Generation Selfie

It doesn't surprise me that the word selfie is now in the Oxford English Dictionary. Over the past year or so the concept has rocketed into the spotlight, and I am not afraid to admit that I am partial to taking a fair few selfies every now and again. My instagram and facebook are littered with photos of myself, and I actually think that's a good thing. Selfies suggest, to me, that a person feels confident with the way that they look. They're sharing a picture of themselves with the rest of the world and I think it says a lot in todays society. We live in a world where people are constantly jibed for their outward appearance, a world where celebrities are stalked by photographers just so they can catch that crucial 'bad photograph' when they're having an off day, a world where a great many magazine covers and photographs are airbrushed within an inch of their lives, and we're supposed to believe that these people actually look like that. 

This is why I feel like the selfie is such a liberating thing. It might sound like an over-exaggeration, but these are images posted with little to no editing - an instagram filter at most - and show that whoever has posted it feels happy and content with their appearance. It empowers people to say "you know what? Yeah, I look good today, and here's a picture to show you", and I personally think that's amazing.

I wake up some mornings, get myself dressed, hair done and make-up on, and I look in the mirror and like what I see. So I take a photograph to remind myself that I looked good and felt confident about it. And I am by no means a confident person, but why waste an opportunity to feel good about myself? It's the little things in life like this that bring a smile to people's faces. I can only speak for myself though. 

Of course, I realise that there also are negative sides to the selfie - cruel and nasty comments. From what I see on the internet and its many social networking sites, comments such as these are only limited to a small minority. For example, I was scrolling through my instagram the other day, and one of my friends had posted a picture of her 'make-up of the day', which looked amazing. A girl, who I presume she didn't know, made a particularly negative comment on the photo, and it annoyed me that she thought it was okay to dive in and say something completely unnecessary. Needless to say, my friend handled it brilliantly, but it did make me stop and think about how that sort of behaviour could affect someone else, someone less confident. I think it takes a lot of courage to post up pictures of yourself and genuinely feel confident about them.

Leaving the internet trolls behind, I do still think that there is power in the selfie. Show the world how amazing you are. Get both behind and in front of that camera and flood all of your social network accounts with your own photoshoot! 

#EmpoweredByTheSelfie

~ C xxx  

Resolutions

I know we're already two weeks into the new year, but I can't stop thinking about all of the things I want to change about my life for the better. There are so many things I want to do in order to make this year good, and creating my own blogging/vlogging presence is definitely one of them. I have watched and loved videos on Youtube for years now, and this year I'm determined to become part of it myself. I've discovered that filming videos is quite hard, and getting the right footage to edit and upload is proving to be quite a challenge.
Resolution number two is self-explanatory - learn how to drive. I chose not to start lessons when I turned seventeen, but now I think it's high time I get behind the wheel and do exactly that. 
Reading and writing more is a huge resolution I want to make - I adore both and want to get my head stuck in more books, over a range of different genres, to broaden my horizons even further.
The next on my to-do list is a lot more adventurous for me, and also a little scary. I want to travel, move away from home and experience more of the world. I have always been a home bird - my university was only half an hour's drive away from home - because the thought of doing things alone scares me. But I need to push my own boundaries and step out of my comfort zone, otherwise I know for a fact that I'll miss out on some of the amazing things that life has to offer, and that's the last thing I want to do.
Get a tattoo. I already have plans to go and book my appointment this weekend. For the past year and a half I've been thinking about getting a little owl tattooed on my foot. It's quite an understatement to say that like owls a lot and I'm looking forward to drawing out my own design to have permanently etched on my skin :) 
I'll probably think of plenty more as the days and weeks pass by, and hopefully I'll share the results of any new endeavours I make!

~ C xxx

2013 Favourites!

2013 introduced me to many of my new favourite beauty products, shops, books and films. Seeing as it's now the new year, I wanted to share with everyone what I enjoyed through out the last year.

Beauty Products

L'Oreal Superliner Perfect Slim Black Liner - I love this eye liner. I've tried quite a few different felt tip liners this year, but none have been as precise or easy to use as this one. I think it's reasonably priced too - the only downside is that it doesn't come in other colours.

Collection 2000 Extreme 24hr Felt Tip Liner - Considering the small price tag of this liner, it works surprisingly well, and does stay on, smudge free, until I come to take it off at the end of the day. At £2.49, I think it's well worth having in your make-up bag. Plus, it does come in three different colours - the purple one being my favourite! :)

Maybelline Baby Lips Balm in Peach Kiss - I have about a million lip balms because for some reason, whenever I go shopping, I stand there and think "Ooh! I need another lip balm. Yes, yes I do." The one thing I like in particular about these balms is that they all smell gorgeous. The peach is my favourite, simply because not only does it moisturise, but it also adds a lovely tint to your lips.

Real Techniques Brushes - I've never owned a set of good make-up brushes, but as soon as I started watching Pixiwoo's channel on youtube, I really wanted to give these ones a try. They are amazing. Seriously. I won't ever buy cheap brushes again. They're soft, easy to use, and I feel like I'm applying my make-up so much better since buying them. An absolute must-have in my opinion. 

Benefit "Hello Flawless" Foundation - Okay, so, admittedly I was given this for Christmas, so haven't been using it for a very long time, but I think it's probably the best foundation I've ever come across. It's so light and smells gorgeous, yet it feels as though I have hardly any make up on at all. It is a little pricier than the foundation I was using before, but for me I feel like it's worth the extra splurge to make my skin feel so healthy :)

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer - I've tried and tested a few different concealers over the past year, but I always come back to this one. Personally, I feel like it has great coverage for underneath my eyes and over any blemishes, so I don't have to have multiple concealers cluttering up my make-up bag. It doesn't cost that much either, and I know I'll keep going back to it time and time again.

Rimmel Lasting Finish Matte Lipsticks by Kate Moss - These are my absolute favourite lipsticks. I love the shades, and love the finish that they give on my lips. I've never been a huge fan of over-glossed lips, especially not on me, so the fact that these are matte just encourages me to wear lipstick a whole lot more. If I had to pick a favourite shade, I'd probably choose "Kiss of Life (111)". I wouldn't wear such a bold colour during the day, but for a night out I think it's perfect!

Max Factor Masterpiece Mascara - Another staple item that I will always go back to, I don't exactly know what it is about this mascara that I like, except that it just makes my lashes look exactly how I want them to. It doesn't clump, or make them look spidery, adding just the right amount of volume and length that I like. 

Soap and Glory "Foam Call" Bath and Shower Wash - I've always loved the Soap and Glory range, and have been using their body butters and shower gels for the past few years. This one is my absolute favourite though, simply because it literally foams up in your hands, even if you just use a tiny amount. A little definitely goes a long way, and for £6.50 per bottle, I can't help but always have one at the side of my bath. 

The Comforter (Lush Bubble Bar) - Quite frankly the best Lush product in my opinion. I love, love, looove The Comforter! For some reason, the fragrance reminds me of how my 'Baby All Gone' used to smell when I was little, (as weird as that sounds it is a compliment I promise!), but it's honestly my favourite bubble bath related thing in the world. If I can have a bath with a Comforter in, then I'm a very happy Courtney indeed :)

Shops

Superdrug - I have a new-found love for Superdrug, and whenever I hit the shops I can't help but have a little wander in. I try not to buy something every time I go in but that doesn't always happen.

Lush - When it gets close to winter you can guarantee that I start making my trips to Lush. I love their products. I know that a lot of people can't handle the strong smell inside their shops, but I'm one of the few that can't get enough of it. I love trying their new bath bombs and bubble bars, and seeing what new smells they've come up with.

Primark - I used to detest Primark because it felt like a jumble sale to me, but since a new store was opened up recently in Leeds Trinity shopping centre, my faith has been restored. For some reason, just having a nice layout to the shop and clothes neatly stacked and hung up just makes it far more appealing to me, and I look forward to shopping there. Plus, I did find some good bargains there for Christmas presents too!

Paperchase - Oh Paperchase, how I love thee! No, really, I do. I have to exercise so much self-restraint whenever I go into this shop. There are just sooooo many lovely things that I want to buy. I have a huge problem with buying notebooks. If I see a pretty one then I'll want it. Anything with owls on too, I'll want that.

TK Maxx - I blame my parents for my love of TK Maxx. I'm not really fussed for any of the clothes because I'm rarely in the mood to look through the rails, but the handbags and Home section just call out my name. I can't wait for the day when I have my own house/flat - I'll be furnishing the whole place with things bought from TK Maxx! 

Books

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green - This book surprised me so much. I hadn't looked up anything about it before I read it, and took it away on holiday with me when I went to Kos. I won't spoil anything, but I will say that I shed a few tears by the pool when I finished it.

Angela Carter's Book of Fairy Tales - I love fairy tales and fantasy stories so much, and I have read some of Angela Carter's work before. The gruesome imagery she uses and old fashioned way in which she tells her tales is just fantastic and, though I adore Disney, it's such a far cry from the fairy tales that we're so used to seeing because of them.

Films/TV Shows

Les Miserables - This film sent me through a roller-coaster of emotions. I'd never seen the stage production before, or read the book, so seeing it on the big screen was amazing. My plan is to go see it in the West End next!

Pitch Perfect - Thanks to this film, I now wish that I could sing! I did hesitate with seeing it at first because I was under the impression that it was exactly like Glee, a show which I did like but don't watch any more because Sky stole it from E4. I did cave though, and watched it in the midst of writing my dissertation, and ended up loving every minute of it. 

Catching Fire - I love The Hunger Games' novels, and I have to say I've been so impressed by the movie adaptations. Usually I nitpick so much when I see films that have come from books that I've read, but I struggle to find anything to pick at with these adaptations. Needless to say I can't wait for Mockingjay parts 1&2.

Frozen - I love Disney, and they didn't disappoint with this year's release. I was already incredibly excited before I even saw the film - the previews looked great - and it's one of those classics that I could happily watch again and again. The songs were brilliant, especially Idina Menzel's 'Let It Go', and I can't wait for it to come out on DVD.

Supernatural - I know, I'm very late jumping on the Supernatural bandwagon, try about nine seasons too late, but I need to give it a mention. I fell in love with the show from the start, and I honestly don't know why I didn't watch it when it first came on TV originally. I'm almost all caught up now though, and I managed to get my Dad hooked on it too (he thinks he's Dean Winchester). I can't express my love enough for the actors and writers and basically everyone who works on it - it's amazing, and if you haven't watched it before, watch it now!

For now, I think that's enough for this post. I know it's late but I hope everyone had a cracking Christmas, a wonderful New Year, and here's to a great 2014! 

~ C xxx

I'm having an early life crisis.

Finishing university was bad enough, turning twenty-two felt like a tiny stab in the chest, but now I sit here at the start of 2014, at around 4am on a Tuesday morning, wondering just what the hell it is I want to do with my life. There are so many things that I love to do, and the worst way for me to decide on a career would be to just settle. I can't do that. My brain tells me 'no' every single time I think about it. I want to wake up in the mornings and look forward to going to work. I want to write, and doodle, and use my camera, and read, and talk incessantly about everything that I enjoy in life. 
The thing that scares me the most in the world is that I'm not good enough for the careers out there that I'd love to do. Yes, I have a degree under my belt now, but what does that honestly say about me? Does it tell an employer that I'm an enthusiastic person who is eager to jump into their working environment? Does it tell them that I push myself to achieve the best that I can, or that when I try my hardest I can come up with ideas that most people usually wouldn't? I'm not a particularly confident individual. In fact, I struggle to ask shop assistants for help sometimes because I'm worried that my question will be stupid. 
To cut what could be a long post short, I'm terrified about the future. I'm scared of not living my life to the fullest that I can. 
I hope I'm not the only twenty-two year old who feels like this.