Fashion Wishlist | August

1. Warehouse Red Eyelet Detail Jumper - £38

2. Warehouse Black Pleat Front A Line Skirt - £45

3. Oais Polly Platform Wedge Boots - £70

4. A Wear Long Sleeve Aztec Jumper - £35

5. 55DSL Open Back Vest Top in Black - £55

6. Zara Skinny Trousers with Zips - £39.99

7. Warehouse Lace Sleeve Playsuit - £60

8. Dorothy Perkins Black Contrast Collar Top - £15

9. Ark White & Black Armes Checked Pinafore Playsuit - £26.99

As you can probably see, when it comes to A/W clothing I am the most boring person in the world. I love wearing blacks, greys and whites. I just love how classic it is and how it goes withe everything. These are the current items on my wishlist that I would love for A/W. I think they are all really versatile and can worn for different occasions and I'd get a lot of wear out of them this season. I especially love the Warehouse playsuit which I actually posted about on my twitter. I love lace and I love playsuits, so this is pretty much made for me. It is pretty pricey though at £60 so I may see if it comes in the sales so I can snap it up.

Let me know what's on your fashion wishlists or if you are as boring as me when it comes to A/W fashion in the comments below.

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MTV VMAs | Hits and Misses

For those of you who don't know, Sunday was the MTV Video Music Awards. It's in the US so I didn't get a chance to see it and while I like and appreciate a lot of the artists, this post is going to be more about the fashion hits and misses from the event. These types of events are filled with people constantly trying to outdo each other and impress on the red carpet, but while some of the fashion choices are a huge hit, some of them leave a bad taste in your mouth.

Hits

For me, there weren't that many dresses I was particularly impressed with, however these are the few that caught my eye.

Selena Gomez was wearing Versace. I've seen a lot of magazines say that this dress was a miss, but I actually like it. I think the detailing isn't too over the top and doesn't detract from the dress. It flatters her figure and is a bit different without going overboard like some of the other dresses.

Taylor Swift wore Herve Leger and looked gorgeous. Taylor always has such a classy sense of style and I always love what she wears. I love how simple, yet flattering this dress is. It really matches her style and shows off her figure without being too in your face. I think she looks truly elegant and glamorous.

Naya Rivera is stunning, and I love this dress. It's very simple, yet classy and flatters her figure well. It's a very simple design and cut, but it works.

Ellie Goulding is a gorgeous girl, and I love her dress. I love things that are a bit different and love it when girl outfits are made a bit 'edgy' with the addition of spikes. I think the colour really flatters her and the spike detailing manages to make it a bit different from the mainstream dresses without going too far. I think she looks classy but still manages to stand out.

Misses

 

Having looked at all the images from the VMAs there are far more misses than hits. There's a lot more than the ones shown here but these are the just the top 4 that I really thought failed to hit the mark.

Katy Perry wore this leopard print dress from Emanuel Ungaro, I'm not the biggest fan of leopard print as it is, but it's the golden leaf embellishment that puts me off this dress. I don't think it adds much to the dress and instead takes away from it. I usually love Katy Perry's outfit, but this isn't a hit with me. I do think it fits in well with her new single Roar though (if that was the idea).

Miley Cyrus wore this number from Dolce&Gabbana. I'm not a huge fan of this outfit, I think the gemstones don't particularly go with the outfit and I don't think it's the best for her figure. Miley has a gorgeous, enviable figure due to her love of pilates but I don't think this flatters it.

Lil Kim wore a bodysuit with a bright yellow shoe boots. I actually don't mind the boots and think they would have looked ok with a different outfit. However, with the boots, and the bodysuit there's just too much going on.

Lady Gaga wore Prabal Gurung. Gaga is often known for her outrageous fashion sense, and compared to some of her other outfits this is much tamer. I often love how Gaga challenges the fashion world and some of her amazing designs, but to me this falls flat. The material of the dress is far too akin to a bin liner. Sorry Gaga, but this doesn't do it for me.

So that's it for my hits and misses of the VMAs 2013! Let me know which dresses you love or which you weren't too keen on.

Image Sources:
Daily Mail // NY Daily News

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Illamasqua Powder Blush in Katie | Review and Swatch

Illamasqua blushes are one of the most raved about products of their brand, and it's easy to see why. I love their blushes, they're easy to apply, last for a long time and the pigmentation is great. My favourite blush from them, and the one I am reviewing today, is called 'Katie'. It's a light pink powder blush from their main collection.

Packaging:
The blush is housed in Illamasqua's typical sleek, black packaging. What I love most about this packaging is you can see the colour of the blush without opening the packaging up. The packaging is also extremely lightweight so would be easy to carry around with you.

Shade: 
The thing that first drew me to this blush was the colour. It's a pale pink colour that looks lovely on the cheeks. It is quite a natural looking colour so is great for people who like their makeup to look natural. However, the colour can be built up in order to achieve a darker look. The only issue with this blush is that due to its colour, people who have medium-dark skin may find it doesn't show up on them. But for all those as fair as me, this blush will look lovely on your skintones.

Application and Pigmentation:
The blush is very easy to apply, I'd go so far as to say that this is one of the most easy to apply blushes I've ever used. It is very soft and not in the least bit powdery -which is great for my dry skin! It applies easily and also blends well into the skin. The Pigmentation is also good, you can layer it up to achieve a more intense colour, or use less to achieve a more natural-looking blush. The blush also has a good lasting time, and I find I don't need to touch it up in the day.

Pricing:
For £18.00 this blush is one of the more expensive available on the market. However, I think the price is justified for the qualirt. Illamasqua often have sales on their stock throughout the year too, I've managed to pick up blushers for under £8 before!

Availability:
The whole range of Illamasqua Blushes (both Powder and Cream) are available from Illamasqua.

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Sleek Blush by 3 in Sweet Cheeks | Review and Swatches

If you read my haul post here, you'll know that I recently picked up the Sleek Blush by 3 Palette in Sweet Cheeks. I already own the Blush by 3 Palette in Pumpkin which I reviewed here, and I really love it. When I saw Sleek had bought out a new palette and saw the bright colours in it, I knew it was a must have for my makeup bag.

Colours:
The colours in this are gorgeous bright colours which are ideal for summer. Cupcake is a gorgeous blue-toned pink. This is the only blush in the palette which is a cream formulation. Dolly Mix is a very gorgeous lilac colour. I really like that they included this in the palette, it adds something a bit different to the palette. It's quite a unique colour and I can't think of any similar drugstore/highstreet blushes off the top of my head. Finally Candy Floss is similar in shade to Cupcake but is much more warm toned.

I think all the colours in this palette are really wearable and are great for Spring/Summer, although I will definitely be wearing these in Autumn/Winter too. These blushes do look a bit scary in the pan as they are bold, but you can create a much more subtle look by applying these lightly with a stippling brush.

Pigmentation:
As you can hopefully see from the swatches, the pigmentation on these is great and typical of Sleek blushes. The swatches are all 2 swipes each. I was glad to see that the cream blush, Cupcake, was well pigmented as this is the first cream blush that Sleek has released. I'm hoping that in the future Sleek comes out with a blush by 3 palette containing only cream blushers. These can applied to give a very intense look, or using a light hand to give a more subtle effect. One word of warning: make sure you blend these if you are going for an intense look. The pigmentation is so good that you can look a bit clownish if you aren't careful.

Application:
Sleek's blushes are some of the best affordable blushes available. They aren't quite as easy to blend as some of the higher end blushes (such as Illamasqua's) but they are a lot easier to apply than most other drugstore/highstreet blushers. In my opinion, the cream blush applied the best and was easily blended into the skin. The powder blushes are a bit harder to work with, but can still be blended into the skin with a little effort. For the price, the quality of these is superb.

Lasting Power:
I always prime my skin and found that on me the two powder blushes lasted all day, which I have found is often the case with Sleek blushes. The cream blush did not last as long (as was to be expected) but lasted about 5 hours + before there was noticeable fading. This is typical wear time for a cream blush, but this can probably be extended by powdering the blush or using a setting spray.

Packaging:
As always, the Sleek packaging is lightweight and easy to carry around. I also love that Sleek always includes a large mirror in their blush palettes as it is ideal if you want to touch up your makeup while you are out and about. Sweet Cheeks also comes in a limited edition outer packaging as it's part of the Candy Collection. However the rest of the packaging is no different, apart from the blush and collection name being in the lower right hand corner of the palette.

Pricing & Availability:
Available from Superdrug for £9.99, along with the rest of the collection of Blush By 3 Palettes.

I really like this blush trio and have been loving the bright colours for Summer. These blushes are some of the best quality available for such an affordable price. I really recommend this to anyone looking for affordable blushes which have great pigmentation

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Going to University | Things You Can Do From Now Until Then | University Series

Source

Hey everyone,

Quite a few people told me that my last post about receiving A2 results really helped them, and it meant a lot to me to hear people say that my blog had helped them. I hope that everyone got what they wanted on Thursday and are now looking forward to starting at University. I thought I'd share some ideas based on my own experience of what you can be doing between now and starting university. I'm going to be doing separate posts on what to expect from Freshers and packing so won't dwell on them too much here. I know the month before you go to university is a hectic one. Part of you is so excited to go to University while another part of you is feeling really nervous about leaving your family and friends.

Search eBay for Fancy Dress
Most fresher's weeks  involve a lot of fancy dress, and the fancy dress nights you have will differ from uni to uni. For me, I personally had a Back to School night, a UV night, Pub Golf and Anything But Clothes (this did not mean nude! It meant recycled materials to make dresses etc). It's fun to get involved with the fancy dress and making yourself look silly along with everyone else is also a bit of a bonding exercise in a way. The only problem is that fancy dress can be expensive, so make sure to look on eBay or in charity shops. Not all towns have fancy dress shops, and if they do they are much pricier. It's best finding out what fancy dress you will need in advance before you go. Most fresher's timetables will come out before you go. Check these to see what sort of fancy dress you might need and search on eBay to get a good deal. You can pick up some really cheap stuff from eBay and I've used it throughout my first year for all my fancy dress needs.

If your fresher's timetable isn't released beforehand I'd suggest bringing any fancy dress you already have to uni and also to bring a school shirt and tie. Most freshers weeks I've heard of from friends did a school night, so if you bring these with you already, you won't need to buy anything. Also, facepaint is brilliant whatever the occasions. It's a lot of fun to draw things on your new flatmates.

Make a List of Things to Pack
Personally, I don't think you need to start packing until the week before you go, most the things you will take you probably use most days so if you pack them you'll just end up unpacking. I think it's best to make a list of things you want to take to university. There's a lot of lists online provided by universities that give you an idea of what to pack. To make sure I didn't miss anything I thought about what I use everyday (from makeup to shampoo to pens) and made sure it was on the list.

Once you've made the list go through and tick what you already have. A lot of people spend a lot of money before university on buying things to take with them, but in most cases you don't need to do this and the money would be better spent while you are at university (most people spend too much in first term). For example, if you already have clothes hangers, take the ones you have rather than buying new ones.

Once you've worked out what you don't have, you know what you need to pick up before you go to university and have given yourself plenty of time to do so. It also gives you time to look for the best deals. Cutlery and Pots & Pans can work out quite expensive so make sure to look for deals. I got a lot of mine from Matalan and found they were really cheap and had a good variety.

Also, please don't take thing's you don't need. I'm sure you think you really need a pizza cutter, but knife works just as well. Speaking of knives, you don't need a full pack of chef's knives (like my flatmate had), I survived the whole year with only two.

Try and Find Your Flatmates
If you know your accommodation before you go to uni, try to see if you can find your flatmates before you go. This will help calm your nerves a bit and help you get to know them ahead of freshers, meaning it won't be so awkward. I found 11/12 of my flatmates on facebook, by seeing people posting in fresher's groups or subject groups. Facebook is a great way to meet people, so check your university facebook pages to see if anyone else is in your flat.

Learn to Cook
I'm not saying become a pro chef overnight, but just learn some basic meals that will get you through the first few weeks. I didn't bother learning how to cook and was really nervous about cooking for myself. I remember for my first week I ate nothing but beans on toast! Learning to cook a few simple meals will help to make sure you eat well during university and aren't so nervous.

So that's all I can think of for now, sorry it's so long but I had quite a few things to put in. If you have any more questions feel free to tweet me or email me at beautybucketlist@gmail.com.

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Why It's Ok to be Pale

I''m incredibly pale. It's a fact, from a young age I've constantly been asked 'Why are you so pale?' 'Are you ill?' or even 'Are you a vampire?'. I used to hate my pale skin and try to cover it up by fake tanning or using darker foundation (and blending it down to the neck). However, I have recently begun to embrace my pale skin for what it is. And I hope that I can show some of your other pale people out there, why you should too.

Before I start this post, I would like to say that I am in no way against tanned skin (natural or fake). I myself love the look of glowing tanned skin, and have fake tanned before. However, I feel that around this time of year, people who are naturally very pale sometimes feel down about their natural skin colour. If you are anything like me, you won't tan naturally in the sun (I don't really burn either so that's a plus) and fake tan doesn't look quite right on you because 1. everyone can tell that its fake as you are so pale 2. all your makeup is suited to pale skin and doesn't look quite right and 3. You look so different you don't look like 'you' anymore.

This post therefore is in no way a bashing of tanned skin, I am personally jealous of those who have such amazing skin and wish I could achieve the same. However, this post is about a celebration of pale skin and should hopefully help people feel like its ok if they want to show off their pale skin in the summer.

Pale Skin is timeless. In Victorian times, pale skin used to be the envied skintone and considered something to aspire to. The logic behind this was that the paler a woman's skin was, the less time she spent outside working. So those with paler skin were more likely to be from money and not need to work. While this logic doesn't exactly apply today, it shows that pale skin is a classic, timeless look. Also, think of how beautiful the actresses look in period dramas. They all have pale skin.

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Pale skin IS sexy. I've often heard comments that paleskin can't be sexy and only those with a tan  can be. To all those people, I dare you to look at these images and still say that:

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Look how many pale celebrities there are that women are envious of? There are many celebrities who are known for their pale skin and who embrace it, and they are beautiful.

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I hope that this had showed how beautiful pale skin is, and it should not be something that is dismissed as 'sickly looking' nor should people ever be told 'you need to get a tan'. Everyone should love their natural skin colour.

If you have pale skin let me know if you embrace yours and how, if you have any reasons why you should love being pale, let me know in the comments!

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Sleek iDivine Palette in Original | Review and Swatches

I love Sleek MakeUP, they are probably my favourite drugstore/highstreet brand by far. Their products are always of high quality My favourite product of theirs are their blushes (which I blogged about here) and their eyeshadow palettes. They are very high quality and comparable to products I own from high end brands, but are a fraction of the price. Sleek had a wide variety of eyeshadow palettes available in their iDivine range, including the Storm palette which is often compared to Urban Decay's Naked Palette. The palette I'm reviewing today is the Original iDivine palette which has much more bright and vibrant shades in it.

I've had this for years now, sorry if the palette looks a bit dirty! I tried my best to clean it before taking photos.

The Claim:

'Sleek MakeUP’s legendary i-Divines are 12 shades of high-quality, super-pigmented eyeshadow, suited to every skin tone.'

Pigmentation:
The pigmentation on these eyeshadows is good as you can see from the swatches. Each of the swatches has been swatched 3 times but this was for consistency, I could have gotten away with 2 on all of them but the matte black.The swatches are all on bare skin with no primer.

The matte black is the only shadow in this palette that I'd say isn't as good pigmentation. It is also a bit powdery in formulation as well and I found it much harder to swatch. The shimmery shades are good quality and high in pigmentation. The darker shades are more pigmented (particularly numbers 2,3,4 and 5) and have a really creamy formula. The lighter shades do have less pigmentation but this is because they are lighter shades rather than because of the quality. After the matte black, 7 is the least pigmented but it's a very light colour and the formula on it is still good. I'd also say that the lighter shades have more noticeable shimmer than the darker shades.

My favourite shades are 8, 9 and 11, they create a really nice twist on the natural looking eye and are easy to carry off. I especially love these shades for the summer time as I think the pink looks lovely with summer clothes.

Staying Power:
I always wear my eyeshadows over a primer (Urban Decay's Primer Potion) and I find that these eyeshadows will last all day on me with no creasing. I don't suffer from oily lids though, so can't say if they fare up as well on oily eyelids. The pigmentation and shimmer stays and there is also no fall out onto the cheeks.

Packaging:
The packaging is compact meaning it is easy to carry around with you, and the opening is secure so it won't accidentally open in your bag. It does come with a sponge applicator which I don't use as I only use brushes for apply my eyeshadow. Mine has fallen apart a bit and I've barely used it.

Pricing and Availability:
The whole range of Sleek iDivine eyeshadow palettes are available from Sleek MakeUP for £7.99 each.

I love the Sleek iDivine palettes and think they are great value for 12 high quality eyeshadows. They have a huge range of palettes to suit everyone's taste. I'm especially excited by their new Vintage Romance palette which is coming out in September, so keep an eye out for that.

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The Beauty Commandments | Habits I need to break

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As a beauty blogger and self confessed beauty junkie, you would think that I stick by all the beauty commandments. Truth is, I don't. In fact, it is actually quite bad how many of them I break.

Thou Shall Throw away all Mascaras after 3 months
Oh dear. This is probably the beauty rule that I break time and time and time again. I know its really bad and I know the reasons why I should stick to it.  I never ever throw away my mascaras after six months. When I buy a mascara, especially if it is an expensive mascara I can't bear to throw it away knowing that half of the product is still left! This is made even worse by the fact that I like to try multiple mascaras at a time and use different mascaras for different looks, meaning I often have more than one open at a time

Why Should you throw away mascara after 3 months? 
I've got a more detailed post on this coming up shortly, but basically bacteria can build up in your mascara which can cause eye infections if you aren't careful. Mascaras have antibacterial agents in them to protect against this, but this only lasts so long - typically around the 3 months mark. After this you risk eye infection by keep using your mascara. Therefore, its best just to throw them out. 

Thou Shall Cleanse, Tone and Moisturise
I used to be good at doing this one, but recently I've stopped using toner. It isn't completely my fault, my Liz Earle Skin Tonic ran out and I haven't had the chance (or funds) to repurchase it as of yet. I'd say my skin has got a bit worse because of it, so I really need to sort this out.

Why Should you use toner?
Toner can help remove excess oil and dead skin cells that may remain still on the skin after you have used a cleanser. It can also help remove any makeup that you may have missed while cleansing too. It's not essential in a skincare regime, however if you often suffer from breakouts and can't see why, adding a toner into your regime may help.

Thou Shall Curl Thou's Eyelashes

Okay, this is one I have never ever done. Truth is, I've never used an eyelash curler in my life. Why? I'm not really sure of the reason, I think the main reason is because I'm scared of putting something that big next to my eyeball. With the mess I always make with fake eyelashes (last time I wore them, one fell off mid way through the night, luckily I noticed pretty quickly), I just think I'll end up somehow breaking my eyelashes off or poking myself in the eye with the curlers. I know this is silly because tons of use eyelash curlers everyday and they never manage to harm themselves.

Why Should you curl your eyelashes?
Unlike the other beauty rules, not curling your lashes doesn't really have any negative effect. Curling your lashes simply makes them appear longer and can make mascara application a bit easier. It can also make the lashes more uniform if you have some lashes less curly than others. It makes your eye makeup look better, but not doing it isn't going to do anything bad.

Thou Shall Deep Clean Makeup Brushes Regularly
This one I'm not awful at, but I'm still not brilliant at it. I know why it is important to deep clean your brushes and more often than not I do deep clean them. However, there are the odd occasions when I'm really busy or literally cannnot be bothered and end up putting off deep cleaning them. I know how bad this is for my skin and know this is one I need to change quickly.

Why Should you deep clean your brushes regularly? 
 If you don't clean your makeup brushes regularly, bacteria can build up in the brush. They also transfer old germs and bacteria to your face every time you use them. Take for example your concealer brush. Used it to cover a blemish one time? The germs and bacteria from that time will remain in the brush and be transferred to your face next time you use it, even if you no longer have that blemish. This can lead to break outs. Therefore, to avoid this its best to always clean your makeup brushes.

I've done a blog post on how to deep clean your makeup brushes here. 

Thou Shall never Sleep in Makeup
It's only a few occasions that I've broken this one. It tends to be when I've either been out and come back really late and literally zonked, or if I'm sleeping at a friends and forget to properly take my makeup off. Apart from these occasions, I do take all of my makeup off, but I need to start making sure that I always take it off before I got to sleep.

Why Shouldn't you sleep in makeup?
Sleeping in makeup is really bad for you skin. The problem with makeup is that it clogs up our pores which means that dead skin cells and irritants can't be removed from from our pores. Leaving it on all night can cause break outs. Furthermore, sleeping with your eye makeup on is just as bad as sleeping with a full face of foundation on. Sleeping with mascara on can cause your lashes to become dry and brittle.

These are the main beauty rules that I find myself breaking time and time again even thought I know that I shouldn't! Let me know the beauty rules that you break in the comments below.

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Illamasqua Liquid Metal in Electrum | Review and Swatch

Illamasqua's Liquid Metals are a product I fell in love with as soon as I saw them. They are intense colours that look simply stunning in the pan and on the lid.

Illasmasqua's Claim:

'A rich and highly pigmented metallic cream that grabs full attention wherever it's applied. Smooth onto eyes, face and body with fingers or a brush and prepare to take the spotlight.'

 Colour:
The most notable thing about this product is its colour. It's a vivid antique gold that really catches the eye. Illamasqua's claim that it 'grabs full attention' is certainly true. As you can see in the swatch, it is a very intense gold colour, certainly not a pale or subtle colour! However, it can be sheered out to make it less dramatic.

Application:
The liquid metals are cream products which makes them ideal for acting as eyeshadow bases. . They are great to put under gold eye shadows as base as they make the gold eye shadows more intense and last longer. While you can wear them on their own, as they are cream products they are more prone to creasing throughout the day. I have worn these alone before and did suffer from a bit of creasing which was to be expected. These can also be used as liners as well due to their consistency.

The formula of this is really nice. It is a very creamy product and you do not need much to get the colour from the pan onto your eye. It tend to use a brush to apply this, but you can also apply with fingers.

Lasting Power:
For a cream product, these do have good lasting power. They last around 6 hours on the eye on their own (although with some creasing), and I've found they last all day underneath eyeshadow. 

Packaging:
Illamasqua's packaging is always sleek and this is no exception. It is lightweight which means it is easy to carry with you if you want to touch up throughout the day, and is compact enough to fit in a small bag. I also love that you can see the colour through the packaging, as when you have a lot of makeup products it can be a pain to have to open every product to see what colour it is.

Pricing and Availability:
Liquid Metals retail for £17.50 and can be purchased from Illamasqua.

Overall:
The intense nature of the liquid metals make them ideal for eyeshadow bases, helping to intensify your eye shadow and make it stand out. They can also be used as eyeliners and even as highlighters. I'm not usually a cream eyeshadow fan, but the Illamasqua liquid metals are so easy to use.

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How to Prepare for A2 Results Day | University Series

Source: The Telegraph, Edited by Me

Alright there,

So last week I mentioned I was going to be starting a series all about university. I know a lot of my readers/ fellow bloggers are at the sort of age where they are either thinking about university or are going to university in September/October. I therefore thought it would be helpful to share some of my experiences with you. I know some people will not be interested in this whatsoever, so feel free to skip this post.

But before any of that can happen, results day is first. This post is only focused on A2 results day as its a bit different to other results days. I remember my results day last year and how nervous I was for it, so I thought I'd share with you few tips from my experience to help you prepare for Thursday.

Read up on Adjustment
Make sure to read up on what adjustment is. Most people don't look forward to their results and think they've done badly, it's a natural response. However, year and year out people surpass their expectations and get better grades than they were expecting. Adjustment is the process by which you can apply to a university with higher grade boundaries on results day. For example, say your uni offer was BBB but you actually got grades of AAB you could then apply to go to a university with courses requiring AAB. For some people they would prefer to go to university they originally wanted to go to, but for others, this gives them a chance to go to a different university they may prefer. It's good to read up on this and know what the process is, you can learn more about adjustment here.

Know what Clearing is, and look into the clearing lists
This is without a doubt the most important thing. None of us want to miss our offer (both firm and insurance). It is wise to look into clearing and know about the process. It is always best to be prepared for the worst possible outcome. If you don't get in and haven't read about the clearing process, it will have been made all that more difficult for you. Make sure you buy the Telegraph and also check their website, they have a list of all of the clearing vacancies available. The vacancies are available from Midnight on A level results day, so if you are sure you haven't gotten in, you may want to look at some of the vacancies available to prepare yourself. I wasn't sure if I'd gotten in or not, so checked the list and it made me feel a lot calmer as I'd been able to find places I would happily have gone to that did my course. To learn more about the actual process of clearing, check here.

Decide if you are going to check UCAS Track before going to college
People have different preferences on this. Some schools have their results online which makes it easier as you can check your results from home. However, a lot of colleges you will need to go in to collect your results which will be on a slip on paper. Depending on when your school opens, your UCAS Track may be updated beforehand. I don't think my college opened until 10am which was pretty late, but if yours opens earlier that's another factor to consider. I for one chose to check UCAS Track before going in as that way I would either know that I'd gotten in and not feel nervous for my results, or if I hadn't gotten in, would get a headstart on clearing. Luckily for me I had gotten in, and as a result I felt relieved and wasn't nervous to go and collect my results. However, some people wanted to wait to get their results instead of checking online, so the choice is up to you.

Don't stay up all night
Really, don't. UCAS Track will not update before 7am  so there is no reason to stay up all night, try and get a good nights sleep in case you need it. I didn't get much sleep because I was so so worried, but try and get as much as you can, there's no point staying up and worrying. If you want to wake up early in the morning to check Track, fine, just don't stay up all night you'll drive yourself insane. I think UCAS Track updated at 8:50am last year or something similar. There's no point staying up all night waiting you'll drive yourself insane with the worry. Also, if you don't get in and need to call up university's for clearing, you'll be so glad you've had a good nights sleep.

Don't Worry
Everyone is nervous, but please try not to get too nervous for your results if you can help it. I know it's hard but please tell yourself that it isn't the end of the world if you don't get in. Grades aren't everything, and there are other options besides university. I know people who have had to take gap years because of it, and ended up realising that they didn't want to do the course they had applied for the previous years. Others realise that university wasn't for them and they were glad they didn't end up going. Remember, everything happens for a reason.

So that's it, let me know if you found this useful and want to see more like it. For all of you getting results on Thursday, good luck and I hope you get the grades you want :D

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My Top 5 Nail Polishes | Summer

1. OPI A Good Man-Darin is Hard to Find

2. OPI Planks a Lot

3. Barry M Pink Flamingo

4. Illamasqua Radium

5. OPI Don't Mess with OPI

I love nail polish. I especially love summer nail polish, I love wearing the bright pinks and pastel lilacs and just love who they pull together any summer outfit. I thought I'd show you my top 5 favourite nail polishes that I've been wearing this summer.

OPI A Good Man-Darin is Hard to Find

First of all, I love this name. This is a gorgeous bright orange nail polish. I'm not generally into orange colours but I love how this one looks on my nails. It's bright without being being visible from a million miles away. I love wearing this with coral colours as the two compliment each other really well. I always like it if I'm wearing denim shorts as the blue and orange contrast beautifully.

OPI Planks a lot

This is your summer essential lilac. It's a gorgeous pastel colour that will look lovely with anything you put it with. It's more understated than some of the other but looks very girly and feminine. I love this when I'm wearing dresses as it makes my nails just look girly and chic.

Barry M Pink Flamingo

I think a bright pink is essential for summer, it just goes with everything. I love how this looks great when I'm pale and also if I have a bit of tan. This is actually one of my favourite colours to wear year round as it looks great with everything and makes my nails look bright and gorgeous. It's similar to OPI's Stawberry Margarita.

Illamasqua Radium

This is either going to be a love-it or a hate-it kind of colour. Some will love it and think it's beautiful whereas some will think it's ugly. I wouldn't recommend wearing this on your toes though as it can make them look a bit odd. It's a gorgeous light yellow-green with a very subtle silver shimmer through it that makes it pop. It's quite similar to OPI's Who the Shrek are you? or Did it On 'Em but with the silver sheen. This just makes your nails look super bright and is very different to other nail polishes I own.

OPI Don't Mess with OPI

Finally, OPI Don't Mess with OPI is a gorgeous darker green. It's darker than the other nail polishes and it's great for wearing on a summer evening where you may want a more sophisticated and darker nail. It's a lovely colour and makes my nails look longer for some reason. It's very easy to wear and will go well with everything. It's also good for those who may not like particularly bright colours or colours like pink and purple but still want a summer nail.

So those are my top 5 summer nail polishes for the summer. Let me know if you like any of these and what your favourite summer nail polishes are in the comments below.

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