Lifestyle: Secret Garden Party - & all it's mystery

I've just got back from Secret Garden Party Festival, and during my two day recovery time (trust me, you'll need it!) I thought I'd write a quick post about the pros & cons of a festival and how much fun I really had. Last week I uploaded my first lifestyle post, and whilst I'll still be writing about beauty & skincare products, I will also be posting tasty recipes, event recommendations and just general fun things to read about. Enjoy, x

I attended Secret Garden Party in 2014 and it was truly amazing; The weather was perfect & the music was great! I volunteered both this year and last, but I'm happy to do this; Working 14-15 hours on a bar gets you entry to the festival, free meal vouchers, free drinks after each shift, free parking and because you need to be there a day early, you don't have to queue for 4 hours in the heat, whilst carrying some very heavy bags.

This year was the first year that the event sold out so I was expecting something awesome. There were art installations all over, and something to keep you entertained everywhere. Whether this meant attending a wedding at the Community Hall, joining in at the dance-off stage, or hiring a boat so you could travel around a filthy lake, there were PLENTY of activities to keep you busy, you just need to look around. SGP is full of creative people who come up with these really fun ideas, and I really like that about the festival. It's something to differentiate it from other events.

This was my fifth (overnight) festival so I thought I was super prepared this time! Anything in comparison to my first festival away was a step up. I first attended Nass in July 2012, but I didn't bring any wellies nor a waterproof coat and then of course, the heavens opened up enough water which equated to a full month's rainfall during the only 2 days I was there! (Brilliant packing huh!) So with a northie, some water tight wellies and a couple of £1 ponchos, I thought I'd packed everything...wrong. Some of my friends didn't even brinf that! With my partner Jordan, we stayed in a 1 man pop-up tent, (1 skin thick) which wasn't good enough to hold the rain from the whole of Thursday and a lot of Saturday / Sunday!! So much water leaked into the bottom of our tent that we needed to use an emergency blanket to keep warm because our covers and bags were soaking wet, and the blanket, did NOT work in this emergency.

 I really enjoyed the music last year, the Friday night of 2014 was one of the best nights of my entire life (that's a big big thing to say or live up to!), but I felt like the music this year didn't really appeal to me. There were a couple of good DJs on the line-up, but by the time you've queued, or somebody needs to go the toilet, half the group want to leave. If I had to pick out my favourites stages it would have to be between the 'collo-silly-um', 'the drop' or 'The Dance-Off' (that one's purely for entertainment value).

My friends and I crept off on the Sunday evening around 9pm, because we spent the majority of the day in the tent we didn't attend the famous 'paint party'. We also missed the fireworks & didn't watch the floating stage being set on fire which is something that I've always wanted to see. Last year, I worked on the Sat/Sunday evening and missed both! If you're thinking 'Seen one firework display, seen them all?' then you're completely wrong. The fireworks at SGP are truly spectacular and so so hyped up! If you use google images to search, you'll see a montage of fireworks from the most recent years - and you'll also see why I didn't want to miss them.

Ok so I live in England, and rain should always be expected during 'summer'. Even if I was at home, I would have been cold & wet so I should always remember the 'you're at a festival to have fun, regardless of the weather' line, but it's hard to think like this when your clothes are soaked, and you've got a 9 hour shift ahead of you; Especially on the one day that it's meant to be sunny. The good thing is, you're surrounded by your friends who can very easily pick up your spirits, which makes a long shift fly by. I always feel really close to my friends after coming back from a festival / holiday with them. You've spent 5 days together (sometimes without a break) and during that time, you've slept, ate, dance, got drunk, and probably showered together - some really 1) hilarious & 2) genuinely bonding moments.

Whilst the rain did dampen my spirit a little, I still had lots of fun. I do love Secret Garden Party because it's just so casual, laid back and full of love & glitter. It's hard to write what a place feels like, or use just 1 word to sum up the festival but the event really is just so creative. It's full of silliness and fun. This festival is great for music lovers who happy to go anywhere; talk to anybody, and for those who have that feel-good mentality.

If you've been to Secret Garden Party and would like to share your experience, or alternatively, if there's another festival that you'd recommend, please feel free to comment below.

Thanks for reading, 

Yvette Marie xo

Tweet

Photo Credit: Andrew Whitton, Samantha Milligan, Nick Caro, Richard Johnson,

Lifestyle: Why I chose the 'earn as you learn' route

Last week it was my 2 year 'workaversary' (work + anniversary = workaversary... see what I did there!). I thought now would be the perfect time to write about why I chose an Apprenticeshop and try to (hopefully) help others make a decision if they weren't 100% sure on what to do...Enjoy, x

I never intended to head off to university, I couldn't imagine LIVING anywhere but Bristol, and when it came to Sixth Form in 2012 further education wasn't  compulsory, which meant that I wasn't really bothered about taking on tricky subjects for some extra points that I may (or may not) need for university. I wanted to do subjects that I knew I would ENJOY, but I also just wanted to have some fun with my friends (I had so much free time). I chose Media Studies, English Language, Sociology and Btec Health & Social studies.

After completing multiple mocks and my final year12 exams, I knew that 6th form wasn't for me! The best result I achieved in an exam was a D... Did I really want to come out of further education 2 years down the line with a grade D? Absolutely not! So this is around the time I started to look for an apprenticeship...I've always wanted to be a qualified (and a very good) Estate Agent, but most apprenticeships offered an hourly rate of £2.65, and I was not prepared to work 40 hours a week for that amount! I could obviously only turn down a job if I actually passed the interview stage which, in my case, took several attempts!

After I had finished all of my exams and applied for endless amounts of apprenticeships, I needed to hand in my 'leavers form' which meant Sixth Form was over for good. I had no job, no university offer and no go-to college course. On the day I handed in my form, I received a call from somebody who asked me if I wanted to attend an interview for an administrator role for a Mortgage & Protection advice business! I had a really good feeling about this call, and I.M.O the interview went really well. I changed my CV, the way I answered questions, and the way I presented myself. By the end of the day, I was informed that I'd got the job! I remember celebrating with chocolate cake (that's the way to celebrate everything).

Full time work was very different to Sixth Form, where I could go home at lunchtime and 'chill with my friends', but there was something very satisfying about receiving a pay check at the end of the month. It was MY money; I had earned it, and at the same time I was learning how to work in an office environment and at the same time developing my people skills. I didn't have to go to college once a week; I had a learning mentor who visited me approx. every 2 months to make sure my progress was on track. Every now and then I would need to write 'college' assignments, but I was happy to do this because the tasks were not tricky, and I was being paid during the working week.

1 year later – It’s fair to say that I missed my friends a lot during their first year. The majority of my group had left for university, (All over the UK; Plymouth, London, Leeds, Wales) and I was still in Bristol! I think one of the hardest things during this time was the fact that some of my friends were also having a bad time (feeling homesick) and there wasn't a lot I / they could do about it. 

For me, I was coming to the end of my apprenticeship and couldn't believe that a year had passed so quickly! I had been nominated as a finalist in the Business & Admin Bristol Post and Bath Chronicle's Apprenticeship Awards... Ok so I didn't win, but it was a really nice evening out, it's a great thing to put on my CV and it's always nice to hear that you've made the right decision!

2 years later - Moving Experience have since taken on a new Administrator who supports me in the business daily. I'm currently studying for exams so I can become a qualified Para Planner.. No I'm not an Estate Agent (or training to be one) but I think that I was sugar-coating that job to be something it's not. Both my friends at university and in Bristol seem to be a lot happier, and I think we all agreed that 2014/15 felt like it finished a lot quicker than the first year. Whilst my Bristol mates have made new friends, and I sometimes feel like not a lot is happening to me, there are at least 13 weeks during half-term & holiday time which I can use to spend time with them in Bristol, or I can always pop up and visit and vice versa..

Eventually, everybody has to grow up and potentially this may means moving away. I just remind myself that it can be a lot tougher for them because they need to make new friends, learn to live on a budget and move into a house with total strangers!

My top tips for you: 

1) Everybody gets nervous (including me!). It can be daunting for anybody if they're told that they need to make new friends, or learn a completely new & different set of skills!  2) If you have decided to go to university, make sure you check out the opening days. You don't want to choose the right course, at the wrong place!

3) If you're not sure about university, leave it for a year. Go travelling, save money, complete a college course in the subject that you intend to study further.  These could all benefit you in different ways.

4) Not interested in University or an Apprenticeship? Don't worry, there are so many different things that you can do.E.g. The Army, or Full-time employment. Book an appointment at your local Connexions to receive some more information and details about all of the options available.

5) Don't make decisions based on a relationship. If you did break up with your partner after deciding to stay at home and you've passed up the option of University, a placement abroad, The Army, etc; then you will feel like you've wasted some great opportunities. You can always learn to make it work.

Please feel free to comment if you found a successful alternative! Or if you have any ideas for future blog posts, I would love to hear them!

Thanks for reading,

Yvette Marie xo

Tweet

Review:Fullips - Lip Enhancers

6/6 - Lips ... If you've met me in person, or, if you've ever checked out my Instagram *click here*, you'll know that my lips aren't the biggest, in fact, they're tiny!!.. My top lip is pretty much non-existent. I would love my lips to be bigger, but I'm not so keen on having lip fillers, or any cosmetic procedure! So I searched the web for a solution (I think everyone does this) and I came across 'Fullips'. During the last few months there has been a lot of publicity around these lip enhancers from Fullips as Kylie Jenner claimed during an episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians that this product was the reason for her new super-sized lips... OK so later on KUWTK Kylie admitted that she'd actually had lip fillers, but that didn't stop me wanting to test this product! Continuing reading for my full review! Enjoy, x

I purchased two sizes, small & medium from Ebay - I didn't think a size Large was needed, because my lips are just so SMALL! This product was pretty expensive, from memory I paid £18 for 2 plus Postage & Packaging... Yes it is a one off purchase, but I thought this was a little bit pricey considering this product is made by a small American company. If you shop around, you may be able to find a money saving deal such as '3 for the price of 2' or some sort of deal from a beauty salon /distributor - so be sure to do this!!

Ok... so where to begin? This product is super easy to use!!

1) Just before use, apply a lip scrub - here's an awesome recipe

2) Simply wet your lips (I find plain Vaseline is a good substance)

3) Apply the enhancer to your lips until suction has been made.. and relax!

4) Keep the plumper attached for approx. 30 seconds, and then repeat 

5) It's REALLY important that you detached the enhancer using your fingers (as opposed to just pulling the item off) otherwise your lips will bruise!
6) You may have to play around with a different technique, just to find out what work best for you.. there are hundreds of tutorials online, so have a look.

I really like the medium size because I can use it for my whole lip area, and then use the smaller size tool to target certain areas, i.e. my cupid bow!

Does this product work? Absolutely!! Here are some before and after photos -  as you can see, my lips look so much fuller, plump and just generally better! Make sure you check out my Instagram to see a complete variety of results. The lip area is left a little red after use, but that's pretty much unavoidable. After the redness has gone away and your skin has calmed down, apply a lip liner and your favourite lipstick!! Once lipstick has been applied, you can really see the difference in size!! The results last between 1-3 hours, which I believe is just about the right of time. It takes around 30 seconds (minimum) to make your lips bigger, and the results last all evening! If you use the enhancer every day, then the results will last longer! 

Have you tried the Lip Enhancers from Fullips? If so, what did you think? Leave your comments in the box below... Alternatively, if you have any ideas for future blog posts, I would love to hear them! 

Thanks for reading, 

Yvette Marie xo

Tweet