Prom 2015

So, last night marked my final event as a member of my school: our sixth form leavers prom. It was a great night; the school looked so beautiful and it was lovely to see everybody so dressed up. The free bar, buffet & music all set up for an amazing evening dancing and socialising, although I was definitely yawning my way through work today!

I thought I'd do a quick outfit, hair & make up post just explaining how I achieved my look - hopefully you'll agree with me that it was simple but elegant. 

My dress itself was this green number from Phase Eight. As you can see from the photo, it had a cut away skirt and the bottom was sheer, so it was simultaneously short and long, which I loved. To me, it felt very Grecian so I teamed it with gold sandals from New Look and this long golden pearl necklace. I wanted to keep it simple, so I wore small gold earrings that had been a christmas present.

My hairstyle

Close up of the front of the dress, and my make up

In keeping with the Grecian style, I did a mid-placement bun, separating out a segment of hair on each side of the bun. I then french-plaited these back, and wrapped them around the bun. This photo was quickly taken by my mum to show me the back, so we made sure to hide the pins after this!

I then used Half-Baked from the Naked 2 palette all over my eyelids, and used a thin layer of black liquid eyeliner to create the illusion of thicker lashes. I had hoped to do more of a golden smokey eye for a more dramatic effect, but unfortunately I ran out of time. I still liked the end result though! My brows were defined using the Nars brow mascara in mid brown. I always feel vaguely clownish in even the most subtle of lipsticks, as knowing me it will inevitably end up halfway across my face. So, I settled for my Nars 'Anita' lipstick, which is a natural looking pinkish nude. 

To finish off, I just thought I'd show you a couple more photos from the night. The first is my twin brother and I (my shoes failed to make any appearances after ten o'clock...ahem), and the second is a group photo with my friends! It was such a lovely evening and I am so excited to share these photos!

Has anyone else been to a prom this year, or maybe their graduation? I'd love to see some photos! I'm off to Prague soon, so keep an eye on my blog for a travel diary from my visit.

Helena x

MIA

So I've been pretty missing in action for the past couple of months... It was my eighteenth birthday at the end of February, and after that work's just been piling up at school. Exam season's getting closer and closer and I'm trying to contain my freakout and failing miserably...roll on the 17th June!

Despite all the cramming for revision I've had something pretty amazing happen - I got my second offer for medical school! I was so surprised and happy, although this means I've got to try my best to get in now...eek! It's gonna be a tough ride but hopefully I can get there.

The top few pictures are from my birthday... I don't know if I've ever mentioned it on here, but I'm actually a twin! My brother and I had about three birthday cakes, and honestly that was all I ate for about a week, but who's complaining?

I also headed out into Brighton for my first legal night out a couple of weeks ago! I'm a bed at 10o'clock, every day PJ day kinda girl so it was definitely out of my comfort zone haha. I may have two left feet but I loved dancing around!

Before getting my head stuck in some revision, I also popped out to a friend's birthday party. The theme was 'Space 90s', and I was (theoretically) the 'dark side of the moon'! On a side note - I absolutely LOVE this dress from Asos that I wore, it's super cute and easy, and everyone needs an LBD in their wardrobe.


That's all from me today, but hopefully I'll manage to get back in the blogging scheme of things soon. I've got a super exciting summer lined up so fingers crossed I'll be able to share it on here!

Helena x

Current Favourite Songs

So all in all I've had a pretty good half term. I've been up to London a couple of times to see two amazing shows - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime and the Woman in Black, went to Southampton for a university offer holder day, and managed a few outings with friends as well, which was nice. 

I thought I might share some of my current favourite songs with you - these are the things I've had on repeat all week!

Since last summer I've been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Last Five Years film, and finally, last week it was released! As soon as I could I listened to the soundtrack and fell in love with Jeremy Jordan and Anna Kendrick as Jamie and Cathy. A Summer in Ohio is hilarious and Anna Kendrick sounds wonderful singing this - it's already crept up my iTunes 'most played' in less than a month! Catch the trailer for this film here.

I have two left feet but I still love to dance around, and Gravity (DJ Fresh ft. Ella Eyre) definitely makes me want to do this! It's not super new but it's a great one to really not take too seriously.

A more chill song I'm loving is Nina by Ed Sheeran - his new album is gorgeous and so great for long drives! It's super catchy and if you've not heard it then you should definitely check it out. 

February also heralded the long-awaited Fifty Shades of Grey movie, which brought with it a pretty sweet soundtrack. It's not really my sort of film but Love Me Like You Do is great and so much fun to belt out when you're home alone!

I do have one or two guilty pleasures that I'm also loving at the moment... I'm not usually a boyband kinda gal but Good Girls by 5 seconds of summer and Night Changes from one direction are pretty catchy songs that I've been really enjoying recently. Don't judge me!

Finally, what playlist would be complete without one from Taylor Swift?! Those who know me know I'm a MASSIVE fan - I'm loving 1989, but especially Style. I am SO excited that it's her latest single - it's bound to be a huge hit. The new  music video is pretty cool - you can catch it here. 

The best high school movies

Now, I don't mean to brag or anything, but cheesy high school movies are kind of my forte. I watch them ALL the time - they're perfect for background watching when you're doing your homework, or on a duvet day. 

So, I decided to compile a list of my all-time favourites. It isn't exhaustive by any means, but next time you're feeling down or looking for a classic to watch, try one of these!



Heathers
This is probably a bit of an unheard one - to tell you the truth, I only watched it after listening to the musical, but I was instantly in love. It's a bit of a cult classic, about an outsider who manages to infiltrate the most popular clique in school - the three Heathers. But it all takes a bit of a U turn when her enigmatic boyfriend begins a murder campaign...
It's absolutely hilarious and brilliantly quotable - 'how very' is my new fave catchphrase, and it's definitely worth a watch.

Heather, Heather, Heather...and Veronica

John Tucker Must Die
Also known as the ultimate girl power movie. Three girls being screwed over by the same guy decide to take their revenge, and it's hilarious. Added bonus: the soundtrack is pretty great as well. Who doesn't like the All American Rejects?!


The Breakfast Club
This is the classic teen movie - 5 kids from different cliques with 5 different reasons for being stuck in detention on a Saturday morning. It's a brilliant coming of age movie that resonates with the brain, the athlete, the basket case, the princess and the criminal. 

Clueless
I don't think I can even begin to explain my love for Cher. Her facial expressions are my facial expressions, and her driving skills...probably surpass mine! This is such a funny film, and I love that it's based on Emma by Jane Austen. 

She's All That
This is a bit of a random one - I don't really know how well regarded/known it is? (I looked it up and apparently it's pretty popular?!) I stumbled across it one evening on Netflix and it's just a really sweet film. Freddie Prinze Jr was pretty hot in the 90s as well though!


So, I guess this is my random post of the week! Hopefully expect more up - I'm on half term this week so maybe I'll be able to write another blog post.

Helena

My New Year's Resolution...a month later

I was thinking some stuff over this weekend, and I realised that I want to make a few changes to my life this year! Not necessarily big changes, but things to help myself feel more confident. And then I figured that these all fell under one big, umbrella resolution. Better late than never, eh?

For me, it's taking a risk. I need to be more assertive and stand up for myself to get what I want! I also need to take a chance and wear something a bit out of my comfort zone, or use a bolder lipstick once in a while. 

I guess the risk taking also extends somewhat into my personal life as well; I need to be braver when it comes to meeting new people and getting to know them. It's important not to be too afraid of what others think of you, which is a lot easier for me to say than to act on. Send that text. Wear red lipstick! Ask questions you want to know the answer to. 

So yeah. That's my somewhat random resolution this year. Maybe it doesn't seem like a big one, but it's one that I'll do my best to adhere to in 2015! Have any of you got any resolutions this year? How's keeping them going? 

//BIG NEWS//

So this week actually turned out to be pretty exciting!

I went on a school trip to Les Mis (AKA my fave show ever) on Thursday. I am a huge musical theatre geek and I think it's pretty safe to say that, during those two and a half hours, I was LIVING. By the end of the first act, I was just about ready to stand up, leap on stage and join in the revolution they'd been singing about for half an hour! This would have been pretty interesting, given that I was in the upper circle and would have probably fallen off the balcony.

The beautiful chandelier at Les Mis- we were in love!

We got in about half midnight, and as someone who doesn't function with much less than eight hours sleep, I was definitely pretty unimpressed by my half six alarm the next morning. I just about crawled into school and managed to stay awake during assembly, but on the way back I was woken up by the news that I'd just been given a conditional offer to study medicine at university! HOW MENTAL IS THAT?!?!?

I've got to get certain grades, which is pretty terrifying, but this has increased my motivation by about 1000%! I spent the entire day in a complete blur and was very overwhelmed by the entire thing (I'm still preparing myself for the email saying it was a glitch in the system!). My brother had to log onto my UCAS track and check it for me, my hands and legs were shaking too much! That evening was the night of our sixth form social, and I went to my friend Sophie's house to get ready before hand! She runs an awesome beauty blog that you should definitely check out. The evening itself was pretty good, although I was super tired at work the following day! 

At the party (I'm on the right!)

The last few days were pretty insane, and I'm in definite need of some downtime tomorrow to do the crucial things in life: finish my book, clean my room & plot some reaction rate graphs.

Mac Paint Pot in 'Vintage Selection'

I thought I'd tell you all about a product I only discovered this weekend, but I've been really loving. As a contact lens wearer, my eyes get very sensitive and irritated, particularly when I'm tired. What I've noticed is that they get especially uncomfortable when I'm wearing powder eye shadow. This was kinda crushing, as I'm completely in love with my Urban Decay Naked 2 palette (tricky to use - boo!), so I'd been on the hunt for a creamier eyeshadow to avoid the powder falling into my eyes.

'Vintage Selection' colour, as shown on the Mac cosmetics website.

Whilst I was out shopping with Mum at the weekend, we popped into the Mac store for a quick look. I stumbled across the paint pots and was immediately in love. They're cream based eyeshadows that are easily applied with a brush (I use my Real Techniques detail brush for control).

I picked 'Vintage Selection' after trying a couple; a pale pink with a shimmery undertone. It looks great for daytime or evening and is quite subtle, which I love.

Best of all, it doesn't irritate my eyes at all, so I'm thrilled. Have you tried these paint pots? What do you think? If you've got any recommendations I'd love to know! x

'The Theory of Everything' Review

Happy New Year!

As a quick revision break, I popped to the cinema last Thursday to see the new Eddie Redmayne film, 'the Theory of Everything'. Since the trailers first came out I'd been eagerly anticipating the release of this film and it really didn't disappoint! I'm a huge fan of Eddie Redmayne and as a bit of a scientist (although definitely not a physicist), it was awesome to see the life of someone massively influential in the science world playing on the big screen.

The poster for the film

I loved the use of colour saturation and varying shades in order to add both mood and a sense of time period to the movie - this was useful as the only date given throughout was 1963, right at the beginning. As Eddie Redmayne wasn't actually ageing that much whilst shooting the film, it was a tad confusing trying to estimate where we were in history!

Personally, I enjoyed how the science in the film was kept to a minimum, and it instead focused on his personal life. Obviously Hawking has made some huge contributions to physics, but concentrating on his struggles and personal determination gave the film a human note that everybody could relate to. As he played Hawking in the later stages of his illness, Redmayne did an incredible job with even the tiniest nuances in his movement and eye expression, which captured the wry humour and awkward charm of his Hawking, despite his restricted movement. He perfectly played the character from awkward, gangly young man to husband and world-renowned lecturer, and the progression of his personality was clear to see.

Ok - anyone else seriously in LOVE with this dress?! WANT.

The score was also beautiful and really added to the most poignant and dramatic moments of the film. As soon as I left the cinema I downloaded the movie score, and it was honestly perfect for revising to! It blocked out all the background noise but was soothing enough to not be distracting, and it's all I've listened to for a week!

I've linked the trailer here, and I strongly recommend running to see this beautiful film whilst you still can!

Have you seen it? What did you think? I'd love to know! x

2014 Round Up

I've seen a couple of these floating around on blogs, and other various social media places, and it seemed like a fun thing to do! I thought I'd look back on all the cool things that have happened this year for me as it's been a pretty good one. I've learnt so much this year and as my final, whole year of 'childhood' (before I hit 18 in February), it's been a great jumping off point for an exciting, new chapter ahead of me. Ok, there's now an overload of cheese and it's only the third sentence so I'd better just get into it.

• The year started off with entering the extended essay competition at school. I wrote an essay on a subject close to my heart; being a twin, and was lucky enough to be awarded second prize. I was so happy to be picked and I actually had a ton of fun writing the essay.
• My birthday was in February and my friend kindly arranged a surprise party for my brother and myself. It was such a lovely gesture and it was great to get all our friends together and have some fun!
• Just after my birthday, I saw Wicked in the West End which was amazing! I love musicals and it was awesome to see it again, I think this must have been the third or fourth time I've seen it!

Our view of the stage of Wicked

• This year,  my mum turned the big five oh, and to celebrate, we threw her a surprise birthday party. Her family live about 300 miles away so it was amazing to have everyone here for a party in our garden, although I was surprised that we could all fit!!

My lovely mummy's amazing birthday cake! 

• After the exam period, I was awarded the Upper School Musician cup at the Celebration Day! It was a really lovely surprise.
• I finally finished my gold D of E this summer - I NEVER have to walk up a hill again. If someone asks me, I can just refuse! But seriously - it was my fave D of E so far and it was such an achievement to have.
• After D of E, I went along on my second cub camp. It's great helping out there and I honestly feel that helping out with the kids has made a massive difference to my maturity, but also my communication skills!

Cheesing on a lifeboat in the summer

• A week after I came back, I took my driving theory test and passed! Yay! That evening, I saw the European premiere of 'Dogfight', one of my favourite shows, and my comment on this was my first post on this blog!

• After a successful but nerve wracking results day, I embarked on a week's work experience in a GP surgery. This may not sound like a thrilling highlight to many people, but it was amazing. I'd never even entertained the possibility of being a GP before but all of a sudden, a whole world of opportunity opened up and it was fascinating to see firsthand the quality of care in the community, which is becoming especially important in today's society. 
• I then had my last first day back. For someone who's been going to the same school since they were four, it was a pretty momentous occasion, but I'm excited for 2015's first days in new places to roll around, all the same. 
• It was pretty quiet through September and October; I did a bit of work experience (including scrubbing in on some surgery!) and finished my UCAS application, attended a few parties, but I performed my last ever school show in November. That was quite emotional, having done them since year 10, and it was lovely to go out with a bang and perform with some of my friends!
• Near the end of November, I took my grade 6 exam in musical theatre and to my utter astonishment was awarded a grade 6. Like, what even. I'm so happy and have honestly come so far from being a tone deaf ten year old.
• November and December also brought other things for me - two interviews for medical school, and an offer for my fifth choice of biomedical sciences! I feel so lucky to have gotten this far and I can't wait to do my final interview at the end of January and show them what I'm made of.

All in all, the year had some pretty cool points for me. But undoubtedly my favourite thing was spending it with my family and close friends. I'm so proud of everything they've accomplished, especially my two brothers and my mum, and I can't wait to see them go on being wonderful in 2015.

Bring it on!