Life: 2012 in Photos

Here is a few photos from things that have happened in 2012. I've had a really good year, other than a few rubbish parts but I don't want to focus on them! I've had so many memories this year that I'll never forget. 

2013 is the year of change for myself, I'll finish university and graduate entering the big wide world and getting a proper job.
I want to do more in the upcoming year, have more 'adult' responsibilities for myself, make the most of opportunities that are given to me. I want to take more photographs and explore places that I haven't seen before, I'm planning a trip with Danny to Paris sometime next year and this is one exciting thing already. I want to take more care of myself, get fit, lose weight and have a skincare routine which I do daily/ weekly.
I also want to spend more time with those who matter to me and I don't see that much and last of all one of my top priorities is to keep on top of university work in these final 12 weeks and to fully concentrate on this, I've also got a few opportunities for internships that I'm excited about too. 
Last of all I want to keep blogging and use this as a place to store my memories, talk about things I enjoy and have something to be proud of on the internet.
Let's see how it goes!

I hope you all have a fantastic New Year and hope that 2013 brings you happiness and amazing memories! 
See you all in 2013 x

Harry Potter Studio Tour

Last Friday me, Danny and my mum went to London for the day and visited the Harry Potter studio tour in London.

I'd wanted to go for so long and I was so happy the day we booked it and when the day arrived I was majorly excited.

If you're wondering what is at the Studio Tour, there's costumes, sets, props, masks, tricks of the trade and inside secrets, how 'green screen' works and Diagon Alley and a Hogwarts model, that thing is amazing. 

If all that isn't enough, you step outside try Butterbeer, see Hagrid's motorbike with sidecar, the Knight Bus and see 4 Privet Drive. It's just a whole host of excitement in one place.

It was so magical and nice to see things brought to life that you could only see in the films or imagine in the books.

I've included a few snippets from the day below... enjoy! 

ox

Life: This Week I Am

Hello, long time no blog yet again! I need to stop doing this.. Well this week it turned to December and this means one thing is getting closer.. CHRISTMAS! I love this time of year (other than the freezing temperatures!) My house is looking very christmassy and the only thing missing from here is snow.

This week is a pretty exciting one, other than looming deadlines and the end of semester coming up..

I'm going to Harry Potter Studios, finally! I'm so excited and fingers crossed aslong as the snow doesn't ruin it going into London after to Winter Wonderland and to experience it at Christmas time. My boyfriend hasn't been to London before either so that's also pretty exciting.

Trying to finish off my christmas shopping, the cold makes me not want to leave the warmth and comfort of my own house so I think the rest might be best done online.

Attempting to start planning assignments and dissertation work for over the Christmas period so I don't have to sit on christmas day writing essays on digital PR or David Beckham as a celebrity!

Starting to think about healthy eating and exercise, which has taken a back seat over the last few months, university deadlines seem to make you want to eat more. I have no idea why! But after christmas this needs to be incorporated into my weekly routine to help keep me sane.

Hiding from the cold in my Hello Kitty onesie.

Visiting christmas markets in the city centre and feeling festive, watching The Muppets Christmas Carol - absolutely love that film and drinking cups of tea, would prefer hot chocolate.

What have you been doing this week?

I hope you all have a lovely weekend and the snow doesn't ruin any of your plans!

ox

Bloggers Editors Choice

I received the news today that I had been chosen as the editors pick over on Bloggers, which was quite surprising and unexpecting as I hadn't blogged for a while but thank you!

I will be back blogging soon hopefully, I have a pile of uni work bigger than you can imagine right now so this is a quick post.

ox

Life: My Favourite Sport

Not the kind of post that you'd expect to see on a mainly beauty blog but I thought I'd throw in a post about what I enjoy the most.

Ice hockey is a minority sport in the United Kingdom and many of you, if any of your reading this might have never heard of it. But in USA and Canada the sport is highly watched like football is over here. The sport doesn't get the media coverage/ TV coverage like any other because of the low attendances and the minority that actually enjoy the sport. 

I personally enjoy ice hockey because each game is different, its entertaining, high energy and depending on the opponents the atmosphere incredible. At times it can be very aggressive with fights happening but then again its part of the entertainment.
The rivalry between many of the times is what makes the sport, the passion that the fans show when its against their rivals and even the players. It seems like they put more effort into every shift, want to score more goals and most of all want to get the 2 points from the game against there opponents.

I've met some great friends through the sport from various cities around the UK including Belfast, which is one of my favourite places ever. It's so beautiful and so different to Sheffield. There is also playoff weekend which takes place in Nottingham every April and is 4 teams that have battled with the others in the league to get to this weekend, with 2 semi finals and one final on the Sunday where one team is crowned Playoff Champions. This has to be one of my favourite weekends of the year because all fans from every team are in one city and it gives you the opportunity to meet people and for all your friends from different teams/ cities to be all together.

So many people I know has never been to a match before and then they came along and just want to keep coming back because of how much they enjoy it. I think it's because its different and each game brings something different, no matter if they are from Edinburgh or Cardiff then you know its going to be a good game because the most important thing at the end of the day is the league title. Each team wants to win it (especially Nottingham, more than anyone) but by the end of March, all the hard work the teams put in only one will be the Elite League Champions.

The team I support is Sheffield Steelers which is my local team, and I've been attending matches since I was about 3 years old and still love it as much as I did then. I probably appreciate it more than I did back then because I know what is actually happening and understand the rules etc. At the moment our players are supporting Movember in order to raise awareness for mens prostate and testicular cancer which is obviously a great cause to support. 

I hope you've enjoyed my little ramble about ice hockey and if you've been to a game comment I'd love to meet others than enjoy the sport too :)

Lots of love

ox

Review: Revlon Kissable Balm Stain in Honey

Revlon Kissable Balm Stain in Honey - £7.99

Boots 3 for 2's are very very bad, I purchased this when nearly everything instore was on offer but unfortunately it has finished now (booo!)

I haven't actually tried the Clinique chubby sticks and the price of them puts me off abit but earlier in the year when I saw that they would be released I was quite happy. I remember when they first came out I wanted this shade and they didn't have it so I forgot about them until I was snooping Boots.

I love how they look like giant crayons which makes them really easy to find in a big messy handbag like mine and this makes application really easy. I use the point as a lip liner and outline my lips, then I colour in my lips with the side, they don't require a mirror either so they are incredibly low maintenance which is another plus point.

The shades are highly pigmented and the stain lasts for ages once the original balm has worn off, however they have a minty fragrance to it which doesn't bother me that much.
Honey is a nude-pink with a hint of mauve, this is really easy to wear as its quite close to my natural lip colour which all my lip products seem to be at the moment. I don't think I'm brave enough to wear a bright lip yet.

The only downside is that you have to wind the product all the way up to see how much there is which is abit inconvenient. It would be nice if it showed you some other way.

I think they will be becoming a part of my everyday staples!

Have you tried the Revlon Kissable Balm Stain? What shades would you recommend? I am definately loving lip products at the moment and Revlon are my favourite high-street brand at the moment!

ox

Review: Real Techniques Setting Brush

Real Techniques Setting Brush - £6.99

Real Techniques are definately my favourite brushes as they are affordable, really soft and amazing quality. I have numerous other brushes written down on my christmas list, so hopefully Santa will pay attention and listen.

I know a lot of makeup artists prefer to use a tiny brush for powder and I didn't understand why until I tried this brush. I don't use powder alot on my face as I find it goes cakey, so I've been using this for concealer underneath my eyes, on my chin and around my nose.

The brush head is just the right size for application of concealer. But I've always been using it to apply cream and powder highlighters as it is again the right size and application is made easier I feel.

One of the great things about Real Techniques brushes is that they are so versatile and can be used for a range of products in your make-up bag which again makes them great value for money!

I hope Sam Chapman brings out a few more Real Techniques brushes as they are my favourites by far, they're also so easy to clean and the same quality once washed.

What are your favourite Real Techniques brushes?

Lots of love

ox

Weekday Wishlist #008

I know I haven't posted in so long and have been having a constant battle with myself over wanting to blog but not being able to put it into words, so I thought I'd start with a wishlist. I find this the best way to get shopping out of my system even though I wish I could afford everything I want, unfortunately I can't :( (why doesn't money grow on trees!)

Right... back to the post!

Clarins Instant Smooth Perfecting Touch

Etsy Iphone Explore, Dream and Discover Phone Case

Topshop Embroided Sweater

Clarins Odyssey Face Palette

Laura Mercier Silk Crème Foundation

I've heard so much about this Clarins product it's made me want it so much more. I've been suffering with alot of blemishes lately and hate the sight of my large pores around my nose and I think this would a great addition to my make up bag. 

I have an obsession with phone cases and have a collection which would rival the Apple store but I love the galaxy print on the back of this and the words aswell. My current case is a Donald Duck one from Disneyworld so I think I may need to buy this. There are also some other great ones on Etsy so go and have a peek!

How cute is this sweater? It's completely different to any others out there as they all seem to be darker colours and I always like to add abit of colour into my wardrobe in the winter, it helps to stop you feeling down and rubbish about the cold.

This is just beautiful. I've seen it on so many blogs and fell in love with it so much, the one thing that puts me off is that it's that beautiful that I don't think I could use it because I'd be too afraid to even touch it. I suppose it would look beautiful just sat there with the gold packaging.

I hope you all had a lovely Bonfire night and stayed safe. Now it's back to dissertation work and weeks filled with assignments in the run up to Christmas :( WAH!

Lots of love

ox

Life: Update

001. Things have been changing in my life right now but they are all good. My boyfriend Danny got a job last week after not being in employment for nearly a year which I am super proud of him for and it's doing something he really enjoys yet the hours aren't really 'sociable' from around 4am-11am in the morning so it means some days I won't see him as he'll be sleeping the day away. Things are looking up right now and in the new year there might be a few BIG changes if this job becomes really serious and he gets the hours required. So fingers crossed.

002. University is back and I'm slowly settling back into a routine and the thought of a dissertation frightens me more than anything. I know the subject area I want to do, it's just all the work that goes into it that scares me I think. So if anyone has any advice then please leave it in the comments below, this would be much appreciated. I'll try and do some posts about my progress giving those who are in the same position advice for the future or for right now. I'm managing my work really well right now, ask me at the end of the semester and see what my answer is.

003. I have a few new favourite products that I'm incorporating into my skincare routine and everyday make up so keep an eye out for them posts. I need to try and take advantage of the 3 for 2 that's happening in Boots right now. I also have alot of other non beauty favourites and I need to do a few posts about them. I have a list as long as my arm for all the posts I need to do and I will definately get round to doing them.

004. I am so enjoying upgrading my winter wardrobe right now, I love Autumn/ Winter with the snuggly knits, scarves, gloves, mittens, hats, Bonfire night, onesies! There's so much more I could list but I won't bore you all. Lots of places have some lovely pieces, even just talking about them makes me excited. I'll be making lots of wishlists so keep an eye out!

I hope your all good right now and I'm in a really good, happy place right now.

ox

Review: Marc Jacobs Dot

Marc Jacobs Dot Perfume - £62.50 (for 100ml)

Marc Jacobs is easily my favourite brand when it comes to fragrances. I absolutely love the designs of the bottles as it makes them stand out from the rest of my collection and they look really pretty all lined up on my dressing table. I have all the big ones (Daisy, Daisy Eau So Fresh, Lola and Oh Lola!) Before I went away I'd ran out of Oh Lola so I needed to keep an eye out for it in duty free. I then saw that Dot had been released and this made me really excited as I knew I had to get my hands on it.

Dot by Marc Jacobs is describe as a 'sophisticated yet happy-go-lucky' fragrances which I certainly agree with. The top notes are red berries, dragonfruit and honeysuckle, heart notes of jasmine, coconut water and orange bosson, with base notes of driftwood, musk and vanilla. When you first spritz the scent it is really fresh but then dries down and smells really grown-up making the fragrance  ideal to wear day to night.

One of the main things which I like about the fragrance is the bottle! I mean how beautiful is it, it looks super pretty on my dressing table. The design is inspired by Marc Jacob's love of polka dots and the 'creature' seems to be a ladybird/ butterfly. It is just so pretty.

Overall I love this scent and I think that once the bottle is empty I'll keep it on my dressing table because of how much I love the bottle. I'd definately recommend it for anyone looking for a girly, fresh fragrance and for all you Marc Jacobs lovers out there. 

Go and pop into your local fragrance store and have a spritz! Especially if your a Marc Jacobs fan like myself.

Whats your favourite perfume? Have you tried Dot yet? What do you think? Let me know in the comments below!

ox

Review: L'Oreal Rouge Caresse in Tempting Lilac

L'Oreal Rouge Caresse Lipstick In Temping Lilac - £7.99

L'Oreal Rouge Caresse are by far my favourite lipsticks at the moment. When they were released I looked at a few shades in Boots and wasn't really keen on any of them. However last week I popped into Boots and saw that L'Oreal products were 3 for 2 and I was instantly drawn to these.

I picked up three different shades and when I tried them I instantly fell in love with all three. The ones I picked up are sweet berry, tempting lilac and dating coral.

The shade above is tempting lilac and its becoming my favourite shade. It's close to my actual lip colour which makes the shade really easy to wear day to day. It also feels nice on the lips unlike some lipsticks which I find quite heavy.

They are glossy-yet-pigmented lipsticks which is great as they can be built up to make them more intense or just one layer can make a subtle different to your lip colour.

The wear time is okay, they aren't going to last forever because of the balmy nature of them but they are really easy to reapply.

I have list of the other shades I need to pick up and would definately recommend them.

Do you have any L'Oreal Rouge Caresse lipsticks? What's your favourite shade?

ox

To Autumn

It's always sad to say goodbye to summer, especially Summer 2012 as I've created memories that I will never forget and had an amazing time in Disneyworld Florida and all the surrounding places. 

But Autumn and Winter are creeping upon us slowly, dark nights closing in and wooly jumpers are at the ready, this has made me start thinking about all the things I enjoy about this time of year.
I've been sat wondering what to blog about and I realised I should blog about the things that I enjoy about autumn!

Here is my list so far.  

1. Spending rainy days inside, snuggle up on the sofa in pjs.
2. Movie marathons with blankets, sweets and my boyfriend.
3. Collecting conkers.
4. Buying wooly jumpers and scarfs.
5. Roast dinners with yorkshire puddings and roast potatoes.
6. Fireworks, sparklers, baked potatoes and soup on Bonfire night.
7. Going for long walks in the woods, kicking all the leaves that have fallen from the trees.
8. Wearing mittens.
9. Christmas being just around the corner.
10. Marshmallows and hot chocolate.
11. Carving pumpkins (even though I dislike halloween... ooops!)
12. Snuggling up in a oversized hoody watching guilty pleasure TV programmes.
13. Yankee christmas cupcake candles.
14. Christmas markets in Sheffield city centre.
15. Starbucks hot drinks.

What are your favourite things about Autumn?

ox

Review: Paco Rabanne Lady Million Perfume

Paco Rabanne Lady Million; my new favourite fragrance right now.

For birthdays and christmas I'd always been after Marc Jacobs perfumes (Daisy, Lola etc.) and thought that it was time to try a new fragrance. 
Originally I picked up the rollerball from Sephora as I wasn't sure I'd like the fragrance but I fell in love, so when we was coming home from Disneyworld I decided to pick this up in duty free and I'm so glad that I made this decision. It's slowly becoming my favourite fragrance out of them all.

I also love the packaging that Lady Million comes in, you'd think that it would be difficult to spray due to the shape of the bottle but it easily fits into your hand. The bottle is also shaped like a diamond which are a ladies best friend!

Perfume experts descrive this as a floral fragrance with top notes of bitter oranges and fleshy raspberry, heart notes of neroli, orange flower and arabian jasmine, with base notes of honey and vibrant patchouli. I wish I knew what all of this meant, but for those of you that I do please let me know what this means.

A couple of squirts of the fragrance and your good to go, it normally lasts a few hours but if I feel I need a top-up I just use the rollerball which I carry round in my handbag. I seriously wish they sold these in the UK, they are so handy and much more convinient than carry a whole bottle of perfume around each day.

Next time your in Boots, go and have a sniff, I hope it doesn't disappoint.

What do you think of Paco Rabanne? Whats your current favourite fragrance?

ox

Review: Dior Colour Designer: All-In-One Makeup palette

(the lip colours which are under the small Dior drawer)

Duty free purchase number two! Yes I know I'm a terrible person but they shouldn't put such beautiful products there for people like me to purchase... I suppose I 'had' to spend the dollars though.

The palette contains everything that you need to create whole look, the base products which it contains are the anticernes concealer in the shade beige clair/ light beige and the Diorskin nude natural flow powder in shade #032 Sable Rose. Unfortunately I haven't used used these products yet so I can't comment on them and my skintone. 

The blush is Diorblush #830 Rose Dragee, the pigmentation is very low giving a whisper of cool pink with a slight silver glitter. The eyeshadows which are in the palette contains pinks, plum, brown and a white (the shades listed are #852, #501, #689, #836, #959). 

There is also a mini Dior mascara which is Diorshow, its a really great mascara which adds alot of volume to lashes. However it is really difficult to get off my eyes so I don't really use it that much.

Under the main palette there is a small pull out drawer that opens up which has a mini crayon eyeliner in Noir #090 (black) and a mini crayon eyebrow pencil in Sable Sand #453 (slightly warm brown). There are also a few applicators and a sponge included in the drawer.

Overall I like the palete and it is well thought out with the majority of the colours suiting a variety of skintones. The quality of the products is lovely and you can tell that it is a high-end product as I'm used to using more drugstore products. My favourite thing about the palette is having all of the products together which makes it handy to carry round and for travelling.

I definately wish high-end make up was more affordable as I have list as long as my arm of the products that I want/ need to get hold off.

ox

Review: Benefit Bella Bamba Blush

Benefit Bella Bamba Blusher - £23.50 

I finally purchased Benefit Bella Bamba Blush, this is the ideal shade of blusher for me as I love coral colours.

It is describes as a '3D watermelon blush' and it aims to give the illusion of sculpted cheekbones. I'm not sure if it actually does this but I love the beautiful coral shade and the gold shimmer together giving a natural flush to the cheeks that isn't too obvious.

Another great thing about the blush is that it is really easy to blend in so if you accidentally got a little OTT on the blush you can easily get it to look normal on your cheeks.

As with most Benefit products, the packaging is just so cute. I love these boxes as you have the mirror which makes any on the go touch up's easier and an all-in-one box is so much easier to use. It also comes with the Benefit brush but I prefer to use my Real Techniques blusher brush.

I think I have a new favourite blush. Next on my list is a Nars blush but I'm not sure which one.

Do you have any suggestions and favourites?

ox

Weekend Wishlist #007

Topshop Knitted Cotton Stud Jumper

Topshop Knitted Rib Jumper

Topshop Poppy Oversized Tee

Topshop Fairisle Hat
Bobbi Brown Desert Twilight Palette

This weeks wishlist is Topshop based. I'm currently loving there A/W range as I love big wooly knits and hats in the winter. The only thing that puts me off alot of the time is the prices but it always helps make it a little easier when you get student discount on them and when you can get a cheeky 20% every now and then.

I'm loving studs right now and saw this jumper and fell in love, I also love the pastel pink colour of the jumper as A/W time is normally all dark and dull. I also want a Glamorous clothing jumper which has the studs on the shoulders that I saw in Ark which is a fraction of the price.

Next up is another Topshop knit, the colour also drew me to this as it is again an unusual shade for the A/W season and could have a collared shirt added underneath to layer it up and a scarf added for them extra cold days/ nights. 

As soon as I saw this tee online I instantly fell in love. Floral patterns are definately my best friend through the summer and the winter, this could be worn throughout Autumn with a leather jacket or a hooded jacket with a pair of leggings and chelsea boots and then when it gets to Winter wooly tights from Primark (I love them!) can be added to make it better to wear in the weather. Also for £25 I think its an absolute bargain.

Next up is this adorable hat. As I said I love the winter and as I have short hair my head seems to get colder easier (it really does) and I just love being able to put a hat on, I also love fairisle print so might have to get my hands on this aswell. River Island always have great hats aswell for the winter, so do Topman which is where I got one from last Winter.

Last of all is the Bobbi Brown Desert Twilight Palette, all the shades are perfect neutral shades and I love the size of the palette which makes it perfect for travelling. I've also heard other bloggers raving about the palette so I think as soon as my student loan comes in I'll have to make the purchase.

I hope you've all had a great week and have a wonderful weekend planned!

Whats on your wishlist this weekend?

ox

Review: Very YSL Make-Up Palette

My first ever YSL purchase, all thanks to duty free at Sanford Airport. We were delayed by 2 hours coming home, so even though the duty free area was quite small it meant there was time to spend the extra dollars I had left over and purchase make-up and perfume. How perfect.

I fell in love with this YSL palette as soon as I set eyes on it, the pink casing was one thing which I loved. But as soon as I opened the palette I knew that I had to have it, the colours are just perfect and you can't ever have too much sparkle. 

The gorgeous fuchsia pink ultra-flat case has gold trimmings and the YSL logo in gold which adds something to the palette.

This gorgeous palette comes with four eyeshadows which are; Ombre Solo no4 violet - a deep aubergine shade, Ombre 5 lumières no9 taupe - a light taupe shade, Ombre 5 lumières no4 parme - a sparkly lilac and Ombre 5 lumières no8 rose - a sparkly pink colour. Two solid lip colours, a neon pink and a peachy pink shade and a blush in variation no14, a light peachy shade with sparkle. It also contains applicators for all products which is handy as it is meant to be a travel product.

All the eyeshadows are very pigmented and the lip shades give very good coverage, the blush is meant to flatter all skin tones, I'm quite fair skinned (other than being tanned at the moment) and it really works with my skin.

I can't remember the exact price of the product but I think from looking on the internet it was around $60 which is £37.50.

ox

Life: Disneyworld

I'm baaaaack, I managed to get home from Disneyworld in one piece! After worrying that we were going to get hit by Hurricane Issac whilst we were out there, I ended up having the most amazing and unforgettable holiday ever. 
I spent the two weeks at All Star Movies Hotel and visited all the Disneyworld Parks, Seaworld, Busch Gardens, Universal Studios, Downtown Disney, Kissimmee, Cocoa Beach and various other places. I loved it so much, the weather was beautiful for the whole 2 weeks other than at least one thunderstorm and torrential rain shower a day. We had one day which was really bad weather because of Hurricane Issac but it could have been a whole lot worse.

The Cinderella Castle was the most beautiful thing ever, as soon as we entered Magic Kingdom on the first day I shed a tear because it was a dream come true and I never thought it was going to happen. Everything in Disney is just incredible and there is so much detail in everything, it certainly is the most magical and happiest place on earth. 

One of the highlights of the holiday was meeting the characters, yes you may think this is a little strange for a 21 year old to be doing but your in Disneyworld you have to do it! We met Mickey and Minnie various times in different locations, Russell and Doug from Up, Donald Duck with Chip and Dale (which I loved as Donald Duck is amazing and one of my favourite Disney characters so this made me really happy), Belle, Cinderella, Rapunzel and Goofy (he loved me, gave me cuddles and kisses which made my boyfriend jealous once I was home as he loves Goofy).

ox

Life: I'm home

I haven't disappeared off this planet! On Monday morning I came home from Disneyworld Florida after an amazing two weeks and then I've been suffering from jet lag and came home to some very bad news, my lovely Ruby (dog) had passed away which has made these last few days even harder.

I have alot of pictures to share with you all and products that I picked up whilst I was over there after popping into Sephora (I was in love). I wish I'd picked up more but I invested in an iPad whilst I was over there aswell :)

I hope you've all been well, it's taking alot of used to being home especially with Ruby not being here. I need to get back to normality and to try and shake this jet lag off.

Love ox

Surviving A Level Results Day

For many of you tomorrow may be a very important day and you might be nervously awaiting your A Level results. If you are good luck :) 
I remember this day very well 2/3 years ago and I kind of knew I already had a place at university as I did 3 years at college which gave me more points for my course.

This year I'm working clearing at university and thought that I'd try and give some of my reader a few tips for how to survive results day and what to do if you don't get the results that you need/ want.

- Believe in yourself - Even though you can't change anything that you did in your exams, there is no point stressing about it. Try and be positive, I know that I doubt myself ALOT and that I surprise myself and end up doing better than I thought.

- UCAS will probably crash - Yes.. This isn't something that you want to hear but it happens. This is because there are 1000s of people who are wanting to see if they have been successful or unsuccessful. I remember checking from 7am and I didn't get on til around 9am which was quite annoying. You may get on it earlier and if you do well done. However some of you may want to wait to get your results from college/ sixth form to see if you have been successful.

- Clearing is always an option - If you don't get the grades you need for your firm choice or insurance then you always have clearing as a back up. Clearing this year might not be as competitive as it has been previously with fees rising and universities may have more places because of this. Check the UCAS website or the university that you are interested in and they will have a list of courses and the institutions with places. Make sure that you are interested in the course and that you don't pick something just for the sake of doing to university. Also try and call the unis as soon as possible to be in with the best chance of getting a place, phone lines will also get busier as the day goes by.

- Choices are important - Try to remember that you are going to be at the university for three years and will spend alot of time in the city. Make some lists of unis that you would definately like to go to and a list of no's, this is just incase you need to go through clearing.

- Make sure that you're contactable and can find information easily, have your UCAS number and an email address close by and try to stay close to a computer and a phone.

- Despite what happens try and stay calm. Results day and clearing can be daunting, especially if you've suffered disappointment with grades. Ringing up universities for a place through clearing might be the last thing you feel like doing but there will be 1000s of other students in the UK in the same position and unis deal with clearing every year. You may not end up going to the university you'd planned but it could end up being the best thing thats ever happened to you.

And most of all good luck! I hope that you all get the results that you need to get onto the course you want to do.

University is the start of a new beginning, so forget what has gone before and know that many others aren't as lucky as yourself.

ox