Finishing University!

Three years ago I started my Criminology degree at University, soooo I thought I had quite a lot of time to decide what I actually want to do afterwards... I now have 6 weeks left and have pretty much no idea. I know that some people can get quite worried once they finish and don't really have a clear direction of where they want to go or what they want to be doing, but I think that's quite natural and that quite a lot of people feel that way after they have finished a part of their lives whether they have been to university or not.

I have a couple of ideas as to what career I would like to get into, but the question was whether I want to be jumping into a full-time job straight away, because I've heard many times that if you put off going travelling you will probably never get round to it. I've got a few ideas as to what I will do when I'm back: finding a full-time job to gather some money together whlist looking for something more suited to me in the meantime, or I would like to look into a graduate scheme in Buying & Merchandising as for some the entry requirements are any type of degree qualification. Hopefully I should have a degree in 6 weeks.

So I came to the decision that I wanted to look into going to America after I finish, this is when I came across 'Camp Leaders' which is very similar to Camp America. This is where you work in a children's summer camp for three months and are given the opportunity to travel around America afterwards. So, I got through the interview stages for this, but after a while came to the decision that it wouldn't really be for me as I was something I had always talked about doing with my family and boyfriend and that it wouldn't really be the same. I decided that I would hold off on America until I could go on a long holiday travelling with my family and this led to me looking into visiting my family in Australia. I thought that I could stay there for the same amount of time as Camp Leaders, but I would get to do it with my family. However, dates started to become an issue as I have to make sure I can fit it around their available dates which were a bit soon for me to save enough. SO, that's also been put on hold until next year.

I was going to just give up on the travel idea and just have a week somewhere in Europe, but then we were lucky enough to be presented with an opportunity to live in New Zealand for three months! This is because the company my boyfriend works for want to send him out there to work in the New Zealand Branch. Which is just kind of perfect because I will get to spend time exploring and lots of time together at weekends which we haven't had for about 2 years due to my work. I am so excited to be going there and I have done lots of research into the different types of activities I can do, such as Skydiving, Wildlife Safaris etc. I've put some pictures of the place where we will be living (Wanaka) and I really can't wait.

Wanaka - New Zealand

 Lake Wanaka - New Zealand

I think that there are lots of different options to choose from after you finish University or any Full-time education and I think you just have to look into these ideas until you find what feels right for you.
When I return I'm going to look into the job ideas I have, but just see where that takes me really, but I think the best approach to take is just not to panic; as it takes time to find the option that's right for you. I think that a person should take the time to do the things that will make them happy, rather than trying to please everyone else. If there is something you want to do you should go for it, as we only get once chance. I also found a quote that I thought was quite nice (I just love quotes).

I believe that half the trouble in the world, comes from people asking 'What have I achieved' rather than 'What have I enjoyed'.

I've also listed some links to the ideas mentioned incase anyone is looking for inspiration!

Camp Leaders Website: http://www.campleaders.com/gb/
Camp America: http://campamerica.co.uk/
Trek Amercia (Help planning travelling around America) : http://www.trekamerica.co.uk/
Get Australia Website (Help working in Australia): http://www.getaustralia.com/
Graduate Schemes In The UK: http://targetjobs.co.uk/graduate-schemes

Amy x

2013 and Starting 2014

So the end of 2013 turned out to be extremely rubbish for me, with the loss of someone very special and since then it's been all been a bit of a blur.  I thought I would start by writing about the things I've been up to as it's been like 20 years since we last posted.

Christmas was different but I had a lovely day with my family, and also got some nice new clothes which I have been loving! Most of all my coat from Zara which I think was around £90.00 but I'm not 100% sure, it's a lovely over-sized coat that is a camel/brown colour with a navy collar and I just wear it with everything, probably everyday... definitely obsessed with it. I like to wear it with a tartan top I bought from Topshop as the reds in the top go really well with it and there 'leigh' dark blue jeans.

I also got a really pretty pink and cream, patterned dress which was from Primark, but as it was a gift I'm not entirely sure on price, it goes well with big cardigans and I think it's a really flattering shape and length. I also grabbed a nice Aztec cardigan from Primark, which I LURVE. It clips at the top so I think it looks really nice on as it doesn't do up completely so shows everything else you're wearing too.

Christmas Day

I always think Urban Outfitters have some amazing clothes but I don't really look at the shoes much which evidently I should, as I went in to use a gift voucher and ended up buying some heeled boots. Annnnnnd they are my favourite shoes ever. I would say they are casual wear not really for formal occasions, they are black lace up boots with the website describing them as '90s-inspired chunky high heels with a deep tread'. I would say they kind of resemble army boots, but I just love them and never want to take them off. They are chunky but not too chunky or high.
This is the link to the site, because everyone just needs some Urban Outfitter footwear in their lives.

http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/uk/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=5319432524306&parentid=WOMENS-SHOES-EU

Moving onto New Years, normally something weird or bad happens on New Years for me, but this year I actually had a really great time! I went to a fancy dress party and the theme was 'what you wanted to be when you grew up'. Well, I wanted to be Ariel from 'The Little Mermaid' sooooo I went as Ariel haha. Everything I wore was just from ebay because I didn't fancy spending too much and all together only cost about £10.00.
I'm still angry about this and I probably shouldn't be, but I ordered my red wig weeks before EXPRESS delivery, and it just didn't show until two days after NYE, which made it useless. Instead I had to spray my hair red, which isn't really a good idea when you are wearing a strapless top because it made my chest and neck look bright red. Nice. But I actually think the outfit came together well for a cheap costume. Rather than wearing a purple shell bra (awkward) I used a pink Sequin crop top, and for the Mermaid fin/tail I just used an extra long green pencil skirt.

New Years Eve Fancy Dress - Ariel The Little Mermaid

For an added accessory I made a starfish necklace, from paper mache and ribbon, which I then painted with Wilkinson's tester paint pots.
The starfish was definitely my favourite part.

Current Favourites

EOS Honeysuckle Honeydew Lip Balm:
I'd been wanting to purchase one of these Lip balms for a while so when I saw them in New York for $3.00 I just had to try one. They were in all the pharmacies and there was a wide range of colours, flavours and scents to choose from. I decided on Honeysuckle Honeydew, this being the Lip Balm in the Green case and I have just been loving it. It really hydrates my lips and sinks into them nicely, I love the scent and flavour so I'm really glad I decided on the Honeysuckle Balm. I also think the shape of the case is very cute, plus it fits nicely into my normal handbag and my mini satchel too.

Zara Leggings

There was no way I couldn't include these in my favourites, I think I wear them as often as is considered acceptable (i.e. every day bar a few so that people didn't think they were the only bit of clothing I owned). Usually I hate leggings, mostly because a lot of girls nowadays seem to wear basically see-through ones and not much else and I just don't think it's a good look, but these are really thick and tight fitting. They have a wide, stretchy waist band and panels down the side of each leg to make them a little different.

Soleil Tan De Chanel Bronzing Makeup Base (Bronze Universal):
I have re-purchased this about 3 times since first buying it, and it is one of my favourite ever products, I don't use it as a make up base but instead as a creamy Bronzer which it is perfect for. I've been loving this particularly this month because after cutting down on the fake tan for autumn and winter it just adds a slightly bronzed look so I don't look completely flushed out! You can make this really subtle just so that it gives you a little colour, it is applied so easily and blends into your foundation really well. 

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain

Obviously everyone knows the obsession with the new lip crayon-balm-stain-glosses and this one is my favourite, called Darling Cherie. It's a gorgeous purple, which sounds a little unusual in a way but it looks incredible on. On top of that it isn't sticky or greasy and smells of mint which I personally love!

Liz Earle Signature Lip stick - Tea Rose:
I have been loving this lipstick! Its a really pretty colour that I think is great for going into spring, it's sort of a dark pink shade, similar to 'beehive' by Topshop. Its so moisturising and I don't find myself having to re-apply it that often which makes a nice change. I received this lipstick as a gift and the packaging was really cute, with the lipstick being inside a pretty purple star, so that just added to my excitement! Overall I really want to re-purchase this as I love how glossy it leaves your lips and I think the colour is great as a more neutral/pink shade to make a nice change from all the dark reds and plums I had been wearing for autumn and winter.

H&M Tartan Scarf:
I had been looking for a tartan scarf for a while, and I tried all the usual shops and couldn't find anything close enough to what I had pictured. I did find one in Urban Outfitters that I quite liked but it had more cream in it than red so I didn't really like it as much. But, H&M had exactly what I had in mind a lovely red tartan pattern with some pretty blues and burgundy colours in there. It is a perfect length as you can just wear it around the shoulders without it being too long, but you can also wrap it around your neck if you wanted to. The material is so cosy and warm whichever way you wear it, making it perfect for winter and it goes with almost anything, Tartan is very popular at the moment so I'm glad I managed to find what I was looking for and I'm sure I will be wearing it crazy amounts in December aswell.


Topshop Lipstick - Hazard:
I love this colour and I've been wearing it pretty much every day since I bought it, I have a thing for Topshop lipsticks anyway I find them very moisturising and I think the colours come out really great. They have such a wide range that it took me a while to decide on 'hazard' but I am so glad that I picked it up! Its a lovely deep red that has been going great with my new scarf and hat, some of the really dark shades I feel less confident wearing as I feel a bit washed out but this colour is not too dark but has a warm feel to it. It also goes nicely with some of my new spring outfits as it isn't to dark or too much.

Topshop Bowler Hat:
Hats, I just love hats and this is my most recent hat purchase! I was really annoyed at myself as after finishing my 2nd year at uni last summer, I misplaced my bowler hat and have been searching ever since. I decided I just needed to buy another and after running around each store trying them all out I decided on one from Topshop! It was £25.00 and i think it makes a perfect accessory to any outfit, especially with it being black which can go with anything. I've been wearing it with dungarees, dresses, my cardigan (obviously) etc. I found that some of the other hates wear slightly too big for what i was looking for or I wasn't completely happy with how they sat, but this one is slightly square and It just makes me happy when I wear it, because I'm a hat freak. Everybody should go and purchase some kind of hat for the new season, hats hats hats.

Makeup Forever Smoky Lash Mascara:
I mentioned this mascara in my November shopping haul, and I've been wearing it everyday. It adds both length and volume, is very easy to build on and I love the finished look. I find you really don't need to apply much for it to make an amazing difference to your lashes, plus I haven't experienced any lashes clumping together at all which has been a problem I find with other mascaras. This is definitely my favourite mascara ever, I will be re-purchasing it as soon as it runs out!