Nails of the Day

Help girliessss! Hope you're all having a good week and you're surviving this chilly (bloody freezing) weather! Today's post is quite a simple, but I love nail polish too much to resist.

The colour I'm wearing on the picture above is Nude Beige by Model's Own. This is such a perfect shade for this season; it's on-trend but is quite pale and muted, unlike the usual forest greens and burgundys we all wear. I like to wear this as a bit of a change from my usual black nails in winter! I especially love this Models Own one as it is gorgeously shiny without having any shimmer to it, as well as lasting for ages. These sell for £5 at Boots, but Nails Inc do a similar one (Shade Caramel) for £11! I know which one I'd prefer ;) 

Hope you all have a great week!

Love, Emma

"All of our dreams can come true if we only have the courage to pursue them" 

Friday's Feelings

Hello my lovelies, how are you all today? Hope you're all great and you've had a good week! I've been off college this week since it's my October half term, so I've spent a few days relaxing before getting my head stuck into all the work I've been set :( is it just my college where teachers think one week off = one month in college. I've been set more work for this week than I usually would in a month! Arghhhhhh!! 

Anyway, in other news - I got a job! Woohoooo! I am now (once again) an employee of Debenham's! Like last year, it's just a Christmas temp position, but I'm praying I might be kept on. I'm really excited about it because I need money to pay for Zante, buy Christmas presents and just for general day-to-day life. I love Debenhams because not only do I enjoy my work, but the discount is quite good too, and I get it off the cosmetics brands like benefit, urban decay and even mac! 

Finally, here's a few pictures (mainly/only consisting of food) to summarise my past week! 

Homemade pumpkin spice latte, just like starbucks! Comment if you'd like a recipe post... 

Red lipstick probs... 

Nothing even to say about this, I regret nothing. 

I went to a drive in cinema to watch captain Philipps! (And then had to be rescued by the AA because my car battery died)

Hope you've all ha a great week - let's make this an even better one! 

Love, Emma 

"Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end." 

The Body Shop Haul

Helloooooo! Today I have another haul for you guys, and it's from The Body Shop! I was in there the other day to buy some shower gel for my sister, and I decided to pick up a few things to myself as a little treat at the end of my first day in work, woooo! Anyway, I got a new Love Your Body card while I was in there, so I got 10% off, plus I got a free shower gel! Bargain ;)

White Musk Libertine Body Wash (RRP £6.50, I recieved it as a free gift for signing up for a card)

Pink Grapefruit Shower Gel (RRP £12.00, but I got it at 50% off so it was only £6!)

Pink Grapefruit Lip Balm (£4)

I absolutely adore the pink grapefruit scent from The Body Shop, it's really fruity and not too chemical-smelling. I hate the scent of the Neutrogena Pink Grapefruit range, but this is much nicer. I find the shower gel lathers well, and the lip balm is really moisturising.

(please excuse the incredibly unflattering picture which makes my nose look huge hahaha)

This is what the lip balm looks like on, as you can see it just gives a light pink sheen. This is probably my favourite lip balm ever as it is very moisturising but not too heavy or sticky. Delicious!

Finally, I got this body wash as a free gift for becoming a Body Shop member, so I've not had a chance to try it, but if you'd like to see a review then let me know and I will do one as soon as I've used it a few times! So far, it smells nice but not very strong, however I think that paired with the perfume it should be great. 

I hope you enjoyed this little haul, if you did then let me know in the comments! I'd love to chat to some of you :)

Love, Emma!

"Help... Alcohol?!"

Hello again! Welcome back to another "Help..." episode, the next one in our little series. Today I'm going to be focusing on one of the massive problems that all teenagers face - the pressure to drink. This is a really tricky subject to be honest, and it's something that affects every person at some point in their life. For me, it wasn't until I was 16/17 that I was faced with this, but I know others can deal with it when they're as young as 12. It's also something I feel pretty strongly about because I feel that nobody should ever be pressured to do anything they don't want to do, but especially not drinking. I don't know why, but it just really bugs me. 

HAHAHA how funny is this cheesy little picture I found while googling? Sassy.

"If they try to pressure you into things, they're not true friends"

Okay, everybody says this, and to an extent, it's absolutely true. If your friends are really pressuring you to do things that you're not comfortable with, trying to force you to drink against your will or purposely mocking you/leaving you out if you don't want to. In this case, it is true that they're not proper friends, and you should tell them to piss right off and find some better friends. Simple as.

However, sometimes the best friends can act like idiots. For example, you and your friends may all be going to a party and they're all planning on getting absolutely "smashed", "shit faced" or "rotten", whatever the lingo is for you. You might mention you don't fancy getting too drunk, or you might not be drinking as much as them, and suddenly they're making little jokes all night about you being a 'bore' or a 'party pooper'. They're only joking and they don't mean to hurt your feelings, but it's still annoying and it can feel like you need to drink to fit in. If this is the case, try to explain to your friends (or maybe just one close friend, who can stick up for you in the future) why you don't want to drink so much. Whether it's because you don't enjoy being drunk, you prefer being tee-total, you don't like the taste... I'm sure that if you explain, they'll understand. I had a similar problem with my friends, but I simply explained that drinking could make my anxiety a lot worse, so I preferred not to. As soon as I explained, they understood!

How to deal in social situations when you're not drinking!

1. Choose an approach - either own the fact that you don't drink; show you're proud of it and nobody will question you, or just don't speak about it. If you're drinking Diet Coke at a party, most people will assume it's got vodka or something in it.

2. Leading on from this, if you feel like people won't understand why you're not drinking, don't tell them! Drink Diet Coke or Lemonade, and nobody will question whether you've got alcohol in it

3. Never drink just to show off/impress people. It's not worth it, because at the end of the day, you'll just regret it, and they won't even remember. You won't impress them, you'll just look like a tit when you get so drunk that you sing karaoke at the top of your voice in front of everyone (fun with friends, embarrassing alone)

4. Don't ever pretend to be drunk!! I can't stress this enough, but if there's one thing that everyone hates, it's the girl that staggers around with a WKD in her hand pretending to be off her face when in actual fact she's still on her first drink.

5. You don't have to drink to fit in. Ever.

If you are going to drink

I thought I'd also give you some tips if you are going to drink, since a lot of teenagers choose to. While I don't encourage teen drinking, I'm also not against it, so I'd rather give you some tips to remain safe while you're drinking!

1. Only drink with good friends. This may sound weird, but it's actually quite important in my opinion. When you're drunk, your judgement is a look poorer, and you can make some pretty stupid decisions. You need friends around you who will help you make better decisions, stop you from drinking too much, or help you out if you do!

2. Learn your limits. Everybody needs to drink too much at some point in order to learn your limits. You don't know how much alcohol you can handle until you've had too much. However, once you know, try and stick to it. For example, I know that I'm a lightweight, while my best friend is like a tank so I drink one drink for every two that she does!

3. Go to the bar with anybody who's buying you a drink. Again, sounds ridiculous but if somebody offers to buy you a drink while you're out - go with them. This means that they can't spike your drink, since you'll be standing right next to them. Sound paranoid, but it's better to be safe.

4. Don't go off on your own when you're drunk. Self explanatory really, don't go off alone when you're drunk and vulnerable. This applies for friends too - look out for each other and try not to leave them on their own either!

5. Finally, drink a pint of water before you go to bed. Trust me, it wards off a hangover and you'll be very glad of it in the morning.

Whether you guys decide to drink or not, make sure it's your own decision, and you're keeping yourself safe! If you have any questions for my next "Help..." episode, please let me know!

Love, Emma! 

My Autumn Essentials

Hello my lovelies! How is your week going? Hope it's going well for you, and that you're not too cold... it's flipping freezing up North where I live! I can't decide how I feel about it - I love autumn as I've said, and I do prefer the cold whether to the hot, but when I'm standing at the bus stop every morning I'm not too sure! Anyway, I thought that today I'd like to post about the essential products that are getting me through these cold months, since I love reading these kinds of posts. I hope you enjoy my essentials, and let me know in the comments what your essentials are!

• First of all - candles. Candles are the best thing about Autumn, I think, because not only do they smell delicious, but they also give your room such a homely/comfy feeling. My favourite one has to be Vanilla Cupcake by Yankee Candle, which is beautifully sweet and the scent lingers for such a long time. The burner above is also from Yankee, and I recieved it as a gift for passing my driving test in June. You put one of the tarts in the top, and then just a simple tealight underneath. (Tart £1.25, Burner £6.65, both Yankee Candle.)
• Next, moisturiser! I love this Soap&Glory Smoothie Star Body Milk, because it smells of delicious honey and almonds, which is a perfect warm scent for winter. It's also a great consistency, because it's thick enough to be really moisturising, but it doesn't feel heavy or leave your skin feeling sticky. (£10, Boots)
• My next favourite product is this bath and shower gel, That Vanilla Moment by Treacle Moon. This smells a little like the Vanilla Cupcake candle I mentioned above, and is such a lovely thing to use a burning hot shower at the end of a cold day. However, not only is it a body wash, but you can also pour it into the bath to make a bubble bath! (£3, Tesco)
• And now, last but not least, is a yummy body spray - and yet again it's vanilla scented. Sorrynotsorry. Anyway, the perfume I'm talking about is The Body Shop Vanilla Body Mist. It's a very light fragrance, so it's easy to wear for day-to-day use, but I've recieved so many compliments while I'm wearing it. If you want a little bit of winter in a bottle, you've got it right here. (£7.50, The Body Shop)

So, onwards and upwards! Ignore the candle, I couldn't resist keeping it in the second picture too.

• Next up, it's really important to keep all your skin moisturised, and that includes your face. I like to use the Simple Replenishing Rich Moisturiser, because it's really hydrating but it doesn't feel too heavy on my skin. The cold weather and the wind can leave our skin feeling pretty battered, but this really helps to sort it out! (£3-3.50, all drugstores)
• The next two products are both lip products, so I'll squeeze them into the same bullet point. Anyway, there are two important types of lip products - the ones that moisturise and the ones that add colour. For moisturising, I love the Maybelline Babylips, especially in Peach Kiss or Pink Punch. They're very hydrating, but they also add a tint of colour. I bring these to college and they're really easy to apply throughout the day without a mirror. I really want to get the red one too, since at the moment I only have the two above shades. My next favourite lip look in winter is red lips! My favourite red lipstick has got to be the Miss Sporty Perfect Colour Lipstick in Malaga, because it lasts for so long, and is a super pigmented colour. I can put this on in the morning before going to college, and it can last for most of the day. So if you're looking for the perfect red lip, this is the one for you. (Maybelline Babylips, £2.99; Miss Sporty Lipstick, £2.59, both all drugstores)
• Finally, I couldn't help but through in my favourite winter films - Bridget Jones' Diaries! These are the best films to watch while you're snuggled up in your onesie under a duvet on the sofa, drinking hot chocolate and eating a tub of Ben&Jerry's (just me?)

I hope you enjoyed this post, let me know what you thought in the comments!

Love, Emma 

Roomspiration

For most people, but especially teenagers, your bedroom is a haven. Your bedroom is the only part of you house that is truly yours, where you can be alone and just gather your own thoughts. So it's important that it's a really comfortable and enjoyable place to me. I actually really like my bedroom, however I love seeing other rooms and getting ideas! These are a few of my favourite images I found on Pinterest, so I hope you enjoy!

Love, Emma

"Help! I've got no close friends..."

Hello and welcome to the first installment of "Help...", which is - as you probably guessed - an advice series!

Today's issue is surrounding friends, and more namely, what happens when you have no close friends. Firstly, there are a few reasons you may have no close friends, so let's take a closer look! 

You have friends, but you have nothing in common

I'm addressing this issue first, since it is the one I have the most experience with, as it is something I'm going through at the moment. I have lots of wonderful friends in my school, but we just don't "click". When we're in college, we have fun together, but outside college? We never speak! Occasionally we'll go out together, but it usually ends it me feeling pretty left out while everyone laughs at their inside jokes. There are kind of two ways to deal with this scenario, depending on your circumstances. 

Grin and bear it - if you're in college, or only have a few months left of school, and you don't want the hassle of making new friends, you can just grin and bear it. This is what I do, and since I have close friends from outside college, it really doesn't bother me. At the end of the day, school is about education, and if you nee to spend a few months living in the library, it might be shitty, but your results won't be! 

Look for new friends - this is a harder task, but it is probably the better option. If it gets to the point where you really think you has nothing in common at all, look for new friends! Join a club or society (I know everyone says this but it's true!) to meet people with the same interests as you, or just strike up a conversation with a classmate. It's terrifying, but at the end of the day, what's the worst that could happen? They ignore you. Big woop! Who cares?! 

You have no friends

The advice for this is kind of similar to the above advice: either put up with it or look for friends. However, it's often not that simple. Why do you have no friends? 

People just don't like you - sometimes there's a reason people don't like you, usually there's not. It might be that they're intimidated because you're smarter, prettier... Or maybe they just think you're "weird" because you're different (nothing wrong with that, I can't count how many times I've been called weird!). If this is the case, you need to just keep trying. I know it's hard but just keep trying to start conversations, smiling at people, try joining clubs to meet people with similar interests. 

You have a reputation (which you earned!) - the problem with school is that mistakes follow us. Maybe you were a bully in year 6, or maybe you got around a bit in year 9. Whatever the reason for your reputation, it's lead to you losing friends. This is a hard situation, because once people have made their minds up, it's hard to change them. Start by apologising to people that you hurt, or to old friends. If they can forgive you and befriend you again, then soon everyone else will too. If not, while I don't think running away from problems is a good idea, if you have the option of moving to a new college after your gcses, or going to uni after college - take it. A fresh start, where nobody knows your mistakes, is perfect. 

You push people away

This is another thing I do a lot. Sometimes, for whatever reason, you don't let people get close to you. The problem is, in order to change this, you need to see why you push them away. Often it's due to insecurities, or because you're afraid of letting people see the real you and disappointing them. Sometimes, it's because we have a secret that we don't want people to find out. 

Unfortunately, this isn't something I can give generic advice for, as it really depends on your own situation. However, if you would like advice, feel free to leave a question in the comments or email me at typicalteentimes@gmail.com

I hope this post was helpful, and has given you some tips on forging stronger friendships. Remember - the majority of people go trough periods in their life where they don't have many friends, or feel lonely and insecure, so it just means that you're normal! Friends are great, but you can get by without thousands of them. Sometimes you only need one friend, and that might be a sister, a parent or a cousin. 

If you have any questions, leave them in the comments or email typicalteentimes@gmail.com 

Love, 

Emma!