Hooray! A week of deadlines is over and us uni students have been set free to roam back home. I arrived here on Friday, totally ready for fluffy slippers (or in this case, giraffe slippers, see below), cuddles with my pooch and a whole lot of Christmas movies- just what the doctor ordered. 

It'll be another week until my friends get to return home as we're all studying in different cities, but I can't wait to catch up and have a few drinks. Mum has decorated the house with twinkling lights, baubles, wreaths and pinecones and the whole place smells of advent candles, laundry and home cooked food.

A lot of us blame ourselves for our anxieties, we apologise for feeling sad or mopey and hide it in fear of not being fun to be around but this is just what we tell ourselves. We sit and wonder why we don't feel okay, we're taught that there always has to be a reason and you have to tackle it or there's something wrong with you- this isn't always true! None of us are a stranger to the feeling that is sadness, or anger. Or even just not being okay in general.

It's been slow and steady on the blog front for a few weeks now, even though I've been busy it feels good to have some awesome things to share with you all! On the 21st November my boyfriend Josh, his family and I went to Hotel Gotham in Manchester for the night to late-celebrate his 21st birthday. His birthday was back in the heat of August though I still remember being told what his present was (a night at the hotel and celebrations around Manchester) like it was yesterday. In fact, one of my favourite posts is about that awesome day!

You caught me, I'm guilty of starting festive celebrations a little too early. A few days ago I went into the city with some friends purely to window-shop and sniff all of the apple pie and cinnamon candles I could see. But chances are, you've probably already said "Oooh that smells like Christmas" or oogled at a few metallic garments- that's exactly what I did the other day, so I've decided to put together a star spangled wishlist for those of you that are and aren't in the tinsel spirit yet. 

Isn't social media wonderful? You can use it to chat about your day, discuss touchy topics and every once in a while we simply stumble across a page or post that rekindles our love for a certain topic or hobby we forgot we had. Around a year ago I was scrolling the 'explore' page on Instagram when a photo from 'inspiredtattooportraits' took my attention. The account belongs to an amazing lady called Céline, a photographer and tattoo collector living in Paris.

As part of my new blog series 'An Inkling' I had the chance to interview her and find out more about Céline. I should start by mentioning that 'An Inkling' will run every two weeks to a month and will feature interviews with artists, writers, personalities I find inspiring or interesting and hope that you will too!

The reason I chose Céline to kickstart the series was because she is all-round captivating. From her timeless photographs (reminiscent of a book I have, full of tattoo photos taken in the 20's and 30's), her ability to capture the essence of a person in a photograph, her travels all over the world to her full body suit; the progress of which you can follow through Instagram (I've popped a link at the end).

I'm currently sat beside my fluff-ball of a dog, drying off after one of the dampest walks of this year. Don't get me wrong- I'm not complaining, Autumn is probably my favourite season as I'm sure has been said here before.

Nothing beats crisp air and golden 5 o'clock sunsets. Even though the nights are drawing in earlier, I have been busier than ever! One thing I suck at is time management so stacks on stacks of uni work have decided to turn against me while my time to blog is hanging on a cliffs edge waiting for me to pick up the slack. I've missed my little corner of the internet, it's nice to come back once or twice a week to dust off the cobwebs and talk to you guys!

Want to know something that makes me go crazy? Not having enough light in a room. My room in halls was at a weird angle and no matter what time of day, I'd always be peeking out into the courtyard full of light while my room remained dark. I had to liven up the room myself as best I could while dealing with the restrictions of renting.

I know a lot of you guys are either at uni or buying a little place of your own which is sometimes hard to actually make your own if it isn't livened up and opened out with those personal touches. It won't be quite like the apartments in Friends, but I've put together a few tips to make living in a rented space more you.

Is there anything more taboo than taking what people normalise in day-to-day life and calling it murder? Probably, but not much. In my last Week Journal I talked about how I'll always love a good roast dinner, but in the past few weeks it's come to my attention more and more of the inhumane ways that we treat animals for their meat, milk or eggs.

I'm guilty of posting this almost two months too late as I couldn't get hold of my photos but it's wedding season! Or so I was told by my television last night, after attending a beautiful wedding in my home of the Lake District. I briefly mentioned this trip in my last Week Journal (which I'll eventually start posting every Sunday instead of sporadically) where I visited my gran and had coffee.

I can tell you, I drank a lot of coffee that weekend.  My dad got married on the 4th September to a wonderful woman called Debs. They've been together for a number of years, she's lovely and I couldn't be happier that they got married (finally). Prepare yourself for a LOT of pretty photos!

It's been a couple of weeks since Back to Uni #1 (Planning and Goals) and we're now into the term! If you're not then lucky you. Life at uni can be stressful and challenging, and it takes weeks or reminders or crying over that last cocktail to realise that it'll all be worth it in the end. Has anyone given up out of stress yet? Sometimes the debt might not seem worth it, or the partying (or Netflix) looks SO much better than that deadline on the horizon and believe me it is, but you can't blow your top just yet. 

The henna used in this post, Golecha Quick Dry Henna, is entirely herbal so no nasty allergens and it's clinically tested. If you're prone to allergic reactions then do a test before hand just to be safe! I've been through anaphylaxis and am allergic to just about anything but I can promise that this henna is safe and sound! This particular henna goes dark instantly and lasts up to a week or two depending on your skin type. For advice on real, needle and ink tattoos, head to this post!

Time to break the silence! I recently, in the hustle and bustle of daily life, took an 'accidental hiatus' from social media and general life which has actually done a world of good for me. So why the hiatus? As a long term alone-a-phobe, I decided it was time to force myself into some alone time and actually try to enjoy it. Technically, I 'dated myself' for a while. It's not like I was away from everyone the whole time but I took time to learn the difference between alone and lonely while spending time with myself. 

Sometimes being wrapped up in a world where communication is at our very fingertips all the time (literally), things can get overwhelming; people to please, reply to, constantly wondering why someone has read your message and not replied or feeling guilty for not scheduling that morning blog post- I decided it was time to be selfish and chuck all of it out of the window (that was not so literal). 

Last Tuesday was one of the most eventful days I've had since 'Robbing a bank with the Joker', as it started with an 8am get up and it was all lights on green from there. Josh and I headed to the bank to open a business account before heading to grab coffee together, music shop errand-running then a light trek to the cinema, where we FINALLY got to see the much anticipated 'Inside Out'!

Hello lovelies! We're a few days into September already and I still can't believe how quickly this year is going. It's been an awesome year so far so I'm planning on fighting to the end of it to make it the best it can be. I always feel kind of crazy when it gets to this time of year, planning and trying to sort everything out before I get busy until Christmas. 

I've written a few small goals for this month to keep myself motivated. I might not achieve all of them  but it'll be such a great feeling if I do!

Forgive me, lovely followers- usually, what's going on in Hollywood is of utter unimportance to me. Celebrities to diet trends, nothing matters but this topic made me mad, like real mad. Even if you're not a fan of Miley or have no opinion on the girl, read on anyway! Hear me out.

Yesterday it came to my attention that there were lots of articles circulating about Miley's nipple slip at the VMA's and just her usual dress code; skin on show, crazy hair and scarce coverage for her breasts. During presenting the VMA's (which I didn't actually watch, just to clarify, but I've seen snippets) she 'accidentally' flashed her nipple to the camera and the whole internet is in uproar over it. With complaints being filed to MTV, every website has something to say about it.

Pssst... keep this between us, but what if I told you that you could take two lipsticks and make three, four or even five different lip colours? What if you added a third lipstick into the mix? Imagine all of the possibilities! Here's the secret: you can.
As an artist and a generally educated human being, I started playing around with colour mixes at the age of about 5. The world of colour is out there and waiting to be discovered- did you know that we only have 3 'colour cones' (receptors) in our eyes and therefore can only see a mix of those colours? Mantis Shrimp have 12 colour receptors, so can see a whole psychedelic rainbow of colours that's beyond our comprehension, imagine the lipstick on that one, folks!

To keep it simple, I'm showing you some colour creations for the upcoming season, Autumn (or fall for you crazy Americans) and some dupes that you can make on the go. Ranging from peachy pink for the wide-eyed early birds, to reds and purples for the classy lady. The best thing about creating your own personal colours is tailoring them to your skin tone for an award-winning finish.

In the UK 5.4 million people struggle with asthma everyday. I was diagnosed at the age of around two after struggling to breathe and contracting chest infections. Now, at the age of 19 breathing is something I still struggle with every day, though how difficult it is changes from day to day.

Credit Cirque de Art

In 2009 I remember waking up one morning and finding out that a girl I knew (albeit via Twitter) had suddenly passed away during the night from an asthma attack. She hadn't been ill, or sick or congested, she woke up in the night and went into an attack then died and it terrifies me that that could happen to any of us.

Photo: McKel Hill

She's the one on the right, the other is me

1. Walking Langdale. This was taken at the top of a hill (I can't remember which!) that my mum, auntie, cousins, sisters and dogs hiked in May this year. I hiked it in heeled boots because I didn't know we we going on a walk, pretty proud of that feat! We visited a little lodge by a river that my auntie had rented out for a week and caught up with the whole family. Theres little more I love than feeling free and standing on top of a windy fell with the world below me is something that will always make me smile.
   

If you're reading this then chances are you've been through the grueling task of applying for uni through UCAS, been through the nerve-wracking interviews and in anyone going for an art courses case, weeks of portfolio arranging and rearranging.