The Importance of Staying True to Yourself

Hey Guys! Today's post is something a little different to usual. This is an english essay I did in school about the importance of staying true to yourself and just being you! It's a personal essay and it's a topic that I take quite seriously myself. So, go grab a cup of hot chocolate and a comfy place to sit, as it's going to be a rather long one...

They said it would change me, make me just like the others. Right then and there, I promised myself that would never happen! Throughout my childhood and teenage years, I've always been the 'outcast', the person that didn't fit in no matter where I was. I hated it. No, no, correction! I hate it... Present tense. It's still the same, I don't belong, I'm different and I'm not sure why. But it's okay! I've learned to live with it. I'm not going to change for other people. If the don't accept me because of my 'unique' (at least that's what I like to call it) sense of style instead of wearing the latest 'Nike Roche Run'. Or because I prefer to bake or blog rather than make sure I'm all caught up on 'Celebrity Big Brother'. Or even if I prefer Youtubers such as Zoella, or Alfie Deyes, or Marcus Butler rather than big time stars like JB or Adele. That's not my fault. I like who I am! I'd rather be true to myself than live a lie to be popular. It's just who I am.

In a world that's dominated by technology, stereotypes and social media, it's hard to stay on track and to not get caught up in the whirlwind of it all. People believe that young girls my age should be a certain height or weight, or wear certain clothing and hairstyles. However, when girls try to fit this criteria, society complains that we lack originality and that we're all the same! How is that fair? In a world like that, how can anyone survive? The answer... Just be YOU. I know it can be hard, but at the end of the day, who cares what they say? While they're talking about you, you've got their attention. Even if someone doesn't like what you're doing, it's still your name they've got in their mouths. Surely that's got to count for something, right? If people don't care as much as they say they don't, then why are they still watching you, waiting to see what comes next? 

Being true to yourself is always the one bit of hope we can hold on to. It's the security net in my life. If I wasn't being true to myself, I would find it harder to be happy and satisfied with myself when I leave the house every morning! Sure, I may have more friends and be considered so-called, 'cool', but why would I want that? I'd feel as if I was doing the world a great injustice. I feel bad for depriving it of my utter greatness! Like everything else, there's a stereotype for this thing I believe they call 'Normal'. When realistically, there's no such thing! 

Once, I had this dream. I was tall with long legs. I was a slim size six with perfect skin, straight and sparkling teeth and I had long, thick, flowing blonde hair that tumbled down my back to my waist. I got straight A's all the time (pfft, as if!) and I had what you'd call a 'Rock God Boyfriend'. My life seemed perfect! But something wasn't right and I just couldn't figure out what. When I arrived to school (in my dream) I realised what the problem was. I looked around and every other girl there was exactly the same. Same outfit, same hair, same colour eyes, EVERYTHING, just different names! We were doppelgängers. Clones of one another! Quickly, my blissful dream morphed into my worst nightmare and I shot upright in bed panicky and with sweaty palms. I realised then that I could never be anything but myself. I would only ever have my own opinion, draw my own conclusions, think for myself. I would dress how I wanted to and read books in my pyjamas with a mug of hot chocolate, instead of going out and getting drunk, if I felt like it! It was my choice and I refused to let society drag me down and make me something I wasnt. 

At the end of the day, being you is more fun anyway! There's no-one like me and I'm proud of that. As my granny always says "Jodi, after God made you he threw away the mould! And that suits me just fine!" In today's whirlwind that is life and peer pressure, it's important to stay true to yourself, as without that, what's your real purpose in life? God puts us on this earth to be ourselves, so quit wasting time trying to be someone else and have fun just being you! Besides, everyone else is taken anyway! If people don't like you, ignore them and do it anyway. As wise ol' Dr. Seuss once said, "Those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind!!" Dr. Seuss, he's got things sussed! 

The Deadliest Pre's

As a Leaving Cert. student in Ireland, it means that my pre's are looming nearby like a big cat ready to pounce any day now and make mince meat of their cornered prey. It also means that, in my head, it's 'Procrastination Season'! (Hence, this blog post as I try to avoid studying for English Paper 1.) However, with that said, I do in fact have a couple of tips that really help me to focus my mind and get me out the other side of exam weeks, alive. Here they are!

Top Tips for Surviving the Pre's

1. Don't panic! Take time to read the questions clearly and make sure you understand them. NEVER dive straight into the answering!

2. Make your own handwitten notes, they'll make sense to you and will be ideal for last minute skimming just before you enter the exam.

3. Make sure you get enough sleep. Lack of sleep and overworking your brain can lead to higher stress levels and lower concentration levels.

4. Take short breaks and reward yourself. Studying for long periods can make you become bored and frustrated. Instead do short slots of 45 minutes of intense work then take a ten minute break to make a cup of tea, or check Instagram. However, DON'T LET YOURSELF GET CARRIED AWAY WITH YOUR BREAK.

And finally, tip No. 5...

5.QUIT READING BLOGS AND GET STUDYING!!!

Those are my top tips for surviving the 'Deadliest Pre's'! I wish you every success in your exams!

Much Love, MissJ xxx 

Make-up meets High Street

"If you're going be two faced at least make one of them pretty"

-Marilyn Monroe 

A few days ago we went shopping for make-up on the high street. It didn't take long before we discovered Accessorize has a brand new line of make-up!

It is a pretty extensive and impressive range. From Bronzers to Brow Kits they have it all!

My favourite parts of the selection are:

 The Packaging

Rose Gold

Pastel Colours

Polka dots

Need I say more?

Mini Kits

Their mini kits are the perfect fit for any make-up bag.

I fell in love with their eyebrow box and concealer palettes.

Every shade for every date!

Nail Polishes

From daytime pastels to dazzling night time glitters, their range is endless! We had to ask the lovely assistant for a snap of her nails, The glitter comes out so well we were pleasantly surprised

                           

Check Facebook to see double sided lipstick and lipgloss trial!

MissJodette

We hope you get the chance to check out this stock soon, as I will certainly be returning myself!

Miss J x

Revival Review

Artists and musicians of the 60's were definitely into clothes.

So said Yoko Ono. Today's look was inspired by that. My sister and I headed in to town to see what the city had to offer by way of vintage fashion. My outfit suited the occasion perfectly. In a long-sleeved, high-necked, 60's pattern swing dress and paired with tan lace-up boots (go-go boots were a bit much :P), I was as casual as Jane Birkin, with a Bardot inspired bed-head and of course, my usual Twiggy style pop humour!

At Miss Daisy Blue, they have a huge collection of pre-loved dresses! The staff are so sweet and really helpful. The clothes are organised by colour and you could definitely just pop in while shopping with the girls for a browse as you would Topshop. The clothes are in pristine condition and we even found a dress almost identical to Frenchies (from the dance scene in the movie Grease)!
Located in the English Market we couldn't help but notice the delicious chocolatiers located just around the corner. The artisan stall is literally called The Chocolate Shop and it stocks the largest range of world chocolate in Ireland #CorkWin (see more on Cork vs Dublin when we visit there in two weeks ooooh!)
After that we visited Vibes and Scribes, they have a huge second hand book shop but also an another marvellous shop that sells new books at WOW prices! They have ridiculously awesome gift ideas and really quirky cards and wrapping - mental note for the next birthday!
Mercury Goes Retrograde is a bit more cool than sweet, it has a distinctive Macklemore feel, with an entire rail of fur coats! they are brilliant for handbags and have an absurd collection of shirts and t-shirts!

What the Frock?! is a new one recently opened with some great sale items, two women in there bought a beautiful emerald dress. Their clothes are more pre-loved modern items with a vintage inspired look than genuine vintage though so definitely suits someone looking for a nice look for a great price for a night!


Check out Frenchie's dress and more great pictures on my Facebook page!

links to afore-mentioned shops are also on the Facebook!

Get going, go vintage! <3

As The Sun Sets

Well Hey There!! Sunday evenings for me are usually pretty boring affairs.Quite often I have been out all day with family having dinner or shopping with my Nan, or I could have been rather productive that day and studied something or finished homework from Friday. But usually I spend Sundays just dossing around doing a whole ton of nothing! I tend to use Sundays to catch up on any series that I've fallen behind in on Netflix while I work on new blog post ideas and I often have the house to myself as my parents go out garden shopping or for coffee, so that's my fave as I can turn my music up as loud as I like and dance around singing at the top of my lungs! Now to be fair, I could go with them but I really couldn't be bothered! The other day my mom even asked if I had a boyfriend that I bring over while they're out of the house and then sneak him back out before they get home?! At this I actually laughed so hard!! I was like, "HAHAHA! I'm flattered that you think that by some miracle I did have one, but no, I don't." I found it way too amusing! Anyway, back to the point, as during the day I've caught up on all the things I need to watch, come the evening I get pretty bored. That's when I like to tryout new makeup looks, or hairstyles, or mix and match clothes to create wacky outfits. So this particular Sunday had the most beautiful sunset. The sky was a gorgeous mix of different oranges, red and even pink. This inspired me to base my eye-makeup around a sunset. Also it was another chance for me to practice my winged eyeliner, and although it took six attempts to get them to match, I was determined not to give up! This Summer I've also been OBSESSED with flower crowns, and FINALLY got my own a few weeks ago. As considering I have a pretty tiny head and body, most were too big and looked stupid or didn't fit my head so when I found this one in Penneys, I was rather excited! When I was finished this look I realized that I did actually look quite tumblr, anyone agree?

Hello Lovlies! So a few nights ago, I managed to get done with my schoolwork early, and had nothing to do but watch 'Pretty Little Liars'. So while I was watching it, I decided to experiment with a winged-eyeliner look. Firstly, I would just like to point out, that I'm by no means implying I'm an expert at makeup and I'm just practicing as I go along like any other girl my age! Also, this look was just a spur of the moment idea and, as I'm generally fairly crap at cat-eye flicks, I was quite surprised and definitely pleased with the oucome of it all! Finally, it was my first ever try at filling in my brows and personally I dont think it went too badly ;) What do you guys think?

Face:

Smashbox Photo Finish Hydrating Foundation Primer

Avon Concealer Stick 

Collection Cover Up Stick - No.01 Light Translucent

Rimmel Match Perfection- No.010 Light Porcelain

Collection Lasting Perfection- No.01 Fair

Catrice Skin Finish Compact Powder- No.010 Translucent 

Borjois Chocolate Bronzer- No.51

No.7 Blush- Coral Flush

Benefit 'Watts Up'

Eyes:

Naked Basics- Foxy
Kelly Brooks Brush Tip Eyeliner- Black
I Curled my Eyelashes
Eyelash Coat 1- Gosh Wonder Volume Mascara
Eyelash Coat 2- Urban Decay Cannonball Ultra Waterproof Mascara 
Naked 1- Buck (To Fill in Eyebrows)
Essence Lash and Brow Gel Mascara (To Set Eyebrows)

Lips:
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide on Lip Pencil- Shade 'Naked 2'
Urban Decay Lipstick- Shade 'Native'
NYX Butter Gloss- No.05 Creme Brulee

Hope you all liked this look! Be sure to leave me a comment to let me know what you think, and also what I should post next! xxx

Tippie Top Thursday!

Well hello again lovlies! In the last few days I have been browsing around other beauty and lifestyle blogs just like my own, as when you're a blogger you quickly become obsessed with what's going on around in the blogosphere! Therefore you get inspiration for things to write on your own blog, because, let's be honest here, nobody is able to write original content all of the time! Anyway, that's where I discovered that many people write about their top 5 products or monthly/weekly favourites and so on. So I decided to make my own interpretation of this, which I am calling, 'Tippie Top Thursday'. In this feature I will write about my top three products that have made it, not only into my makeup bag, but the 'Tippie Top' of my makeup bag! (See what I did there?) I would just like to point out also that, this feature will not be every Thursday, as I have school and won't be wearing makeup as much or won't have time to blog every Thursday. But I promise I will do my. Very best to be consistent! So without further delay, as I've just noticed I seem to have rambled quite a bit for the past ten minutes, let's get into the post! 

Things I've been loving...

Essence long lasting eye pencil- "Hot Scorch"

Real Techniques Beauty Blender

Smashbox photo finish hydrating foundation primer

Essence long lasting eye pencil 

Since it's been quite hot Cork this past week (I know, miracle right?) I felt that, as much as I love my liquid liner, it was just too heavy for this kind of weather. As I was going out with friends and going on bike rides a lot I just wanted something natural, quick and easy to stick on my eyes so it looked like I spent some time on them, and this was perfect! I would simply apply this to my lash line and wing in out slightly, then smudge the line to give a softer look. I would then stick some in my waterline and I was good to go! It was so simple but looked really pretty, perfect for those hot spring days! Plus as an added bonus, it didn't slide around and stayed put perfectly all day.

Real Techniques beauty blender

The second thing I love an awful lot this week is, my beauty blender. I bought some new foundation last Saturday and was in a hurry to meet my friend on Monday morning, so to save time I decided to use this to apply my foundation instead of a foundation brush. I have to to admit, it was the best decision I've made in a long time regarding my makeup! It gave my foundation an even and flawless finish, and I simply loved it! I am now addicted to this little orange sponge! 

Smashbox photo finish hydrating foundation primer

As I said earlier, the weather was quite hot here in Cork this past week, and so whenever there's any sort of heat, my skin shrivels like a prune and becomes completely dry and splotchy. This makes applying foundation a rather difficult task, as it tends to go orange ond flaky in certain places. Unfortunately, although I do moisturise every morning and evening, sometimes this doesn't do much for my skin. However this primer has been quite the God send for me! When you apply it, it's rather light and spreads nicely all over the skin. It feels like water on your face and doesn't leave a clammy feel. I like to apply this after I've left my moisturiser soak in for 2 to 3 minutes and it makes foundation application so much easier. Flakiness is minimised and the foundation glides over your skin giving a really nice even finish! So I basically love this right now, and just can't get enough!