Keeping The Balance Between Your Studies and Social Life

A post of this sort was bound to feature on my blog sometime soon, and I hope that my experience with working two jobs and going through studies and exam season simultaneously can help to offer you some words of advice (wisdom was a push) for juggling studies with your work or (the more difficult) social life.

Take a day off

As I work and study non-stop from Monday to Saturday, and go out on a Saturday night, I usually write Sundays off and recover from an evident hangover, drink too much coffee, catch up on sleep (and college work) and just take some time for myself. Allowing yourself a day a week (or half a day if your schedule is just that crazy) gives you enough head space to start afresh for a whole new week, but doesn't result in a major backlog of work afterwards. 

Keep socialising short and sweet

Long gone are the days you would sleep over your best friends house 3 days in a row. Now it's hard to even commit to one evening without a conflict of plans. I usually meet with friends on a one-on-one basis, because let's face it, Facebook chats need to begin at least a month in advance to get a large group together. Whether it's a quick coffee, lunch or in my case a lot of the time, piercing date, spending a couple of hours every so often is enough time to catch up without the stress of constantly cancelling plans.

Timetable your social life

If you are an organised freak like me, you may have already begun planning or writing up your revision timetable for your exams. Although this may seem eager, it gives you the chance to steady the studies and make time for friends, hobbies etc. much better than going under house arrest for the 2 weeks prior to exam season. 

Work with friends

Take it from me: a girl whose idea of rebellion is sneaking into another colleges library with a friend to revise, revising my with friends can be, dare I say it, quite fun. Always pick a quiet space; a bedroom, small coffee shop or library, so that distractions are kept to a minimum. I always tend to revise with friends who are taking the same subject/s as me, so we can compare mental and physical notes, because it can be easier than toy think to miss things in class, that your friend may have picked up, and vice versa. Friends are also good to test your knowledge, so get some q cards ready and test each other, It's also a good chance to gossip about your fellow classmates. But you didn't hear that from me...

College comes first

If you're deciding between going out on the town until 3am with your friends, or revising for an upcoming exam, it's logical which one you should choose. College impacts where and if you go to university, or into the job you aspire to, so stay focused and never forget your overall goals to keep you motivated. But in the end it's about finding the balance - never isolate yourself, meeting with friends on your study/college breaks will lift your mood and keep your stress levels lower, however neglecting revision and study time will stress you out to the max, so leave your friends with time to study before your next lesson. Don't sacrifice socialising, just negotiate it.

The Weekend Post: A Coffee At Jacob's

One of the best things about Sundays is grabbing or making several coffees, especially if it's the day after a night out. In fact, when it comes to coffee I would consider myself quite the nerd. So as a regular visitor in Bath, I discovered a coffeehouse gem a long time ago, that I talked about on my blog this summer, and I've never gone back.

I got my regular: a soya latte, but as we didn't want to hit rush hour on the way home from a rugby match, I had to take it to go this time. However I love the cosy, small space above the coffee bar; perfect for taking some time to yourself, and to nosy at other people walking along the high street.

But on this occasion, I sipped my soya latte while singing along to the car radio. Needless to say I wasn't unhappy with this alternative. 

Things For The Girls With Dry Skin This Winter

If there's one thing that I dislike about the cold weather, it's the havoc it plays on my skin. Combine comfort food, cold weather and my college's heating system; and you have the perfect recipe for dry, irritated skin. However, this year I have been keeping this under some control with a few products that keep flaky skin at bay.

LUSH's Dream Cream 

Although this is officially a hand and body cream, the shop assistant at my local LUSH assured me that it worked just as well as a facial cream, too. And oh, she was right. As a girl with dry-combination skin, this does wonders on the drier areas of my face (my cheeks and temples), by applying a generous layer of it as a part of my evening routine after cleansing and toning, then it works it's magic as it soaks in overnight. I love to use it for its original use; as a body cream, too. Particularly after a hard workout at the gym, leaving my dehydrated face and body softer and smoother. A win-win product, for sure.

The Body Shop's Argan Solid Oil for Lips

As the usual victim of chapped lips, this year hasn't seen a bump or flake on my lips, and I'm pretty sure it's down to this product. Before bed and after slapping on some lip scrub from LUSH - love the stuff - I apply a thick layer of this unique solid-oil-meets-lip-butter product, and when I wake up, it's still on my lips 8 hours later. What more can I say?

The Body Shop's Vitamin E Sink-In Moisture Mask

The Origins Drink-Up Instensive Face Mask will always be near the top of my wish list, but with a £23 price tag, ain't no student got time for that. However after trying this Body Shop mask that I received free at a members event, I feel we have a dupe on our hands. I have to warn you, it's the weirdest consistency, almost a bit like jelly, but it's cooling effect and wet texture feels amazing on dry skin. I usually leave it on for around an hour, or overnight, if my face is really suffering, and once washed off it leaves you with a bright and glowing complexion.

Superfacialist by Una Brennan 

I was converted to oil cleansers by Loreal's Skin Perfection cleansing oil over a year ago, but recently I this product caught my eye in Boots because a) Anna from ViviannaDoesMakeup raves about this on her blog, and anything she mentions is bound to be brilliant, and b) it was on offer. And I can't resist a bargain. The Loreal oil is quite similar in quality and price, but this oil left my face feeling cleaner, without drying out my face, which most oil cleansers can do. And it smells amazing, what more could you want in a cleanser?

Yes to Carrots Face Scrub

Now you are probably thinking that scrubs will only make dry skin worse, but as a big fan of the Yes To products, I was prepared to give their face scrub from their carrot range, suited for dry skin types, a go. With dry-combination skin, I tend to get dry skin away from my t-zone, however in the middle of,the winter, I get patches of dry skin on my nose and chin as well as my cheeks, and this scrub manages to lift these dry patches without causing irritation to my sensitive skin. I usually apply this in the morning, and after that I follow with the Yes To Day Cream; a thick but wearable cream that leaves the best base for makeup. Their face wipes are amazing too, so this range gets a big thumbs up from me. 

The Weekend Post: Clearing Space

You know the drill. New Years brings opportunities of a fresh start and new goals, but the first few days of January pass before you can blink and you realise you haven't kept to your resolutions even though the year has only just begun. So this Sunday it's time to chuck away the chocolate wrappers and get out of my PJs and sort out my life. Or, maybe just my room to start with anyway. 

Sort through drawers

Toiletries that are past their time, receipts and post-it's that are months old and just any crap floating in the sea of stuff, just get a black bin liner and dump them. Then pile the things you wish to keep somewhere temporary and clean the insides and outsides of your drawers. Today I am doing this for my bigger drawers for toiletries/skincare/haircare and smaller drawers for makeup.

Slim down wardrobe 

For this, I am making three piles of clothes: keep, donate, chuck. It's disgusting how many old clothes are sitting in my wardrobe, so today's the day they go. Also, take the time to rethink your storage. Refold or hang your keep pile, and return any loose clothes or underwear to their correct place. 

Clear the floordrobe

99% of the time, my bedroom floor is part carpet, part a sea of black garments. We've all had a floordrobe at one time, and if now is your time, it's time for it to go. Now for a couple of rounds of washing and a good hoover. Now I've finished with my room, time to light a candle and open all windows for that fresh scent. 

Get sh*t done

Clear space, clear mind. Buy a new diary (possibly the best New Years activity), transfer important dates and appointments you need to remember. Then consider the aspects of your life you want to organise whether it be work, money, univeristy/college/school or blogging, find or buy a notebook for each and start making to do lists. Always try to be one step ahead. Then close the windows, grab a cup of tea and catch up on your reality TV. It's a Sunday necessity. 

Slovenia: The Photo Diary

If you saw my latest weekend post; talking all things hot chocolate, you will know me and my family (mum, dad and my brother, Joey) took a week-long trip to a frequent family destination, Slovenia. We stayed in the town of Bled and even after visiting since I was a baby, it is still the same; peaceful but charming. Although we have visited the country countless times, I had not been inside the capital city, Ljubljana (except for the airport, of course), so a day trip was necessary.

The trip was exactly what I needed: fresh air, Christmas cheer, and a bit of peace and quiet. And as I am writing this with my head in the college books again, I wish I was back!

The Weekend Post: Hot Chocolate on a Hilltop

If you've had your eyes on my Instagram (@deskparties if you wanted a quick peek before reading on) I spent a week over Christmas with my family in one of our favourite holiday destinations, Slovenia; a small country wedged between Italy and Croatia in the heart of the Julian Alps. After visiting the same town countless times, it's fair to say we know the town of Bled inside out. And the cafe Slaščičarna Šmon, or as we nickname it, The Brown Bear for fear of putting the Slovenian language to shame.

It can be found on the top of a hill along the road Grajska cesta, this restaurant small but mighty, with cake cabinets filled to the brim and the best hot chocolate I have ever tasted. So on our last day I light what better way to send off our holiday, and warm up in the snow that started falling that day, than sipping on a cup of what tastes like pure melted chocolate. I plan on doing a photo diary post of my holiday in the near future, so keep your eyes on the blog next Wednesday. 

Needless to say I am missing my holiday and that hot chocolate is now a thing of my dreams. Until next time...

Goodbye, 2014

Last night was time to say goodbye to another year, and welcome a new one with one too many glasses of Vino. So even though I am feeling a little bit fragile today, I wanted to write a little post wishing you the best for the next 365 days. 2014 saw me getting my second job, turning 18 (and celebrating most weekends in style ever since!), my summer life consisting of work, beach trips and festivals, and the latter part of the year visting open days, applying to univeristy, juggling studies and two jobs and going out on the weekend. Very busy, I know, but I hope that 2015 brings me as much activity and opportunity as last year!

As for my blog, I am swapping drafts for university applications for my blogger account, so expect a new post every Wednesday and Sunday. But before Sunday's post, expect to find me on the sofa drinking tea, watching rubbish Christmas films and making the most of my last few days off.

Have an amazing new year!