#BLAUGUST - Day 27 - Eyebrow Evolution

Hello dear readers, 

So earlier today (ps we had a powercut for the whole of last night which was both exciting and annoying) I was plucking my eyebrows (please bare with, this has a point) and I started thinking about how much they've changed over the years, and how that's fundamentally been all my fault, and sometimes not in a good way! 

My eyebrows used to be, well, an eyebrow - I inherited my monobrow from my dad. Then, probably about this time of year but in 2011, I decided that I wanted to make them a bit neater. Not knowing how to do this - all I knew was that I wanted nice eyebrows 'like all the models had' (always a big mistake, please don't follow this phrase for any part of your body) and so I took to hand the first sharp thing I could think of, a razor - next mistake. 

Anyway, my eyebrows went from a reasonable neat line, to the shortest, tiniest little slug-like things perching on my forehead. So bad. 

Essentially, my message here is: please be happy with your body and all its eccentricities, even if you really don't like them, as you're perfect how you are, and if your tampering with that thing goes wrong, then it's so clear to everyone, especially you, and you'll wish you'd never done it. 

Here's a picture from when my brows started to grow back, a little while after I'd had an emotional chat with my mum and she'd told me pretty much all of the above. Mothers are always fab for advice!

I hid the razor away and let my brows grow back, then my mum bought me a great Model's Own pair of tweezers, and they've been fine ever since. 

Sorry I can't do this now as lack of time, but if you want, I could do a post on how to pluck them and shape them in the future? I'd be happy too, as it would have saved me more than a year of stress if I'd seen something like that at the time! 

Thank you for reading, 

The (very) happy blogger

#BLAUGUST - Day 20 - Exam Results

Hello dear readers,

Tomorrow is a day that I, and thousands of other teenagers across the UK, have been dreading all year: GCSE results day. The day when we see whether all our hard work throughout the two years has actually paid off. 

But do you know what stresses me out the most of all of this? It's that people will only really think someone's grades are the best possible ones if they're all A*. And this mindset is ridiculous. 

No one is good at everything; therefore it's truly rare that someone can excel in all school subjects. All I'm saying is that, if you're reading this and are facing results tomorrow, or in the future, please don't worry. Everyone is good at something. Also, these won't truly matter that much in a few years; then the next ones won't matter that much a few years after them; then the whole world will open up to us, and we'll see the things that truly matter: being a good person to yourself and others. As cliché as it may sound, these are the things people will really remember about you - not that you got good marks in every single subject. (Pls note that I'm not saying don't try, as trying is great but everyone has a limit - so basically do your best as that's all you can do!) 

So when you eventually collect that envelope, and open it up - take a deep breath, and put it all into perspective. If the grades aren't exactly what you wanted, don't panic, as life will throw you so many more wonderful oppurtunities, which you'll really excel at - far easier than your least favourite subject (maths for me) - after all, Winston Churchill got pretty bad marks at school, and look what he did! 

Thanks for reading, and good luck for tomorrow and the future in all your pursuits, 

The very (much calmer and) happy blogger 

Ps: my godmother's uncle was a Guru and he actually came up with the slogan "don't worry, be happy", so please just follow his advice and SMILE, no matter how hard it may seem at the time - as everything will be alright in the end. 

Friendly reminder

Hello dear readers, 

I broke up from school today! This would be a really YAY moment if it wasn't for the fact that I have to revise over Easter for my GCSEs, which isn't so YAY. But YAY for going to Russia next week - I'm so excited!!!!

Another thing: sorry this post is late.. I've been incessantly busy and tired this week, which is never a good mix. 

So, for anyone who feels a similar way currently, I have a little message for you. I found these wonderful words on tumblr, and I think they just sum up everything anyone ever needs to know/ think. 

I'll sign off now - many hugs 

The (exhausted and) happy blogger xxxx

And now, dear readers, you can fully take in the beauty of this text post (creds and cudos to the amazing author, whoever they may be):

Escapism

Hello dear readers, 

So today, I've got a bit of a different post - something a bit deeper. 

You know when things seem so hard or stressful, and you just can't find an easy way out? Don't turn to the worst solution,  maybe just use this little technique. 

Ok, so I'm not a therapist or anything, and definitely not a doctor (check with my science test results if you want clarification)... But I find that the best way to get out of these situations just for a bit is through escapism. That sounds kind of weird and complicated, but it's not. 

Take, for example: me (sorry, slight lack of creativity currently). Right now, I've got something like 9 weeks (!!!!!!!) until my GCSES start, which is utterly bewildering and kind of scary, because I haven't started revising yet and don't know whether I should. I have so much art coursework, and having extra tests, papers, essays, friends/family issues and just general teenage problems (like *cough* the wrong time of the month, or just the wonderful hormones exagerrating every single situation - ugh) on top of that really doesn't help. Guaranteed, there's no easy way out of that all completely, but it's nice to just get away from it briefly, and focus on something else. It may seem obvious, but sometimes just a little music or reading, or online/real shopping (retail therapy is SO useful, even if you, like me, just put everything you like in the virtual/literal basket but then just leave and chuckle as you realise that all costs way too much) really hits the spot. 

I love music so much, and listening to it, and focussing on it, helps to just get my mind off all the stressful things, and I can relax for a bit, at least. Then, reading is great too, because if your mind and world seem too overcrowded and overwhelming at the moment, escaping into someone else's world (and as awful as it sounds, it will make you feel better if their situation is worse than yours!) then you're, even just for a brief time, someone else, without your problems. And then there's shopping, which kind of speaks for itself, so yep. ;)

I'm a teenager, so naturally, you must be shouting at your computer/whatever device, saying "why haven't you mentioned going on your phone/whatever device yet?!" Well, that's because, to be honest, I find that my phone, and the wonderful worlds of Instagram, Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter, etc, stress me out more than they calm me down. Take, for example, Tumblr. Don't get me wrong, I literally adore this website, but sometimes it just won't help you, and will possibly wind you up even more, if you spend your time looking at photos of seemingly perfect people with seemingly perfect lives - which, of course, may not be the case, but in a flush of anxiousness, self esteem issues isn't another thing you want to add to your list of problems. 

This has been long-winded, agreed, but I really hope it's just reinforced the idea to you, especially if you're also an emotional wreck/teenager like me, that there are ways to momentarily escape your stresses, and although they may not directly provide a solution, coming out of them with a clear head can make you approach a situation better and more effectively. 

So, yes, please just know you can escape if you need to, because not everyone always remembers in the heat of the moment that that option is there. 

Thanks for reading, many hugs

The (thoughtful and very) happy blogger xxx