Why I Love Christmas

Merry Christmas Everyone! 

Hope you are all having an amazing day. I thought this was the perfect time to do a blog on all the things I love about this time of year. 

1. The lights. Possibly my most favourite thing. Everywhere looks so much prettier with a few fairy lights :)!
2. The fact it is socially acceptable to wear as much glitter as you can. I've been sporting glitter nail varnish, glitter eye liner, glitter mascara (a Christmas pressie from my sister) and any glittery clothing I can find.
3. Tradition. I love traditions, it creates memories. My favourite family tradition is giving our Christmas cards to each other on Christmas Eve before we go to sleep.
4. YOU CAN EAT AS MUCH AS YOU WANT :D!! Just like at Halloween you can be a slut and no one can say anything..at Christmas you can be a fat pig. And since I am addicted to chocolate and stuffing, it's the perfect time of year for me.
5. Wrapping up warm in the cold crisp air, and seeing your breath in front of you.
6. The hats you get out of crackers because I love looking like a twat.
7. Christmas TV! The specials and films.. best time of year to slob out on the sofa. I am watching the strictly  come dancing special as I write this.
8. Buying pressies. I love buying presents for people. Don't ask why.. I just do :P.
9. Wrapping! I absolutely love wrapping presents. Watching some Christmas YouTube videos or listening to my favourite Christmas songs.. and getting covered in sellotape. I get to openly be a perfectionist aswell. Love it.
10. Getting to dress up and go full out on the make up. I'm sporting a smokey eye and red lip. Perfect for Christmas. (Instagram: @lisanicolest)
11. The joy. Everyone is merrier when its getting near to Christmas.
12. The hussle and bussle of the high-street when you are doing late minute shopping, and melting in every store you go into. *heating+wintercoat= baking.* 
13. Christmas Carols, I love singing my heart out to the oldies :)
14. The Magic of this time of year <3 
AND
15. Family Time. Treasured moments I shall never forget. We also get to remember the past Christmases with family who are not here any more. Beautiful memories that are always in my heart. Everyone has their own idea of what Christmas is about for them but for me, it's about spending time with loved ones.

Hope you all have an amazing Christmas and are blessed with all you wish you for.
Love Lisa-Nicole xxxx

Dancing

"I can't really explain it,
I haven't got the words
It's a feeling that you can't control
I suppose it's like forgetting, losing who you are
And at the same time something makes you whole
It's like that there's a music playing in your ear
And I'm listening, and I'm listening and then I disappear

And then I feel a change
Like a fire deep inside
Something bursting me wide open impossible to hide
And suddenly I'm flying, flying like a bird
Like electricity, electricity
Sparks inside of me
And I'm free I'm free"

Electricity, Billy Elliott The Musical

Billy Elliott described it absolutely perfect, the feeling that I get when I dance. I mean really dance. Loosing your body and soul into a piece of artwork performed to music. The emotions that connect, the complete feeling of euphoria that sweeps over you. The only thing that comes close to it, is the feeling I get when I'm acting on stage.
Doing theatre for a degree will always be one of the best decisions I have ever made, however I can't help but feel the need to go further in my dance. To train again, to choreograph, to feel the ache of muscles and know you've done a dance well. I cannot describe to you how much I miss it. Since starting dance from the age of 6, continuing dance and becoming an Olympic level 5 cheerleader, these past months are the longest I've gone without being in a competition or training, and the withdrawal systems have set in.
Its time to become the person I used to be. Due to a few personal issues in my life - my diet, flexibility and fitness have all become worse than they used to be, and its time to grab the bull by the horns and do something about it. It is the New Year after all.
So stay tuned for my personal journey in taking my dance further. I am also looking into starting my own contemporary society at my university, nothing is certain, lets just see how it goes. Fingers crossed.

I'm really looking forward to getting back to the old me <3

"Success is not the key to happiness, happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful."

"Go the extra mile, it is never crowded."  

Once Flown...Can You Call It Home?

It has been over a year since I flown the nest, and having taken a couple of months to get over the home sickness, I embraced my independence. There is a complete freedom in living by yourself, which is what I love about it.  You can come and go whenever you want it, have it as tidy or a messy as you like, have your friends round whenever... However there are a few things I completely miss about home. Seeing my mum everyday, central heating (gas and electric bills are an absolute bitch), home cooked food (as no matter how many times you cook chilli con carne it will never be as good as your mum's), my bunny rabbit Pebbles, my school/college friends, and that security of always feeling safe.
I have a beautiful house where I go to Uni, however the area can be a little rough sometimes. It has made me a lot more street wise though, now nothing really phases me. The tramp that lives at the end of my road who always asks me to "Come cook him dinner tonight" is just another man I pass everyday on the way home. I guess at least one time in your life you have to live somewhere rough to really appreciate where you feel secure.
I also have a beautiful house in my home town, even though my bedroom has been needed to be decorated for years, there is a sense of empathy there. You know those awful choices you make as a teenager that when you're a little older you just think "what the fuck teenage self"... yeah that's my room now. But I still love it, as that's where I became who I am today.
But do I call either of them my actual home? The truth is I love both of these places. Both have people I have come to know and love over my lifetime, and when I'm in one place there will always be a part of me that misses the other. So really I am writing this blog to let everyone know, who makes my life so amazing in both "homes" that I am truly thankful, and appreciative to have them in my life. I know it's a big slab of cheese, but hey, its Christmas :).

"You will never be completely at home again, because part of your heart will always be elsewhere. That is the price you pay for the richness of loving and knowing people in more than one place."
xxx

November/December Favourites

Due to it being a little too late for November favourites and a little too early for December Favourites I've decided to pack them all together in a BIG TWO MONTH FAVOURITES :). **everyone cheers**
I have been using all these products for quite a while, they have all worked wonders and I would recommend each of them to anyone.

^^^Everything included in my monthly favourites this month can be seen above^^^

1) My Number One Favourite is: 

Models Own Glitter Nail Varnish in the shade Southern Lights. This makes your nails look so beautiful as it shimmers and glitters so much. I find myself just looking down at my nails watching them sparkle. Its also incredibly Christmassy. I always think you can't go wrong with some glitter nail varnish at Christmas. And its very hard wearing. Being a student and chucking myself about everywhere means I know how hard wearing a nail varnish is, and this does not chip easy!  Beautiful and Brilliant :). 

2) Champneys, Spa Indulgence, Distant Shores Body Butter

Everyone loves when Boots has a 3 for 2 day or double points, and I always take complete advantage of them - meaning I'm meant to be buying Christmas presents but really I buy loads of treats for myself I don't really need. It was one of these bank account busting days that I found myself in the luxury pamper isle and came across this this body butter. And, oh my god, it smells amazing. Think I may have stood in the shop for at least ten minutes just smelling it, before I decided I couldn't walk out without having purchased it...and the foaming shower gel too. Whoops. They are a little more pricey than the products I usually buy, but they are so worth it. If you want your skin to be smooth and smell gorgeous, buy this product. (And if you're like me the bubble bath and shower gel too.)

3) Elnett Satin, 3 Days Straight, Heat Protect Styling Spray

Many people will know that I have been faithful to Aussie products for years, and use bottle after bottle of their heat protector. However, when both Boots and Superdrug were out of stock of Aussie, I picked up Elnett's. It is fairly new on the market and I was a little bit worried about using it...but now I am forever changed. This heat protector is incredible. It leaves your hair feeling so soft, silky and healthy. It deals with all frizz and fly aways, and smells really really good. 

4) Santa's Lip Scrub by Lush 

Winter is really harsh on the lips and there is not one thing I can't stand more than dry lips. First sign of chapped lips and I am out buying lip products. This year was no different, and since it was time for lush to bring out all their Christmas stock I headed straight there and found this. Now not only does it leave your lips really smooth.. I could actually just sit there and eat it, that's how good it tastes! Its like drinking a bottle of Cherry Cola. It is a little bit pricey at £5.50 (if I remember rightly) but I would say this product is definitely worth it. It's limited edition, as it is a Christmas product but it has me tempted to buy a second just so I don't run out. 

5) Boots Essentials Moisturising Lotion 

I use this every day and night on my face and it has literally left my skin incredibly soft. It smells of cucumber and gives you a really fresh faced feeling after taking off your make up at night, or after your shower in the morning. Its for all skin types and it has UV protection which is incredibly handy for summer. Its also incredibly affordable at £1.99 - a real student product. 

6) Simple, Kind to Eyes, Revitalising Roll On 

The life of a theatre can be an incredibly tiring one at times, with rehearsals for my last show running 9am to 11pm. Early mornings and late nights are horrible on the under eyes. This stuff can turn even my most tired eyes into bright awake sparkly ones :). Its really refreshing, also smells of cucumber, and states its even for the most sensitive of skin. 

7) Kerastase, Cristalliste (For dry lengths or ends)

I bought this product quite a long time ago from my hairdressers, since I straighten my hair a lot I'm always looking at products to improve and maintain the health of my hair. I used this for a few months and was disappointed not to see any improvement, but continued to use it as I prefer not to waste money on expensive hair products. Now, however, the improvements are amazing. One of those products that takes a long time to work but when it does it has the wow factor. My hair is left amazingly silky smooth after using this product, and it helps to keep my hair straight. It smells good too. Love it. 

And there you have it, all my favourites for the months of November and December :).

Thankyou for reading! 

xxx

Aspiration

Wow, it has been so long since I blogged, and I really began to miss it. The past couple have months have gone by in a flash, and I thought it was definitely time for a little catch up...

So I have now started my second year of university and it is coming to the end of a pretty amazing term. I am so excited for Christmas as I haven't been home at all this term, and it will be amazing to spend some time with my friends and family back home. It will also be good news to everyone to learn I finally got over a broken heart which had been with me since the middle of my first year. I learnt a lot of hard lessons and they will stay with me for all future relationships and I finally learnt how to be single. I learnt a lot about myself and am now looking forward to a future which I am very confident I will absolutely love.

Theatre is still my absolute number one love, and the reason why over the past couple of months I seemed to dropped off the face of the earth. The show my beloved second years and I just put on was a massive success and our lecturer/director is very proud. I am still continuing to learn so much in my chosen craft, and am so grateful for knowing I'm exactly where I want to be in life.

I have also decided in my future to become a journalist. The theatre industry is one I will always hold close to my heart and I will still pursue my dreams of becoming a successful actor.. however theatre jobs and opportunities are becoming scarce and it will be very hard to get by and survive in low points of my career (Low points should be expected by any realistic aspiring actor. I do have complete faith in myself but faith and realism need to come hand in hand). So I have turned to a second love which really began to show itself in my first year at university - writing. This is an aspiration that I'm not sure how to begin or where it will go, but I am going to love finding out.

This brings me to the point of my blog. The topics I will now be including in this blog are ones that interest me and I hope to bring a new level of professionalism to it. I'm not sure what I will talk about yet, it may be a case of sitting in front of the computer and writing whatever comes to me, but that'll still work for me. I will still be posting beauty blogs and experiences :) just with a few new topics and debates appearing.

Hope you'll still enjoy it, and I am so glad to be back after a long absence. Hopefully this all goes to plan...

Wish me luck ;)

xxx

They Say Money Can't Buy You Happiness... They Lie.

OK so here I am admitting it.

I, Lisa-Nicole Stevens, have a major spending problem.

*Warning, this blog contains my thought process...and yes I do swear in my thoughts. Whoopsie* 

 

So it's that time of year where we all go up a year in whatever education we are in, or go out alone into a permanent job. And real life just comes along and kicks you up the arse. Hard.

For me, its realising if I have any - and I mean any - money in my account I will go around chucking it about like it's monopoly money, not giving a shit until my card is declined, and then think fuuuuuuccckkk. What do I do now? That daunting feeling just hits you, and you go home lay on your bed with all your new pretty clothes and beauty products around you, kidding yourself thinking its ok I have new, "arse looks good" jeans and glittery eye liner. Until the next time you walk through the high street and think "oh my gosh I just have to have the flowery hair band, I'm like, never going to wear". And no matter how many new clothes you buy you will always have those "I have nothing to wear days" even though clothes are bursting out of every piece of storage you bloody well own*. *(My life hash tag moment right there).

Of course I'm not the only female that goes through this. Thank you God. I have no idea when I developed this habit. Hmmm.. Actually I do... when I was younger I had a "build a bear" cat called Muffy that just had to have the new ice skater outfit and the new teddy bear converses. Sad.. I know. (**Just a disclaimer, I paid with my own money from birthdays and things and used to get told off as i had so much teddy bear stuff. I was not spoilt :P.**) And this "have to have" attitude has pretty much carried on through my teens and into becoming a young woman who thinks eat and pay rent... or have those amazing red high heels. No awards for guessing which choice I'll pick. And yes I have a million clothes I don't wear on a regular basis, nail varnishes I barely use, and shoes that are just too bloody pretty to wear to either Kasbah or Hush. (Both night clubs in Coventry). But you know what, when I was having a bad day, buying those ridiculously high sparkly heels made everything better. And it meant I didn't have to work my butt off in the gym for a lot longer than I usually do because I'd stuffed a whole bar of Cadbury's Creations down my throat.

BUT..

The time has come for me to finally reign in my spendings *cue retailer screams*. 

I have over £3000 pound rent to pay and I need to actually keep myself alive. You know like, eat and stuff. Heard that's pretty important...

Why don't you get a job I hear you say.. Well I would already have one if they weren't such a nightmare to get hold of. I've been applying all summer and once I finish this blog I shall be applying for even more. 

Until I finally get one though, there's no more splurging for me :(. 

I am now going to go cry into my pillow whilst begging for someone to hire me. I can hear you all wish for my life right now :P.

And when I have a bad day... Well I guess it's the gym for me. Least I'll thighs of steel I suppose. 

Oh, and for anyone in my position as you read this, this saying always helps me - 

Some people are so poor, all they have, is money.

xxx

People never understand "Leave Me Alone"

**For those of you who don't like ranting blogs I would turn away now as this one could get a little ugly.**

It's not really like me to blast my anger all over the internet (or maybe it is) but there seems to be a phrase that no one in the world who speaks english seems to understand. "Leave Me Alone".
Everyone has their bad days. And I swear most people/girls when they are having one want to curl up with their favourite comfort food and be left the hell alone. So why, when you are the one who wants the space, can they not give you the same respect?
You may say it's because "they didn't realise", but all the warning signs are there. The irritated high volumed voice, short responses, the face that clearly means "don't fuck with me today or I'll punch you in the face".
So when you see that face, don't go up to the person with that stupid happy smile and say "who died" because you know what dumbass...someone may have died in their family. And you will get punched in your face. And you'll only have yourself to blame.
Another thing to not do is try to explain to the person why they are feeling the way they are. Why the hell would they need you to say that to them? I think that possibly...they may already know. And you're just going to piss them off even more, and higher your chances of getting kicked in the throat.

So why? Why do people do this. It literally baffles me.

Obviously I'm not saying this applies to everyone, but if I'm having a bad day I don't want jokes, hugs, explanations, sympathy - none of that. I want to cry into my pillow with a big bar of chocolate, pray and be left the hell alone. And maybe punch my wall, which I instantly regret afterwards and can't move my hand for the rest of the day. Then a couple of days later when I've gotten over everything (and my hand has recovered), THEN you can approach me to provoke a bitching sesh that will probably make us laugh till our sides hurt. But until then, leave me alone.

Hmm.. Maybe I need an "approach at own risk t-shirt"..
Or just to write fuck off on my forehead.
Sure that will go down a treat. 


P.S I make myself laugh :)