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New Toy : Samsung NX3000

New Toy : Samsung NX3000

So this week I went to check out my new prospective camera, as mentioned in the previous post the Olympus PEN ELP-7. I was about to make my purchase when I decided to check out the Samsung NX3000, the similar style that I’d seen be compared to the Olympus in many reviews but as my sister said, it’s like when you want an Iphone but you get a Samsung. Anyway, after checking out the camera, apart from the fancy effects and the sleeker look I couldn’t really see much difference to the Olympus and at less than half of the price I brought it there and then! Let me tell you now that I am in LOVE. This is my new favourite toy and as I’m sure you’ll have noticed on my instagram if you follow me, already the images are such better quality. Not sure if I’ll be taking my selfies on the camera however! Sometimes not so great focus is what you want! So here’s what I love about my new camera: The Look, ok it’s no Olympus but it’s still got looks to kill and I feel pretty smug when I pull this baby out of my handbag! The quality, look how amazing it is! I love how you can focus on different areas The screen at the back flips up so you can take selfies and see yourself whilst doing it! There’s some really good filters WIFI – wifi is definitely the selling point for me! You can link it to your phone so your images go directly to your camera role, so perfect for instagraming! You can also use your phone as a remote control so you can take your own pictures if your photographers not around! I’ve been playing around with it a lot this week so I thought I would put up some of my photos to show you how much I love it and why you will too!  

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Over Thinking
Lifestyle

Over Thinking

  I love this parabell taken from one of my favourite books “Hapiness and how it happens” by The Happy Buddah. For me, the main issue I have with my anxiety is my tendancy to overthink everything. I actually went through a phase of asking everyone else what I should do because I just couldn’t think for myself! How crazy is that?! I have more than just a wondering mind, I get totally lost in my thoughts, going over things that have happened and what would happen if they were different, worrying about things that haven’t even happened yet and probably never will. I found this book so helpful, it teaches you about happiness, which isn’t really a thing.. bear with me! When your happy, you don’t think about it, you just are. When your unhappy, you replay things over in your mind and obsess over whats making you unhappy. So essentially, by learning to clear your mind and ignore your thoughts which are described in the book as “stories”, you can lead a happier and more relaxed life. I’ve found this so helpful, particularly at times when I have been over thinking and stressing myself out to just stop, remember that your mind isn’t you, and notice what your mind is doing. The important thing to remember is to not be angry when you notice your mind being negative, to just notice it and forget it. You can find the brushes I used to make this quote on photoshop here

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Santander
Lifestyle

Santander

So if you follow me on instagram you’ll already know that last weekend I was taken away to Santander on a surprise birthday getaway by my lovely boyfriend! I know what you’re thinking.. I thought that was a bank? It’s not the obvious choice I’ll give you that but our good friend lives there and it’s actually perfectly Spanish and untouched by tourism! I’ve been to Santander once before and what I love about it is that you’ll be walking down a street with the most beautiful buildings ( see above photo – the original Santander Bank!) on your left, the docks on your right, the beach up ahead and the mountains in the distance. Where else can you get all of these wonderful sights combined?! There’s two sides to the fact that Santander is untouched by tourism, the good and the bad. The good is that the beach is empty, the streets are peaceful, we didn’t see one piece of rubbish the entire time we were there, you get to experience the cultural side more than you would in the Costa del Sol. The downsides, well.. there’s just one, the food. Not necessarily the food itself but more the activity of eating. As both me and Jack are non Spanish speakers, and it would appear that not one soul in the whole of Santander spoke English, the language barrier was very apparent. The food we ate was always a surprise.. one day when we asked a taxi to take us somewhere he held up a tennis ball.. true story! Spanish people do not eat at normal times either, you can have a three course meal at 2-4 in the afternoon, or you eat at 10pm, the rest of the day all you’ll get your hands on are pinchos! Pinchos are usually small pieces of french stick with interesting combinations of unrecogniseable food, they’re delicious if you hit the jackpot and it’s worth taking the risk! Whilst we were away we went to San Sebastian for a couple of days, it was slightly more touristy there but still the language barrier! Our apartment was right on the front by the beach which is full of surfers from 7am to 10pm, so when the weather was bad we sat in bed watching the surfers, eating tapas and drinking wine, perfect!  

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Going Freelance
Lifestyle

Going Freelance

Going freelance wasn’t really a case of can I or should I, more a case of I must, I will. I know for a lot of people it’s something that they deliberate over for a while, but luckily for me I have no major overheads, still in the comfy nest of mum and dad, and I had to make it work, going back full time just wasn’t an option! I was working previously as a BA at a well known shopping channel, though I was really good at the job and at times felt it was something I could excel in, it just wasn’t for me! I can’t bare the thought of sitting round that same table day in day out and office bitchiness is just not what I’m about. I’m sure you get it in every office, particularly in buying, but it’s not something I was used to and quite frankly, not something I wanted to get used to! So long story short, with the constant digs and put downs I felt i was going up stream without a paddle. One thing led to another and I found myself signed off by the Dr for stress and anxiety! Not something I would ever have imagined myself saying, I was always the smiley happy one! Three months later I made the decision I couldn’t go back, the only way to move forward was to start again in something I truly enjoyed, my calling! I’d worked as a freelance stylist before whilst I was at uni so still had some contacts, I’d always seen it as something I couldn’t do full time.. nothing that fun can be considered a ‘proper’ job surely? Whilst working for yourself is a breath of fresh air there are always things to consider, these are my top tips! Network, Network, Network! All day everyday you need to network! Working as a stylist your always meeting new make up artists, models and photographers, not only can you help each other out to build up your portfolio in your spare time, but these are the people who know people you need to know! Speaking to people is how you find out about studios and get contact details! Be flexible. I don’t get booked for my following week until the Thursday before ( if I’m lucky), sometimes you get called the same morning or the day before. You have to be flexible and just go with the flow, I found this hard because I’m a planner but it also has it’s up sides, hello last minute holidays! Never burn bridges. Its a small world, no really, you never know who knows who and bad feedback can spread quickly. Always be on your top form. Be Sociable! As a stylist I think half of your job is to keep the photographer and model entertained. Honestly, you cannot do this job if your antisocial! Make sure you put money aside for tax and keep a track of your incomings and outgoings (keep…

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Mindful Colouring
Lifestyle

Mindful Colouring

Yes you read that right, recently whilst browsing the book section on amazon I came across an adult colouring book promising to bring peace and calm. This may seem laughable to some, but as someone who suffers from anxiety if a colouring book helps, a colouring book I will get! The book is full of calming patterns that when colouring in, put you into a state of meditation. Emma Farrarons says ” the act of colouring in – carefully and attentively filling a page with colour , the feel of the pencil in your hand as you meditate on the beauty of the whole illustration” helps the mind to relax, almost like art therapy! I’ve found it so relaxing, it put’s you into a kind of trance and I’m not ashamed to say as a 25 year old woman, I enjoy colouring. I actually look forward to it! I love doing it in the morning with a cup of tea and breakfast, starting the morning off beautifully!   Colouring Book: Amazon | Pens: Amazon | Cup: Yonder Living | Ring: Shop JJDR | Bracelet: Shop JJDR

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