Food, or not food? That is the question

Check out these cool pouches from DCI Yummy Pocket




Here I've picked out three of my favourites but they also come in burger, tacos, ice cream sandwich and sushi flavours :)

Find them on Amazon

Top buy: Wacom Bamboo pen tablet

So after a few months of pondering, I finally purchased the Wacom bamboo tablet in February

I always liked the idea of owning a graphic tablet just for the purpose of drawing but I wasn't too sure if it was worth getting just for that alone. So since doing a creative module at university I had an excuse. Obviously for someone who has never owned a graphic tablet or knows anyone who does, I was self responsible for doing some research.

Wacom seemed like the best option in terms of brand as I read some positive reviews. Also it's worth checking forums to view feedback from professional artists and tech-geeks. I also turned to YouTube for some help for better judgement on size, contents and general movements of the tablet.

So yes, after reading such reviews it seemed that I had two options: Wacom pen tablet and Wacom pen and touch tablet.

What's the difference you may ask?

Well firstly the price. Pen tablet is under £50 whereas the Pen and Touch is around £70 so for a beginner I think anything below 50 had to be the better option. Also the pen and touch is multi-touch meaning that you can use your fingers to navigate too but I didn't really see the appeal in that. It also has an eraser on the end of the pen which the pen tablet version does not however that's not a huge issue for me either.

ANYWAYS...

So I bought the ordinary pen tablet and I have to say, I LOVE IT
Honestly the best purchase I've made yet. It was around £40-43 on Amazon with free shipping, and on top of that I had a £5 voucher to sweeten the deal.

The box comes with the tablet (of course), the pen, spare nibs/leads (because they naturally wear down over time), installation disk and an art software (although I prefer to use Sketchbook Pro!!)

The tablet itself is super sleek and classy looking with a lovely neon/lime green coloured back which I think gives the product a bit of aesthetic personality. Then pen feels good in the hands and has two handy buttons on the side in which the function of those buttons can be customised. (Mine is left click and scrolling)

As well as being a tool for drawing, the tablet can also be an alternative to using a mouse or touchpad as you can use the pen to essentially navigate around your PC screen, and so some designers actually prefer this option.

In terms of drawing I find that it is just as important to find the right art software to use. I was not so fond of the one that came along with the tablet (Art Rage) as I didn't like the interface. My friend recommended Sketchbook Pro as you can save files to be compatible with Photoshop since we needed to do Photoshop work for our creative module.

Here are a few examples of some of the work that I've created in Sketchbook:

 


So in conclusion, if anyone is looking to buy their first graphics tablet then I would highly recommend the Wacom Bamboo pen tablet even if you just want it to make random drawings then GO FOR IT!

Tardis sweater? YES please

The noise that came out of my mouth when I saw this

    Wicked Clothes

Like how can it get any more awesome then that? Urgh I would so get it but postage will be around £10 and I'm the type of person who'll get stingy if postage is £3 ...

Converting it from dollars it'll cost around £25 which is not crazy but it's still too much for me, and raises the question on how much do I really want it? But hey, I did spend almost £30 on that Statemeant hoodie which I hardly wear anyway...

Teenage Skincare

Sadly I am at the final stage of my teenage years, but at least I can share some of my current skincare advice and recommendations.

Before I start, I'll want to clarify my skin type as we all know that every teenager (and pretty much everyone else) has different conditions. My skin is a combination (meaning both oily and dry - T-zone areas) and I'm prone to outbreak more on my chin, forehead and annoyingly the bit of area on the left side of my cheek!

So, first things first; my trusty Garnier collection:

Acquiring these products within the same brand was a complete coincidence. Either way I am pleased to say they do work!

So firstly, I use Garnier deep clean foam wash in the mornings and evenings

It is incredibly light and lathers up really nicely. It leaves a refreshing effect once washed off and pat dry.












In the evenings I would pat toner across my T-zone  then finish off with night gel


The night gel is actually empty now but I've kept the tube for when I remember to ask my mum to buy me more. However since then, I went back to using my Astral cream.


Recently I got my hands on this:

I have no idea what 'Hautklar' means but I believe that on the box it said to be a moisturiser, and so I have been using this now after I wash my face.

I can safely say that my skin has calmed down (after being hit with an outbreak) or maybe that's just a psychological thing? Either way, I am seeing some improvements but I guess you can't fight off everything.

The last Garnier product that I will talk about are these roll ons:

  If there is anything that you should get from this list, it would have to be the roll on. The one on the left acts a little bit like concealer although it does not hide everything, but it reduces the redness whilst containing properties to fight the spots. A very good product for younger teenagers who probably wouldn't benefit as much if they just caked their spots in makeup.

The second roll on is a clear, gel like product. It works more effectively than the tinted one. Both products cool the affected areas and make a huge difference in terms of redness and swelling.



Ok, now moving on from the Garnier face range; I want to also show some of the other products that I like to alternate between:

Aside from Astral, the other products are mainly used for the rest of the body.

The Hydralock bottle also happens to be another Garnier product! This is great for using after having a shower because it's light and absorbs right in without leaving a sticky finish.

This body butter from the Body Shop was gifted to me by a friend (thank you J!) If you have had the pleasure of testing out any of their products then you'd know how amazing they smell. I also used this for some time after showers when I feel like I want to have something fragranced.
It's got a lovely, thick texture and smells like a fruity yogurt.

This Johnson's hand cream does wonders for dry hands! A few months ago I was suffering from a gross 'shredding' process all over my hands, fingers especially, and it was so embarrassing to be in public in that state. So I stared using this and it was such a life saver! Also perfect to carry around in your pocket as I so often had to.












Last but not least; these that the wipes that I like to use for not only removing makeup, but when I feel like my face needs a bit more cleansing without the hassle of splashing my face with water.

Again I like to alternate between products. I like to use the L'Oreal wipes for make up (eye make up usually) and the Tea Tree wipes for the cleansing moments. Not a huge much to say on these products other than that they do their job which is what matters most right?


:)

Keeping up with 2013?

Some of us were probably wondering where 2012 went as it flew by incredibly fast; now we're already saying hello to the month of February and almost goodbye to winter!

So what's happening to those new years resolutions? No matter where we are in the new year, it's never too late to start. 

Right now it seems that everyone has goals to exercise more (but some of us know where how that'll turn out!) On Monday my mum and I brought out an old Cindy Crawford workout tape (Yes, VHS!) and I have to say, that felt pretty brutal although when watching as a bystander, it doesn't look like much. Obviously I wasn't used to stretching my limbs in such a manner for quite some time so I believe I'm forgiven :)

Oh boyy did I feel the burn the next morning!! However a couple of painkillers later, I was feeling much better and able to get through uni pain free. The next challenge is continuity of the workout until I don't feel pain no more! So far I am shamefully slacking but the determination is still burning (so are my leg muscles)

My first ever fanvid

Last Tuesday one of my most loved tv shows, Merlin (and it's characters) ended. For good :(
So I made a little tribute to the bromance of the show's main characters

Song: Life After You by Daughtry

Upgrade your bedroom for free!

So recently I have been watching those 'Room Tour' videos on YouTube and it just makes me inspired to do my room up too. However some of us are not as lucky to be given a budget for this kind of thing so what do we do? We improvise with the things that we already have!

So I wanted those wall cubes for my room and after some searching around they're typically around £15-£40 BUT I recently found that the lid of an old (gift) box is the perfect alternative:

The next thing is using these pretty glass pebbles typically used in vases) to fill up old chocolate trays like the ones I have here. I found these pebbles in a big bag for just £1 in the pound shop

Do you struggle to find ways of storing all your skin care products? 

Well I used the bottom of this Soap and Glory gift set that I was given. I love the retro collage and I think fits well with my beauty theme

More tray ideas: here I have my perfume boxes, I took the perfumes out for display and the lotion in the soap and glory tray. This DKNY box is really nice on the inside and will make a really useful tray whereas the lid will act as a decorate stand for my perfumes!

Now for the wall area around my mirror I decided to stick this Marc Jacob flower cutout. You can find stuff this this in the fragrance section in department stores where they have decorative cards for you to sample their perfumes on. 

 

My next idea is to use old make up products as decoation. Here I have these really cool lip glosses in the shape of chunky crayons. I just stuck them on the wall with the Glue Dots which are very strong and secure.

 You can use your wall hangings to decoratively keep things like clips and broaches. Here I've also put my mustache glasses on :)

More storage idea for jewellery-This gift box

Finally you can use these cute little net pouches that usually come with bits of jewellery. I'm guessing they're also pretty cheap online too. You can use them to keep any electronic equip or anything that needs to be kept secure and tidy