This has been on my summer to-do-list for about 3 years but it has been a challenge to find a time when everyone has the money and availability to all go out on the water. My friends, the observant kids that they are, realised my desire to get involved in this local tourist attraction and saw a prime birthday present for the girl who apparently 'has everything’. I’m going to do a whole blog post soon about the hilarity of punting and to show you all the excessive pictures of the views; I’ll post the link in the comments when its published so take a little look if you’re interested my loves. 

If you were wondering, yes, I did wear a tiara all day leading to every single acquaintance judging my sanity but, lets be honest when else can you get away with wearing a crown in broad daylight.  

The day did not end there though! My friends had a few more surprises up their sleeves with us heading of to the local Weatherspoons (Its cheap and cheerful) to meet all my sixth form friends. The fact that my two friendship groups had been serectly planning behind my back and had put so much effort into my birthday, combined with them jumping out in front of me and scaring the living daylights out me led me to shed a little overwhelmed tear. It saw the end to the perfect day, a ‘sophisticated’ and chilled birthday which was full of laughter, love and surprises. Still to this moment I am shocked that my friends managed to pull every single surprise off without me having a clue, normally every year I guess my presents without hesitation but this year I had no clue about anything- congrats girls. 

Now before you think I am the most boring 18 year old ever by not properly going out when I can actually legally drink don’t panic! We waited for Thursday night aka Student Night to hit the town properly. There was laughter, singing, dancing, drinking and free champagne OLAY! Everyone found the right balance of being merry and having a good time; meaning a rather hilarious night. 

Now I realise that this blog post perhaps has not given you guys actual suggestions for summer activities, especially if you’re under 18- I sympathise, I really do- but I hope it has perhaps given you a little incentive to go out and grab opportunities. Don’t wait for a massive occasion such as a birthday to plan a group outing, go and do it now! Half the fun is making a plan and seeing it emerge successfully; even if it does take you a couple of months to save the money up to do what you want. Get with your friends and research local attractions or discounted tickets, with that in itself being a fun day in but, also probably opening yours eyes to everything in your local area. Although this week has been filled with lavish days out, the highlight has defiantly been those people who I was blessed to spend the days with; which is the message I seem to be realising this summer!

What have you been up to so far? and do you have any more suggestions of fun things to do this holiday? Lets get creative!

Peace Out My Lovelies xxx

Track of the Week: 18- 5 Seconds of Summer 

'Summer Dreams' Series so far: 
http://theamygill.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/summer-dreams.html
http://theamygill.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/summer-dreams-1.html
http://theamygill.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/summer-dreams-2.html

The hardship of learning to drive

Nothing less than a miracle occurred last Thursday and that was the fact that I passed my driving test first time. After months of very expensive and frustrating lessons I can actually legally driving on my own, which is kind of alarming for myself and the general population. 

Most of my friends loved the idea of being able to drive and were bouncing at the chance to get behind the wheel. Me on the other hand, I was petrified! My mum eventually forced me into by booking lessons behind my back and for the whole of my first lesson I was visibly shaking from head to toe. I was not built for the driving; I hated being outside my comfort zone and not instantly being good at something. I like to put everything into neat little boxes in my head, with everything being black and white. Driving is a completely grey area; every time you hit the road situations change and you are constantly making decisions; which was something that took me months to build the confidence to deal with. 

I preserved with lessons despite my hatred and distinct lack of natural flare because I knew it was a life skill that I needed. I saw more and more of my friends pass and the freedom linked to driving is insane. We no longer have to constantly rely on public transport or our parents giving us lifts everywhere; we can spontaneously decide to go for lunch and everything doesn't need to be planned to the second. It was such a huge motivation for the continuous torture that I found lessons and clearly my persistence paid off. 

What I am trying to explain is don't give up when it comes to driving or anything for that matter because you will eventually get there. Before I started to learn how to drive I was disheartened by the fact that everyone appeared to love driving or how they appeared to master it so rapidly when it took me hours to even understand gear changes. I have since realised that is not the case, people just keep quiet about their mistakes. I did not take that route and I told everyone my apparently 'hilarious' tales which then encouraged my pals to tell me their experiences which were not as rosy as it may have first appeared. 

I've come to realisation that there are very few people who can instantly pick up a skill and it is instead your persistence, motivation and self-belief that will see you succeed! In hindsight I realise I could have passed my test a lot sooner if I believed in my own ability and took control in my lessons. To this day I am still sarcastic to people about my driving but I finally know in my head and heart that I am a competent driver. So if it's driving, exams, jobs or socially believe in yourself because that is 90% of the battle! 

Peace Out My Lovelies xxx

Track of the week: Seventeen Forever- Metro Station 

Summer Dreams #2

1st July- 8th July: Old friends and new marks 

Now that I currently have all the free time in the world it means I can meet up and enjoy the company of those friends who I didn't see everyday due to them living in different places or going to different schools. We haven't done anything exciting or expensive, either chilling at each other's houses, going to the park or grabbing lunch. It has been truly amazing to be able to analysis the world and our lives (gossip), without worrying about time constraints or busy schedules! 

My suggestion for summer would be to enjoy the simple yet most important things by spending time with the ones you love or rarely get to spend time with in the hectic hussle and bussle of everyday life. Meet up with those distant pals from either primary or secondary school, sixth form, work or university. 

As ridiculous as this sounds embrace the weather! In England, on the whole, we have been experiencing brilliant weather; with it being above 20C and minimal rain. So get out from behind your laptop (or take it outside) and lap up those rays because let's be honest this weather is a rarity (as demonstrated by the fact that it has been tipping it down all day) or you're normally too busy to appreciate it. 

Be a little rebellious or outlandish and make an appearance change while you have no restrictions. I got my second lobe piercing and cartilage pierced spontaneously this week. I have wanted to do it for about 2 years but, haven't got round to doing it either due to a lack of funds, time or piercing shop! However, the other day everything was on my side and with a little pressure from my friend; so I didn't bottle it due to the fear of pain, I finally reached my aim!

I hope you guys are having a great holiday, enjoying the opportunity to have fun with your pals and grabbing every opportunity that you have! Let me know your suggestions as normal.

Peace Out My Lovelies xx

Track of the week: To Kill A King- Cold Skin 

1000 page views

1000 page views probably is not a big deal for the majority of people reading this blog- if there's actually anyone reading this because I'm still convinced that the majority of the views are from myself refreshing the page. But, I'm a sentimental and emotional person, who enjoys marking every occasion big or small, so we shall celebrate this 1000 landmark! 

It's not uncommon in this internet world for people to have a 1,000 followers or now what is emerging in the YouTube world hitting 100,000 or even 1 million subscribers. I do it myself, I admit, if I see someone's subscription box at 6,000 subscribers I think they're a 'small' blogger or YouTuber when in fact that's actually an insane number! Picture 6,000 people that's probably triple my school population- that's a heck of a lot of people! And they're all real life people, taking time out of their day to read nonsense that someone's written on the internet. I sometimes think what is the actual point of blogging, especially when it appears and feels as though no one is reading my 'marvellous' content. Then I realise, I blog because I ultimately enjoy talking to myself and expressing how I feel. I love the concept of being able to scroll back through old blog posts to see what I was occurring in my life. I love the community when reading other blogs, gaining other people's advice and building a bond even though you have no idea who the person is. Blogging is a completely 21st century thing to do, people outside our generation probably don't understand why we're gripped by it but, it's that constant connection that makes it thrilling! 

To be honest I still don't understand how half of blogs loving works. I make at least one spelling and grammar mistake per blog post. I constantly write posts on the move and then take days to actually go on my computer and upload them. In essence I have no idea what I'm doing, that can pretty much be applied to my whole life! But, I've thoroughly enjoyed this progress so far and am chuffed that I've actually stuck and am trying to achieve my goal, whatever that is! 

Every time anyone comments or follows me on a post, I gain a wave of enthusiasm. To think that a real life human being somewhere in the world is reading and seemingly enjoying what I write is fantastic and I cannot thank you enough for taking some of your previous time to bother! *gives internet hug* 

Any questions you have, blogs you think I would enjoy, or ideas for blog posts then comment down below- because y'know I love me some interaction! 

Peace Out My Lovelies xxx

Track of the week: Ella Henderson- Ghost 

Summer Dreams #1

16^th June- 30^th June: Celebration

This has been a time of complete and utter relief and bewilderment at actually having free time; leading to some extensive partying. There has been celebration dinners, farewell meals, belated 18^th birthday parties and surprisingly best of all, Prom.

A High School Musical Style Jump is defiantly the way to declare your exams are officially over 

I have got a Nando’s card, drunk too much, stayed up too late, danced the night away, chatted endlessly to strangers, played truth or dare and watched the sun rise. In hindsight I have had a great time after finishing exams and sadly all these events have reinforced how much I will miss the friendships that will inevitably not last.

These celebrations have given me time to chill, have actual entertaining time with my pals and the ability to act a fool. So if you have the chance to throw a house party (obviously with the permission of your parents or house mates) then defiantly do it because I guarantee you’ll have a hoot! And if you do decide to live out the partying dream then go down a different avenue to normal and play some old school tunes! At my prom most of the night we played ‘primary school hits’ such as, YMCA, Cotton Eye Joe and 5,6,7,8; which got everyone from students to teachers on their feet making an unforgettable evening.

If anyone was wondering my Prom dress is by a brand called 'Virgos Lounge' which has its own website and is also sold on asos

Another summer suggestion would be to watch the sun rise. In my case this was completely accidental because I attended an all-nighter house party but, I was so excited (and relieved) to see the sun rise at 5:30am. Although, it was slightly disappointing- lacking the pretty colours and shapes seen in the movies or Instagram- there was a sense of reassurance and joy. Something I would defiantly recommend getting up early for.

I think we might have taken the final pose to 'Best Song Ever' a little to seriously? 

I feel this post may have made me sound far cooler than I actually am and although I shall maintain I am fabulous, I can almost guarantee that ‘Summer Dreams #2’will probably be a lot calmer. What have you been up to in recent holidays, I would love to get some fun ideas!

Peace Out My Lovelies xxx

Summer Memory Track: Social Casualty- 5 Seconds of Summer 

Summer Dreams

The summer holidays have officially arrived for those of us in the UK who have finished exams. I think I can state this for myself and everyone in my year that the summer holidays have been our focus point since about January. They were a source of hope, happier and care free times during the never ending cycle of homework, coursework and exams. But, now that I basically have 3 months of not doing much, I feel at a bit of a loss.

Yes, I have a part-time job, driving lessons, parties, birthdays and just general chilling with my friends to pack my life with but, there is also the fact that I watched the whole first series of Games of Thrones in about 4 days (its bloody brilliant if you were wondering.) I can’t help but twiddle my thumbs and wonder what I’m meant to do on those quiet days when I no longer have a distinctive overwhelming focus in my life. I’m currently in a period of limbo of having completed my exams and waiting till the dreaded results day in August to see if I get the results I need to get into university.

As I’ve mentioned before, people always tell you that being ‘young’ is the best part of your life and although I shall always disagree, believing that life is what you make it, I still want to make the most of these extensive holidays because it is unlikely that I will ever be in this marvellous situation again; in terms of money, friendships, time and freedom.

The holidays are always full of distinctive highs, I can already list a series of highlights in the 2 weeks I’ve been free but, as lame as this sounds it can be very hard to find ‘fun’ or ‘different’ things to make life long memories. Don’t get me wrong just hanging around a friend’s house or sitting in the park can defiantly lead to incredible times but, they can often become repetitive and my summer currently has as much structure as this blog post (aka not much)

 So if you guys have any ideas of fun things to do whether they are big or small please let me know! I am all for trying new things- going on adventures, becoming creative or being as whacky as can be but, I need some help to fulfil my summer dreams. I reckon we can help each other out! Perhaps if we all post about fun summer experiences throughout the holidays, whenever they occur, we can then all have different ideas and influence each other having a grand old time.

I may start a weekly events update, so I can hopefully give you guys some ideas and you guys give me some ideas but, don’t hold you breathe because I will probably give up!

Peace Out My Lovelies xxx

Track of the week: ‘End Up Here’ from 5 Seconds of Summer’s debut self-titled album which I cannot actually believe is out to the world and you lads should defiantly check out!