My School Experience

After 14 years in education, it's hard to believe that I can finally say I am officially done with school! I just finished my last A Level exam (English Literature) on Thursday and I still feel like I should be revising! Finishing exams is such a weird feeling but knowing I'm finished for good is even weirder.

To me it still seems like I'll be going back again in September. In some ways I feel quite sad about it, but honestly it is a bit of a relief.

School had a lots of ups and downs for me, but I'm so glad as I've learned so much from it and it's helped me to grow as a person so much. I wanted to make a post because this is a really important moment in my life and I wanted to sort of write a letter to reflect on my experience of secondary school.

To my childhood friends

Although we grew apart and went our different ways with different people at the beginning of secondary school, I still love you guys just as much as I did when we were 12 and having sleepovers, eating way too many sweets, watching girly movies and doing all the typical things you do when you're 12. Sometimes people just grow apart and change and although it's sad, it's necessary. Any time we do talk it's like nothing's changed (compared to some old friends who act like they never knew you), and I want to thank you for that. For giving me so many memories and so much laughter when we were younger that I'll never forget. You're genuinely amazing people who deserve the world and an abundance of success and happiness when you leave school.

To the not-so-great friends

Don't worry - this isn't a roasting! This is for the short-lived friends who although may have not been the greatest people for me, taught me a lot of lessons. It was often the case that the people I was spending time with weren't giving back the effort that I was putting in. Although it was frustrating at the time, it helped me grow. Thank you for teaching me how to stand my ground, stick up for myself and take no shit. Thank you for making me realize my worth and that I deserve better. Thank you for making me realize what a friend should and should not be so I could be a better friend to the people who are good to me.

To my best friends

Cheesy as it sounds, you all came at the perfect time. I was in a really bad place and once I became friends with you my mood completely lifted. I was so happy that I finally found like minded people who were genuinely great friends. I'm so glad that we've made so many amazing memories, even in the early days in summer when we just walked out about where we lived and got a wee cheesy chip (weird private joke). I'll really miss seeing you everyday, I'll miss the hilarious, slightly messy nights out where we do nothing but laugh and dance terribly. I'll miss the odd deep chat where I know I can come to you with anything that's bothering me. I'll miss how much fun we have together and feeling completely comfortable. I want to thank you guys for so many things. For making my confidence increase immensely and teaching me how to care less about what people think. For helping me through anxiety. For not judging and always being open minded. For making me laugh when I felt like crying. For making school a slightly more enjoyable experience. I know you'll all do amazing when we all go out into the big bad world and be successful in whatever you do. I know we only say this when we're drunk and emotional but I really do love you all so much and you all deserve the world.

P.S: Kathy if you're reading this, I apologize if you are gagging right now as I know how much you hate cheesy shit like this!

To my school

You gave me a lot of good moments and a lot of bad moments, but I wouldn't take it back. If it wasn't for you I wouldn't have the education and qualifications that I have today, and while some teachers weren't exactly the most helpful, the ones I have had the past few years have been so unbelievably helpful and supportive. School taught me how to be self-motivated, confident, sociable, friendly, and so many more things. Although school triggered a lot of my anxiety, the staff at the school have been so good to me and have done everything they could in their power to accommodate me, which I am extremely grateful for. School has been the greatest learning curve for me as well as allowing me to meet some amazing people. Aside from the stress and mental breakdowns throughout exams, I really did enjoy school.

So that's that for my extremely cheesy blog post! Here are a few of my favourite pictures and memories throughout the past 7 years:



I wish everyone in my year the best of luck for the future.

xo, Orlagh

OOTD // Mother's Day

Hey everyone! This post is a little late but I just thought I'd share some pictures of Mother's Day from last week. Me and my family went out to celebrate my amazing mum and nana (how gorgeous are they both??) by taking them out for a meal. I had a really lovely day and the weather was beautiful so afterwards we just sat outside and chilled. 

I thought I might as well take advantage of the good weather while it was there so I wore my denim skirt and got out my white pasty legs (made me a bit paranoid, but I'm trying to embrace my pale skin!)

Here are a few pictures Sunday:

 Blouse - Topshop

Skirt - Topshop

Bag -Vintage

Shoes - Converse

xo, Orlagh

Sukin Skincare // First Impressions

Hi everyone!

I thought I'd do a review/ first impressions type thingy on the blog today considering I haven't done one in so long! 

I want to do a more in depth review of the products as I really appreciate reviews like this when I'm looking to buy a product but I'm not too sure if it'll be right for me.

I recently seen that my local boots had introduced a new skincare brand called 'Sukin' which immediately got my attention. It had nice, simple packaging and claimed to be very natural, which I am all about. I think it's important to use natural products on your skin considering it's such a sensitive organ - I hate the thought of putting loads of chemicals on my skin! 

I'd been recommended the brand by a friend too but considering the fact that I hadn't tried the brand before or read any reviews, I just picked up two products.

The two products that I picked up were:

1) Sukin Oil Balancing Purifying Gel Cleanser

2) Sukin Oil Balancing Mattifying Facial Moisturizer

What I immediately liked about the range was that they had different ranges within to suit every skin type. I have quite oily/combination skin, which is why I went for the two oil balancing products, but they have really great stuff for sensitive skin too!

Just by looking at the packaging I could tell that it was a really great brand, as it claimed to be cruelty free, paraben free, vegan and all that other good stuff. After purchasing I decided to do a little more research on the brand, and here's what they're website says:

 “Skincare that doesn’t cost the earth” is our tagline which reflects our affordable price positioning and also touches on Sukin’s natural formulations and earth friendly brand ethos,” explains Simon. “These elements have resonated well with our customers.”

Sukin continue to maintain a strong stance on the environment and sustainability and have been certified as 100% Carbon Neutral, Cruelty Free, and Vegan for many years now, with all formulations being biodegradable and grey water safe in addition.

I don't know about you, but all that sounds pretty great to me! So after doing a bit of research, I was really eager to see what they were like, and here are my first impressions.

Cleanser:

Smell: A little weird. I have this thing in my head with anything that has charcoal in it, I can't pin down what the smell is like, but it always kind of bothers me for some reason. Maybe its licorice? I don't know. It's not too strong, and I never let the smell of a skincare product put me off anyway.

Texture/Consistency:

The cleanser comes out as a gel, but once you start rubbing it into the skin it turns nice and foamy, which I'm sure is why it's good for absorbing excess oil.

Skin afterwards:

My skin felt really clean and refreshed after using this. It got rid of any excess oil without drying out my skin, which is a big problem I find with many 'mattifying' or 'oil-balancing' products.

Final review:

After using this for a week, I do really like it. There aren't any phenomenal instant results, (is there ever really?) but it does the job! I'd give it a solid 8.5/10

Moisturizer:

Smell:

Amazing. Not too scented, it reminds me of the smell of the fancy skincare they use at the spa, which I am all about.

Texture/Consistency:

I don't know how to explain it, but when it comes out its sort of foamy/spongy, but just feels like a normal moisturizer once you apply it. What I would say is that you definitely don't need a whole pump as it's always too much! I little goes a long way with this stuff, which I guess is good because the product will last longer.

Skin afterwards:

Sinks in really nicely. What I love about this is that unlike other mattifying moisturizers, you're skin actually feels smooth and hydrated, rather than tight and flakey which I find happens with other moisturizers for oily skin. It keeps my skin oil free but makes it all soft and smooth. I'm a little majorly in love with this stuff.

Final review:

Does exactly what I want it to do, after trying so many products I've finally found the perfect moisturizer for oily skin! 10/10

So overall, I'm really impressed with these products. The moisturizer was the real winner for me, but cleansers are never really life changing anyway, and I really like this one. I'd definitely recommend giving this brand a try! Here's a few links to websites where you can get them in the UK:

Boots

Holland and Barrett

Feel Unique

Hopefully some of you found this review useful! Also if you have time I'd really appreciate it if you subscribed to my youtube channel so you can see more of my creative content! I'd also love to get to 200 subscribers as I hate being on an odd number hahaha! Thank you!

 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFesE659f-myofgIHs2Ta_A?view_as=public

xo, Orlagh