Dissertation Advice The Tutors Don't Tell You

Dissertations always feel like a scary piece of work that near enough most university students will have to do in their final year. Some of you are probably starting to plan your dissertations now, writing proposals for next term, starting to write it or even finished. I thought now was the perfect time to do a blog post on some of my own personal advice and tips that I learnt when I wrote my own dissertation last semester. Some of these you may already know but they could be that reassurance or comfort that you need to keep you motivated as believe me I've been there and I wish at times there was a post like this to reassure me at the time. I hope these help and good luck to you all!

1. Set your goals: Setting yourself daily goals on what you want to write about or how many words you want to achieve is definitely something to consider. Dissertations can get overwhelming at times especially if like me you constantly changed your topic so you were always trying to settle on something new to write about. The night before I was going to write some of my dissertations I would bullet point all the things I wanted to write about for the next day and it wasn't hundreds of bullet points either. The earlier you start it the longer you have which automatically means you won't need to be writing 2000 words a day essentially. I was setting myself 500 words a day that to me felt like enough to be able to handle. Of course some days I wrote under and some I wrote more but it just depended on how far I got. But given yourself goals every-time you write your dissertation is essential as it keeps you organised and you shouldn't feel like you need to tackle 8000 words in one go like a lot of students end up doing surprisingly.

2. Breaks are allowed: It is so easy to be sitting at your computer with square eyes, your fourth cup of coffee in your hand and bum prints in your chair to even consider breaks. But breaks are allowed and sometimes I struggled with this too, I would get so stuck into my dissertation that I'd be sat at my desk for a solid 4 or 5 hours and start to think words like 'distinctive' looked wrong, this was a clear sign I needed a break. I don't mean wonder onto Twitter for half an hour I mean actually getting off your bum and get some air or meet up with friends, do something that will stop you getting stressed as easy. Your dissertation is an important piece of work but it isn't that important to overrule your whole life. A lot of the time I would write some of my dissertation during the day then see my boyfriend then go back to it if I hadn't finished what needed wrote and that always helped me keep focused for longer.

3. It is do-able: This one is cliche really but we all think about it. The number of times I found myself almost in tears with worry over not having enough to write about or not being able to finish it in time was ridiculous. If you choose a thorough topic that your tutor has agreed with then you shouldn't worry about not having enough to write about. I was picking up a lot of my next paragraph topics from the previous paragraph I wrote and that is how my dissertation started to get a better structure. If you feel like you are stuck in a rut or repeating yourself then try and do number 2 and come back to it later.

4. Have a positive attitude: Get passionate about what you write about really sink your teeth into it you chose the topic for a reason so that should reflect on your attitude. I really enjoyed writing my dissertation because of the topic I chose I made it into what I wanted it to be. Even just writing my actual dissertation I had a positive mind (once I started writing) I was instead of thinking 'ugh I have 5000 words left to write' I was mostly thinking 'ooh 5000 more to go!' have that attitude and you won't get bored or constantly obsessed over counting down how many words you've written. 

5. Plan as you go: Some people prefer structuring or planning their dissertation right at the beginning and sticking to that (and that's fine) but I planned as I wrote. Like I wrote in No.2 I was writing bullet points every evening beforehand so I had goals to achieve the next day. I don't think my dissertation would have been as interesting if I planned it all and stuck to that plan from the beginning. I plan as I go this is how I work, it isn't for everyone but it kept my brain fresh. My plan at the beginning wasn't how my dissertation ended up as a lot of the things I wanted to write about didn't happen because I found other significant bits along the way. I think a lot of tutors expect you to stick to your proposal and work from that but having that bit of paper to work from didn't work for me.

6. It's your work nobody else's: It's true it is your work and you should be able to write and do it when you want to. I know this may come across like I have a lazy attitude but what I am trying to say is if your friend is 3000 more words ahead of you don't let that push you into thinking 'Crap I have to catch up' write it in your own time. It took me ages to get into my dissertation as I was changing my topic so many times and I only started writing it in November (got set in October) and by that time everyone had near enough got there first paragraphs wrote. A lot of students in second year write a dissertation proposal which I felt as though I was being pushed to pick something a lot quicker than I planned. I ended up writing something completely different to my proposal so don't think you have to stick to that just because your tutor says you wrote it in your proposal as numerous amounts of students end up changing it and feel happier about it.  

Those are my top tips and advice on tackling your dissertation I hope they helped in someway! These are things I did myself and I ended up starting mine mid November and completing it over the Christmas holidays and came out with a 2:1 so it is do-able and you should always remember you are supposed to some how enjoy it (as difficult as it can be!) and not treat it as a question you'd get set at school that you'll complete the night before.

Good luck!

Do you have any tips/advice for anyone reading this post?? 

Diamonds Aren't Always A Girls Best Friend

If there is one thing I love spending countless amounts of money on it has got to be jewellery. I rarely seem to blog about jewellery which is a shame because it is up there with my love for buying makeup too. So when Jewelstreet* got in contact with me asking if I would like to choose a piece of jewellery of my choice and write a little bit about it I could hardly say no once I was lusting over their range. Jewellery is one of those delicate things that really brings a smile to mine (and numerous other peoples) faces, you can never go wrong with treating that special person in your life with a bit of jewellery it has so many values to it. 

The Keep Me Jewellery collection is a type of unique jewellery I have never heard of before. I must admit it caught my eye within seconds after wondering over Jewelstreet's website, I instantly fell in love. All jewellery is unique but I have never come across rings that are displayed on plastic animals before. They sell a variety of different types of silver rings each with different designs on all kinds of animals. Out of their collection, the Chinstrap Penguin with a sterling silver bow ring was the one I knew I'd wear mostly as it has that tiny little bit of detail that looks stunning.

Waiting anxiously for the postman to deliver my ring it finally arrived and as soon as I unravelled the ring out of its lovely packaging it was on my finger for the rest of the day. The ring was packaged so lovely and delicately! Not only was it displayed on the plastic penguin but that was wrapped in a cute drawstring bag which was in a box. All of which let the ring feel more special and exciting to open.

I imagine the collection is called 'Keep Me Jewellery' because everything is kept worthy. I do like how the rings are sold around an animal's neck I think that itself is distinctive and smart. My penguin is currently displayed on my dressing table alongside my other bits of jewellery. It's something different that adds a touch to keep rather than have the ring sent in a typical box that nobody can see until opened.

The ring fits perfectly on my second finger I also think it catches a lot more attention than it would on my middle finger. It goes with anything and flatters everything I wear - it has been worn as a casual and a formal accessory. You don't always need to buy diamonds to make something look special and flattering I don't think.

This is definitely a great collection to look at if you are after something special and unique to buy someone to have out on display or even to treat yourself! I think these make great gifts for all ages of females - even the younger generation would appreciate this range. I can see this ring lasting me quite a few years. 

*PR Sample/gift.

Have you heard of Keep Me Jewellery??

Aussie Haircare Reviews

Aussie is the hair care range I tend to use on a daily basis for when it comes to treating my hair or washing it and it has been like that for a good year or so now. Some of you may even remember my badly photographed Aussie best&worst post here which sometimes creeps up in my popular posts. Some of it has changed a lot since then and some of the products I do still use to this day which just goes to show how much I love this brand. I rarely blog about hair care much which is something I would like to get into more so I decided to review a few Aussie products I use on a daily basis.

Aussie Beach Mate Shampoo - This is one of my newest Aussie products to add to my products I have tried. Aussie always has offers on so when I spotted the 3 for £10 offer I decided to pick this beach shampoo up since we are starting to edge our way slowly into spring and summer. I love beachy hair regardless of what time of the year it is but my hair has started to feel a bit flimsy and dull so I was excited to give this a go. It smells lovely like their entire range does and it leaves my hair feeling lovely and soft. I am yet to see any of the 'beachy' results as of yet but when I do I shall let you know!

Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Winter Remedy - I spotted this just before Christmas last year and got really excited as I think it is one of their limited editions. I recommend any of Aussie's 3-minute treatments as they do wonders on your hair! I tend to use these when I don't want to sit for 15/20 minutes with hair masks on but I am in need of quick deep treatment. These always sort my hair out and leave it feeling silky soft and healthy again.

Aussie Miracle Recharge Conditioning Spray - Sometimes after I've washed my hair it can still feel really dry or frizzy so I like to spray some of this conditioning spray all over my wet hair to give it that extra bit of condition that it needs. I love sprays that moisturize your hair it just saves the hassle of having to wash your hands afterwards! This has become one of my favourite products from their range as it always leaves my hair feeling conditioned.

Aussie Anti Frizz Conditioning Milk - This is a bit similar to the conditioning spray only you pump a few onto your hands then rub it into the ends of your hair. With the spray, I go all over my hair with whereas this I only use on my ends. I use this when I have any frizzy or split ends occurring after I've showered this just keeps my ends a lot healthier and stops my hair from getting tatty as easily.

Aussie Colour And Shine Serum - If you read my Aussie best and worst post you will see that I cringe-worthily posted a negative review on this using a sad face emoji at the end 'facepalm'. But I hate wasting products so instead of throwing this away or give it to my mam I decided to give it another try and turns out I really like it. I only use a tiny amount of this on the ends of my hair this just adds a bit of shine and brightens my ombre up a little as sometimes it can start to look a little dull.

All of these products help keep my hair feeling healthy, soft and smelling great too. I cannot fault this brand they always have me wanting to try more. I know they now sell shower gels and dry shampoo too which I would love to try sometime soon!

Have you tried Aussie products before??  

Self Tanning Routine

I've never really been a massive fan of false tans if I'm honest. Whenever I wanted to add a bit of colour to my body I opted for a gradual tanning lotion that you'd apply every evening that gradually started to give you a nice healthy glow (without the orange hands or biscuit scent). But when St Moriz* got in contact with me asking to try out their tanning lotion I thought why not give it a try and see what I make of it. I've always been very curious about these instant tans but a little nervous in case I looked like a giant wotsit.

I've been using this false tan for a few weeks (only on my legs) it has now taken a rightful place in my self-tanning routine so I thought now is the perfect time to blog what I use and why!

Step 1.

Obviously, the first thing I do, if I want to achieve the best self-tan look I can, has a shower/bath and shave my legs. Freshly, smooth legs let the tan glide on a lot smoother and avoid any orange patches so shaving my legs is essential for this routine.

Step 2.

I then move on to exfoliating my legs this step I would say is the most important if you want smooth tanned legs. I use the Soap&Glory sugar crush because 1. it smells delicious and 2. it's not harsh or gritty like some. Exfoliating the legs gets rid of any dead cells and any dry patches that the false tan will 99% of the time pick up and give you a giant orange patch. The knee caps and ankles are one of the worst places for this to happen!

Step 3.

Once I've exfoliated my legs I go ahead and give them a bit of moisture so I take my Soap&Glory sugar crush body wash and rub it all over my legs to give them the moisture they need after they've been exfoliated. Not sure if this is essential but I always do this just to make sure my legs are super smooth and moisturized.

Step 4.

Once I've shaved, exfoliated and washed my legs I then let them air dry and once they are completely dry I go ahead and grab my tanning mitt and apply St Moriz.

How I got on with St Moritz

The first time I used this tan after my routine above my legs didn't go the way I wanted them to. They looked too dark, streaky in areas and had that biscuity scent so this didn't go well the first time I tried it. But, I kept trying and trying until they eventually started to look better. I think it depends on how much you apply and if you have blended it in properly everywhere - which I obviously didn't at first. I really like how this looks on my legs, they look healthy and natural which is obviously what you want them to look like. I will start to use this on the rest of my body one day (maybe when I plan to stay in - just in case!).

I can see why everyone loves this false tan as once you've mastered to get it right the results are really impressive. I'd love to try the tanning mist sometimes too as I can imagine this would get the job done a lot quicker!

*PR Sample/gift.

Have you tried this false tan before?? 

S&G Kick Ass Concealer | Does It Kick Ass?

It is very rare that I will splurge out on a new concealer because I seem to have everything I need from the Collection lasting perfection concealer. But I was feeling randomly adventurous last time I went into Boots (in my defence of course) so I ended up splurging out on the Soap & Glory Kick Ass Concealer. Soap & Glory have never let me down when it comes to their makeup range, everything I have ever received has been amazing so this concealer intrigued me a lot - the whole idea of a 3 step system to conceal your face got my little beauty brain curious!

This compact contains an eye brightening concealer, face concealer and a sealing powder that are labelled from step 1 to 3. I am yet to use the sealing powder because I am not entirely sure whether my face needs these extra layers of makeup - I use powder to set my makeup anyways. But, I do use the eye brightening and face concealer regularly, therefore, I am able to give you curious readers my personal opinion on those!

I'll be honest when I first applied both of these products I felt as though they were a little thickening on my skin and the colour didn't seem to match up even though I picked up the lightest shade. But once blended in with my Real Techniques setting brush the shade matched into my skin which is odd.

I would say this has medium coverage as it is great for covering those dreadful under the eye dark circles I tend to get after a long late night of uni work which is great as I now don't look like a zombie the next morning. I think the eye brightening concealer does wonders for brightening under my eyes as well as making them look a lot more highlighted and healthy.

Another thing we all dread from time to time is any imperfections: spots, scars, redness etc! Yes, those dreading areas can sometimes be a challenge to cover especially the 'newly' spots. Like I mentioned before the Collection concealer covered every imperfection for me and from what I've used of this so far I believe it does exactly the same. It is just a little bit more playful as it isn't in a tube applicator. But the results are long-lasting and cover any imperfection really well.

So far I have ditched my Collection concealer and I have found myself a new, trustworthy buddy that helps cover any imperfections! So once again Soap & Glory have not let me down with their makeup.

The overall answer does this concealer kick ass? yes.

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Soap&Glory Glossy Sticks Review

Have you tried this concealer yet??