Piercings♡

Like most people these days I have a few piercings. I understand that some people really do not like the look of piercings or the thought of the pain...personally I like piercings but I know I wouldn't suit having loads. In total I have 6 piercings- all of which I am pleased I got and do not regret any.

Deciding to get a piercing is a big decision, especially for facial piercings, therefore I would strongly researching the piercing you are wanting in depth before getting it and being 100% sure it is what you want. Yes, with piercings does come the idea of the pain of it but I would say that if the only thing stopping you getting a piercing is the pain it may give- I would say go for it because from my experience the pain isn't bad at all, it only lasts a second and it will be worth it.

Obviously, everyone is different so everyone has different pain tolerance, personally my pain tolerance is very high and I 'have a problem with needles or anything like that. This post is just going to be about what piercings I have, pain levels (in my opinion), how I got it pierced and healing. Again, this is just from my personal experience.

In total I have six piercings: my first and second piercings on my lobes, my right cartilage and the left of my nose.

Starting off with my first piercing, my first lobe piercing. I had this done when I was 8 at Claire's. it was done with a gun. As this was done a long while ago, I 'really remember what the pain was like but I would say about a 4/10. I was given a cleaning solution and was told to keep them in for 6 weeks- I have never had any trouble with them.

The second piercing I had done was my second lobe piercing. I had this done when I was about 13, again at Claire's with a gun. I don't know why but this piercing hurt more than the first ones, about a 5/10. I did have slight trouble with this piercing getting caught and hurting if I caught it but nothing major.

The third piercing I had done was my right Cartilage. I watched so many videos on YouTube about cartilage piercings (something I wouldn't suggest doing) to decide if I wanted it done with a needle or gun. I knew that if you had it done with a gun there is a chance it can shatter your cartilage, but I went ahead and got it pierced with a gun, again at Claire's. I was 14 at the time. This piercing didn't hurt AT ALL, I would rate it a 1/10- I didn't feel a thing and my cartilage didn't shatter. I looked after it properly and changed it from a stud to a hoop about 11 months after getting it done.

My fourth, and most recent piercing, was the left side of my nose. The reason I chose the left side was because I had my right cartilage done and thought it would look too much all on one side. Again, I did lots of research into this and looked into it for ages. In the end I decided to get it done with a gun at a Tattooists. I was warned about the complications that can come with having it done with a gun but wanted it done anyway. This piercing was about a 2/10, it didn't hurt at all. I was 16 at the time. I was given a salt water solution and didn't have any problems with it until about a month ago. I knocked my nose stud out and made it bleed and it fell out onto the floor. I panicked and wanted to get it back in fast so didn't clean it (which was a stupid move). This caused me to get a small infection and little bump on the piercing. Luckily, I spotted it before it was too bad so have now got rid of the infection.

So this is just how I found the piercings that I have had and my personal opinion on pain and what was best to get it done with. I hoped this hs helped any of you wanting to get piercings!

Hannah x

Dealing With Exams♡

I know that many people stress about exams, me being one of them. Since I am 16 I have sat many exams. In the summer of 2014 I sat 24 exams in total for my GCSE'S.Throughout this period and the lead up to exams and study leave I was getting really anxious and worried, which when I look back on it was a complete waste of time. I came out with a total of 12 GCSE'S (2 A's, 7 B's and 3 C's). So I thought as the exam season will soon be upon us again, I thought I would share my tips on dealing with exams and exam stress with you. Although this is based upon my experience with GCSE'S it can be used for any type of tests (end of topic tests, GCSE'S, AS levels, A levels).

Revise!!!
Now this may seem like a cliché piece of advice but it is super important! I'm not going to sugar coat it and say revision is great cause it's really not and it seems like a waste of time when you do it but the results of it will be so worth it. The best way to revise is to revise in small chunks, so rather than doing 3 solid hours of a subject do the 3 hours but split it into  30 minute periods. Another good revision tip is to reward yourself with something. So lets say you're revising science- when you have learnt a certain equation and tested yourself on it and get it correct, reward yourself with something you enjoy. For example, a chocolate bar, exercise, reading a blog ;) or whatever you like. I used this technique when learning dates for history and it really helped to motivate me. Keep reminding yourself that this is just for a short while and will be so worth it in the end! Another tip is revision strategies, now this will be different for everyone. Some people like doing mind maps, others prefer flash cards and some people like watching videos. Personally the techniques that worked best for me were making big posters with all the information on, flashcards (for dates and definitions) and BBC bitesize. If you haven't used Bitesize before I would definitely recommend it- http://www.bbc.co.uk/education (it is a UK bases site).

Be positive!!!
Staying positive is one of the keys to success in my eyes. What is more likely to get you through it- moaning and being stressed and panicking or trying to stay calm and do your best? I understand that staying positive is hard but it helps not just you but those around you too! I don't fell there is any specific way to do this because everyone is different. But for me I just kept thinking about the end result, that all the work would pay off, things I had to look forward to like prom, summer, going on holiday. I also would say to myself before I went into the exam hall  "stay calm you can do it". Another way to stay positive is to smile, this also helps put you in a better mood for your exam. If you walk into the exam hall smiling it makes yo feel positive and really freaks out the other candidates which is always funny. In my opinion the main thing to stay positive is to realise that even if you don't do as well as you hoped that it isn't the end of the road and there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.

Don't converse and worry after!!!
For some people conversing with friend after the exam helps them to be positive but in my experience this is on of the worst things to do. After and exam when everyone is out and talking about answers etc,I would try and leave that area as soon as possible because I feel the worst thing you can do is talk about what you put. This is no help and creates doubt and worry- what you put is what you put and no amount of worrying and talking about it after can change your answer. You should feel confident in your answers and not care about what others put. After an exam is done, it;s done. No amount of worrying is going to change what you put or give you extra marks- so have confidence in your answer!

Exam Technique-
One thing that defiantly helped me to relax more with exams was developing a better exam technique. This allowed me to know, after the exam, that I had done everything I could which reduced my worry.
The first thing I would say, and I know it sounds silly, but read the question...twice! I had to learn this the hard way. In November 2013 I sat my an early entry for English language...I answered all the questions and finished with about 2 minutes to check my answers over. When I re-read one of the questions it asked me to only look at a certain few lines of the text not all of it...so I had done the whole question wrong and had about 1 minute to write a whole new answer! I ended up getting a C in this exam overall which wasn't too bad but I really wanted a B (which I did get in the suer of 2014). After this experience I read all the questions twice before answering and re read my answers at the end.
The next exam tip I would give is keep an eye on the time. This may not work for everyone but it certainly helped me- just every now and then keep checking the time. As most papers have the questions with the most marks at the end, you defiantly want to leave enough time for them. However, this does not mean rush through the paper, just pace yourself and go at your own pace.
The next tip I would give is if you get to a question you are stuck on, leave it and come back to it- I often found that I would know what to write later on-so don;t stress out if you get stuck!
The final tip I would give is read the front of the exam paper (if you have time) at the end of the exam. This is just to ensure you have answered the correct questions, and done everything correctly.

So, there's my tips on how to deal with exam stress- I hope they have managed to help you in some way! Please remember- I am not telling you to do these things and they may not work for everyone, but they are what helped me with exams.

For any of you taking exams soon/ this year- GOOD LUCK AND STAY CALM!

Hannah x  

Current Skin Care♡

As most teenagers keeping my skin under control can be a real difficulty. As a teenage girl myself I understand how much of a difference it can make to peoples self esteem and confidence. I have never suffered with acne or any other skin conditions personally, but I know many people who do and how they find it hard to find a product that works for them. Before I get comments and messages saying that I a no expert on skin, I know, I am just sharing what products have worked for me.

My skin is fairly oily and I have tried sooooo many products to help, but nothing I have tried has ever really work or has been too expensive for me to purchase again and again. Like I said before, I get very oily skin along with under the skin spots. They usually appear on my forehead and around my hair line, I think this is from sweat from gymnastics. The problem with under the skin spots, I find, is that they are a nightmare to get rid of as you cant really get to them like surface spots. Now I believe that everyone is beautiful no matter what- so in no way should the appearance of your skin stop you feeling confident- YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL!!

 For Christmas my parents bought me some new skin care products from the 'Young' range by 'NATIO'. It came in a set of three with a cleanser, toning lotion and moisturiser. I have cleansed, toned and moisturised with these products once in the evening and once in the morning. It has worked miracles on my skin!! My skin has a healthy glow to it now, all the spots that were under the skin have no pretty much gone and my skin is always super soft. (these products can be used on oily and combination skin)

I take my make-up off and get into the shower. In the shower I don't use my cleanser I just rinse my face with water. I cleanse my face when I get out in the sink. This is just personal preference but I prefer doing it this way because I feel like I can cleanse better and get it all over my face easier without water constantly washing it off. I rub this is in circular motions all around my face (avoiding the eye area) and leave for 1 minute. Then I will wash it off with warm water and dry my face.

After I have cleansed I take a cotton pad and drop a few drops of toner out onto it. I then take this cotton pad and wipe all over my face. I also put some on my neck using an upwards motion from the base of my neck upwards. I never used to use toner before, but it has made such a huge difference to my skin and I really regret not using it before.

After toning, I take my moisturiser, squeeze a bit onto my fingers and rub this in circular motions around my face.

Along with these products I use 'Witch blemish stick' on surface spots and in spot prone areas. I started using this blemish stick about a year ago and I can honestly say it is on the only spot treatment that has worked for me. It usually reduces redness and elevation within hours. This blemish stick can be found in many stores such a Boots, Superdrug and Tesco. They range from £2.70- £3.50, depending where you buy it.

The 'young' skincare range by NATIO can be found in Debenhams or on Amazon. To buy as a set containing a cleanser, toner and moisturiser costs £10.08. This is a very good package deal when all skin care items separately are £6.49. There are more products in this range such as the spot gel and the scrub which I haven't tried out yet but hope to do so in the near future.

I hope that this blog has helped some of you in finding a skin care range that suits you and will work amazingly without breaking the bank.

Hannah x

My First Ever Blog♡

Hello, my name is Hannah and i'm 16.

Like most teenagers these days the internet and social media is a big part of my life, I use it everyday to stay in contact with friends, keep updated on celebrities, post events from my life and share my highlights with the world. Until the age of 14 I never really used the internet that much, and when I did it was for work or to check Facebook occasionally. However, when I got my iPhone I discovered a whole new world of social media such as twitter, Instagram,Tumblr,Pinterest and YouTube. I immediately fell in love with all of these and began to build up followers. Now I am truly addicted to them and don't go a day without checking them and posting. 

At this point in time, although I loved checking my social media sites, I began to love the world of YouTube- The first YouTuber I ever watched was Bethany Mota and I lovvveeedd her videos so subscribed.

As time went on I found and more Youtubers that I enjoyed watching such as Zoella, Alfie, Tanya, Jim, Marcus and Joe. I began to watch their videos every week and became a massive fan- especially of Zoella. She is defiantly my favourite Youtube star and her tips are all so useful and she is absolutely beautiful! Zoe often mentioned her blog and how she enjoyed sharing her thoughts with the world. I checked out one of her most popular blogs, "ZALFIE".

After this I quite liked the idea of starting a blog, but wasn't really sure what I would talk about or if people would even be interested in what I had to say. So I never really thought about it for a while. Then I was doing my GCSE'S so really needed to focus on them so had no time to start a blog. Like I said before, I then didn't really think of it for a while. However on the 2nd of January this year my friend Saffron came round and was showing me her blog that she had to make for her A-levels (you should go follow her- its a beautiful blog- http://saffronwingad.blogspot.co.uk/). Then the next day, which is today, I picked up my laptop and just thought I would give it a shot. So here I am.

Currently I doubt anyone will see this as I have no followers yet but I am going to remain hopefull and hope that my blog gains popularity over time.

So I guess this is where i have to let you know a little more about me..argghhh...
Well like I said my name Is Hannah and I am 16.
I am currently studying for my AS/A levels in sociology, english language, sport and psychology. I am currently really enjoying them and am excited to see where they take me.
Outside of school I am into gymnastics. I have done gymnastics since I was about 3. It has become such a key part to my life and I love it so much! I compete at a National level currently. 

Like I said previously I really have no idea what this blog is going to be like or what I will be posting so I will just go with the flow and see where it takes me :)

Hannah x