I get way too excited for The Brit Awards. It's just an award show, and usually, most of the performances are bland, most of the winners aren't who I want, and yet, I am like a child at Christmas when it comes to the Brits. I enjoyed this year's ceremony a little more than usual - might be due to the fact there was none of them crazy rap performances where every other word is edited out - so I thought I'd share my little round up of events with you.

T H E  L O O K S

A couple of hours before the ceremony, I began constantly refreshing the Brits Twitter feed in anticipation of everyone's outfits. I said I get over excited, and it begins right here. I can't say I was really excited by any of the dresses this year, there wasn't particularly one that I had an 'OMG I LOVE IT' moment over. Little Mix looked très fierce, and compared to a photo of them from the 2012 Brits that I saw on Twitter, they had a huge glow up. 


I was super excited to see Shawn Mendes on the red carpet, someone who it never crossed my mind to expect to see there and I think his blue suit was pretty fab, probably my look of the night. The 1975 also looked very dapper, especially compared to their last Brits. Makeup wise I was absolutely loving the rosy tones Dua Lipa went for.

T H E  P E R F O R M A N C E S

You know when I said I felt like a child at Christmas when it comes to the Brits? Well, the presents at the beginning of Christmas day are always the best part, and then it goes a bit downhill, and the exact same happened at the Brits for me. When I found out Hugh Jackman was opening the show I was absolutely buzzing, and his performance of The Greatest Show really wowed me. His vocals were amazing - you wonder because he's done amazing film musicals if he would really be up to scratch in real life, and he was! Cue me and my mum wishing we got tickets to his tour. 


My other two performances of the night hardly come as a surprise if you know me at all! George Ezra's performance of classic Shotgun took me right back to seeing him front row last year, it was such an amazing experience and reminded me how good he is live, I seriously recommend. My other favourite was of course The 1975 with Sincerity is Scary - I had been wondering which one they would go for to perform and I think Sincerity was a very good choice!

Other memorable performances included the huge Calvin Harris number; is it really the Brits if Dua Lipa isn't performing in her underwear? The neon number of Little Mix, and Jess Glynne which honestly looked like a Boots advert to me, I was really expecting someone to come out at the end and tell me they make foundation in every skin tone at the end (which probably wouldn't be true anyway, since it's a Boots ad). 

T H E  W I N N E R S

First award of the night was Best Male, and I was very excited that it went to George Ezra. Was it really going to go to anyone else? Then The 1975 got best group and I felt like I'd got 2/2, really excited that they both won! Best female went to Jorja Smith which I actually expected it to be Anne-Marie who has been much more successful commercially, but there we go.


The international winners flew by in a flash - disappointed that Shawn lostn, I mean he came all the way here! Ed Sheeran won Global Success and I honestly forgot he even existed - I feel like George Ezra has replaced him this year and I am not complaining. I was hardly surprised Little Mix won Best Video, a category voted for by the public. Their fans are insane, so it was very predictable! Calvin Harris won two consecutively and I could not get over his accent - yes, Jack Whitehall mentioned he was from Dumfries about three times but I still wasn't expecting it, and found it hilarious. 

When it came to Best British Album I was very much torn between George Ezra and The 1975 - 100% my two favourite British albums last year. I was really excited that they were both even nominated, and couldn't really decide who I wanted to win. I remember listening to George's album one evening last year, all the way through and just being blown away by how flawless it was. Yet The 1975's latest release is incredible too, and some of the songs on it have become my favourites ever. Of course, we know that in the end The 1975 were triumphant, and I could not be happier, they did really deserve it this year.

I have always, always dreamed of owning a Bobbi Brown shimmer brick. About three years ago this was the cult raved about product, but one I could kind of never justify spending so much on - not when I could get a couple of lipsticks for that much anyway!

But when I found a mini version of it in the Debenhams sale just after Christmas, I remembered how much I wanted it back then, and just had to go for it. I kind of thought I was taking a bit of a risk getting this, as I am not a blush person. At all. Yet this was why I fell in love with it so much... it's not your average blush at all, to the point even someone like me can get on board with it.


The shade 'Bronze' is Bobbi Brown's OG shimmer brick shade, and ranges from a white iridescent shade at the top, all the way down to a bronze, with a bunch of rosy shades in between. The main way of using these is swirling them all together on the brush, adding to the cheekbones in a similar way I would apply blush. I liked using this for a more occasion-style makeup look, as an extra-fancy treat, however I have also loved experimenting with the different ways you can use it.


Firstly, I love taking the lighter couple of shades on a smaller brush, and applying to the top of the cheekbones like a highlight, which adds such a gorgeous glow! Alternatively, the shades can be used as beautiful shimmer eyeshadows, which all pair together perfectly. Because of its versatility, I think this makes it worth it as a product. I certainly wouldn't want to pay £36 (or £19.50, in its mini version) on a single blush, but also on a bronzer, highlighter and eyeshadow compact - yes please!


The multi-use nature of the product makes it super travel-friendly and perfect for on the go. It is definitely an item I will be taking out and about with me this year! It even comes with a mirror inside which is perfect for touching up, although doesn't happen to make taking photos of it easy!

Just shy of two years ago now, I decided on taking A Level Art. I was umming and aahing about it for ages - I had committed to the idea of doing three subjects; History, French and English Lit, but I kept telling myself I would regret it if I didn't take Art. So here I am, two years later, having just finished my coursework in my fourth A Level, Fine Art.

Why did I take it? Art has always been a hobby for me, and it was one I wanted to get better at. I honestly think I wouldn't have found time to continue with it if I didn't have to do it as an A Level, and therefore taking it has allowed me to spend time at it while improving. And I have improved a lot, let me tell you!


Today I thought I would share some of my pages in my art sketchbook with you will also compiling tips for the subject, some of which I reckon could be applied to art as a hobby too. I will be circling back round this post in a couple of days when I find out how I've done in my coursework too to let you know how well I did in it - that is if I did well, haha!

Choose a subject that you know you'll enjoy
As much as it's great to take risks in art, something to play a little safe with is your subject choice. Don't choose something you will end up bored of after a matter of weeks because it will become so much harder for you. In year 12 I did fruit for a whole eighteen weeks and the work felt like such a chore, thank goodness the work from last year didn't go towards our final grade because I really didn't have my heart in it! But this year I chose portraiture, and my Wednesday afternoons I have a double art lesson in don't feel like a chore at all, but something I really look forward to.


Don't judge a piece until it's finished
Okay seriously, the amount of times I have panicked about a piece not going the way I intended, to end up being fairly happy with it by the time it is finished is endless. Sometimes it is a battle that I feel like I am never going to win, until suddenly it actually looks decent. This is good! This is supposed to happen! Would you judge an essay that you've only written a paragraph in? Give it time and everything will work out. Saying that...


Don't expect every piece of work to be your best
It's okay if every piece of work isn't of the highest grade possible, or as good as you want it to be. Some pieces, such as a different scale, different medium or different image just won't work for you, and that's actually sometimes a good thing because while developing your ideas you can say why it wasn't for you.

Give media outside of your comfort zone a chance
One medium I know is not for me is printing, it never has been and never will be the medium I ever develop, or spend more than a couple of weeks ago. But this year I tried it out a bit more and actually created some printing pieces I totally didn't hate. Oil painting was a medium this year I had never used before, was totally terrified to and then fell in love with it. I could have decided it was a bit too difficult and given up, but I persevered and I am so glad I did.


Explore different scales and textures
Working on an A3 canvas was a huge breakthrough for me - I had never really used canvas before but, especially when using oil paint, it made such a difference and made my application a lot easier. I also experimented with smaller scale, creating an A4 portrait (on the right page above) which surprisingly I found it a lot harder to get detail. I even did an A1 ink piece at the start of the project which was a lot, let me tell you! Eventually I worked out A3 was best for me but it totally will differ for anyone. Don't feel confined to your sketchbook size - I photocopied my larger work (such as the left page above, an A3 board photocopied) to showcase it in my sketchbook too.

Get inspired by artists
Pinterest is full of amazing ideas to get inspired by, and artist research is super important to show where your ideas came from. This is especially useful if you're using a medium unfamiliar to you, such as when I started oil painting and found some artists that approached it very similar to I did. 


I took art at a level because I genuinely have a love for the subject. For the first time in a long time, this June it will finally become simply a hobby again rather than a school subject, which I am kind of looking forward to because I won't have to paint from my own photos anymore! (Roll on the drawings of Harry Styles again).


Yes, the subject is time-consuming, but it doesn't feel like a drag when you really enjoy it, and would probably only recommend you take it if you know you won't treat the work as a chore. However, due to the amount of revision I have for my other subjects, I don't think the amount of time I spend doing art is any more than them right now! Compared to GCSE, I actually think art at A Level is a lot less time consuming, because although you have a lot more to complete (4 sketchbook pages a week rather than a month), you also have a lot more class time. Personally I am really glad that I took it, as the access I have had to different sorts of media - ink, oil paint, etc has made my skills improve so much.

One of my favourite makeup brands is undoubtedly Too Faced. Their gorgeous packaging and incredibly high-quality products rival everything else right now and I just had to share a few of my favourite products of theirs with you.

Melted Matte Liquid Lipsticks -

The product that began the obsession. I bought my first a while back now, the perfect nude shade Child Star. It really has become my perfect lipstick, firstly due to its shade - not too cool, not too warm which means it can match with any eye look or outfit whatsoever, the fact it lasts all day (I'm not even exaggerating), and is super easy to apply. It really is my go to, that lipstick you reach for when you don't know what to reach for, and has become my all-time favourite lipstick - which says a lot!


I ended up getting a second shade, since I loved Child Star so much, and chose the shade Sell Out. It's quite a lot pinker than I would usually go for but it is really flattering and I love it for times when I want a little more colour. I feel like the hype for liquid lipsticks has decreased nowadays and I am not the hugest fan of them, but Too Faced (along with ABH) is a brand I would highly recommend for liquid lipsticks. I also find quite often that liquid lipsticks appear in the tube like a light nude but then end up so much darker but the Melted Mattes are really true to colour.

Chocolate Bronzer -

Another Too Faced obsession of mine is their Chocolate Bronzer. I mean firstly I love the scent and packaging of the product, but what you really want to know is how it applies right? The answer is - like a dream. You don't need a lot on your brush because of its intense pigmentation unlike most bronzers, meaning you get even more out of the product; I certainly won't be hitting pan on this one as quick as my drugstore bronzers! It's the perfect, not too orange and not too dark shade that means it is perfect for all year round use.

Gingerbread Palette -

The first eyeshadow palette I have ever tried from Too Faced, I am most definitely a convert! I was so excited to receive this at Christmas, I honestly didn't expect it since it was sold out everywhere! But I could instantly smell its sweet scent while I was unwrapping it, very excitedly! I feel like Too Faced's gorgeously scented products are an absolute trademark of their brand. Although this one was limited and sold out, as I mentioned, it definitely sets precedent for all other Too Faced eyeshadow palettes which I bet are just as fab!


They blend incredibly and this one has some gorgeous shimmers and mattes, I particularly love Gumdrop and Figgy Pudding, pink and purple mattes respectively, and so many of the pretty shimmer shades in it.

Apart from the everyday watch, that you will never see me without, or the occasional bracelet, I was never really a huge jewellery wearer until the past year, when I have begun to love curating a collection of some of my favourite pieces. Rose gold has to be my favourite of the three metals so today I am sharing my favourite rose gold accessories in my collection.

WATCHES:

As I mentioned, you will never see me without a watch; even though we're all able to quickly check your phone nowadays, I've just always loved having a watch handy. I have two rose gold favourites, the first of which is my everyday essential, the Olivia Burton watch. There are so many different styles of their watches, right now I have the classic black leather strap with a midi rose gold face and I absolutely love it. It is looking a bit worn by now, so I do plan to get another one next year, but I have worn it every day for over a year now, and it has had the fair bit of paint accidentally splodged all over it in its time!


My other watch favourite has to be my Michael Kors watch. Although this became an everyday watch when I got it a few years ago, it has become a more occasional piece now, since I realised when I started wearing my light leather Olivia Burton watch how heavy this one feels! It has a gorgeous large face with a bunch of dials... I don't really know what most of them do but it does display the date which is super useful! I don't know how I used to wear this all day because nowadays my arm gets tired after a few hours but I love wearing it when going out-out.

BRACELET:

I have two Thomas Sabo bracelets - a silver charm bracelet, and this lovely understated rose gold bracelet. I love how dainty it is, which is handy as I am often pairing it along with a watch. It's super pretty and an item I can't believe I have had for over two years ago since I got it for my sixteenth! It's one of my favourite accessories for adding a little something extra to my look.

NECKLACES:

It's so weird how I never wore necklaces until a few months ago when I got my Tiffany necklace, and now I feel strange not wearing one! The collection has grown quite rapidly since then, a recent addition of which comes from The Happiness Boutique. I have always been in love with all things star-related so choosing their Star Delicate Necklace* felt very on theme! I love how it has several pendants making it a little different and the shorter chain means I can wear it with higher necked items.


It has definitely become a staple to my rose gold jewellery collection, and you can get 10% off all Happiness Boutique products over £19 with the code 'everythingerinx' from now until February 23rd - how exciting is that!


The rose gold Kate Spade pendant necklace is another favourite of mine right now. I received this for Christmas and have been obsessed with it ever since. The pendant itself has an engraved E, and says on the back 'one in a million' which is a gorgeous touch. I am obsessed with Kate Spade products and my necklace is no exception. It's so versatile that it can match with anything and it has so many links that it can be worn at a variety of lengths.

MAKEUP TO MATCH:

Of course, I would be obsessed with any makeup or beauty item with a rose gold touch - what do you expect! If you feel like making your lipstick match your accessories, look no further than Charlotte Tilbury's packaging; I may have wanted one for a really long time just for the packaging, so it is an added bonus that the lipstick itself is fab too (I have the shade Very Victoria, but there is a huge range for whatever you fancy).


However, if you really want to go all out rose gold on your face to match your accessories, rose gold eyeshadow is a huge deal right now - my favourite of which to go all out with is the Stila glitter liquid eyeshadow in the shade 'Rose Gold Retro'. The shade name already suggests how fabulous it is - rose gold glitter lids to match my jewellery is a yes from me!

A little over a week ago I found out I hadn't got into Oxford. It really has been a week of a whirlwind of emotions, at the start of which I originally decided not to write a post on the subject, but after reading some fab posts of people going through the same as me, and realising that I always find it so helpful to write (or in my case, type), out my emotions and thoughts so that everything makes sense, I ended up being sat here writing one now.

Applying to study History at Oxford became one of the biggest parts of my life the past at least six months or so, and as a result of that, it felt relieving that the process was all over, but, although I am glad that I've gone through it all to know what the result would be, it also felt really anti-climatic. But I tweeted not long after I found out that I wasn't as sad as I expected, and it was true at the time. For the first few hours after finding out, I didn't think at all about what I had lost by not getting into Oxford. I concentrated on my back-up, UCL, and what I was gaining by now being able to study there.

Of course, it all dawned on me eventually, but what I have realised is that more so than not getting to study at Oxford (a place that I totally loved), what upset me more was getting the 'no' itself. Knowing that I was more than willing to put the work in, and it was just how the interview went - and not even that, loads of politcal jargon that determine who gets in or not - was what it all boiled down to. I really wanted to have something to say 'see, I can do it', to show that I can succeed. But I learnt that Oxbridge does not define success. It was a dream, true, but definitely not the 'be all and end all'.



As it happens, I had another dream, another life that I really was torn between. Even a couple of days before I found out, I wrote down in my 'uni planning journal' that I actually wasn't sure what I wanted the result to be. Even if I had got into Oxford, it would have been a bittersweet experience, because I still would have been letting go to another dream. Studying at Oxford for three years was one dream, but another was studying at UCL, living in London, getting work experience in the field I really want to go into and getting my foot in the door of a career of my dreams.

As I told myself in the art lesson following finding out, I was now going to UCL, with so many amazing aspects going for it - my favourite history course, the fact it was the first ever English university to accept women, it was the university that Coldplay attended and were formed at (this totally wasn't a reason for me looking at it or anything...), and as I mentioned above, the fact I am going to be able to gain experience in the industry I want to work in being in London which is amazing. I am also super excited to live in London and explore the city; being from up north I don't visit very often right now!

I am really glad that I went through the whole Oxbridge process, not just for the fact that I will never live my life with a huge 'what if' clouding over it. Reading more history books and getting more enthusiastic for my subject that I wouldn't have otherwise, going through the interview process, which was one of the best weeks of my life, including meeting Eleanor and having a much needed mini-holiday from college and the drama that comes with it.

But everything does happen for a reason - I am a firm believer of that. Having come out of the initial disappointment, I am taking it positively. For so many months I have never been able to see past my A-Levels, never known where I am going next, but I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel which has really motivated to work to my absolute best on these exams. UCL may have the same entry requirements as Oxford, but now I can see where I am heading I am even more motivated than ever to get these three As.

The sale after Christmas is my favourite time to go and shop in Lush - I mean, who can say no to half price bath bombs?! I went into my local Lush on Boxing Day when the sale started - I saw so many criticisms of going shopping on Boxing Day over on Twitter but I just think you do you? Lush don't have a sale online, and fortunately, my local one isn't a million miles away so I was really excited to go this year and share with you what I got.

I got two singular bath bombs - two which happen to be my favourites so I am really glad they still had them in stock. The Magic Wand bubble bar is my all time favourite and I am now perfectly stocked up, as I got one for Christmas too! It lasts so long, I think I got about eight or nine uses out of my last one, with loads of bubbles and a very pink bath every time. Plus, it's so easy to use on the stick, I find that a lot easier than a bubble bar you crumble into the hot water!


I also love the Snow Fairy jelly bomb so I was excited to find it still there, it has the Snow Fairy scent so of course, a classic must have, but I love the jelly bomb formula because it feels so soft. Again it's also super pink, I seem to remember it having some blue iridescent glitter in it too which made it even prettier.


I also picked up a set on half price - often on the sale, these can work out better value but only if you want to use all the products! Fortunately, the Christmas Candy Box I chose comes with four products I really wanted to try, none of which they still had on their own either! Half price on this gift set worked out about £10, so £2.50 each for these products is such good value.


The set comes with a Luxury Lush Pud, one of Lush's most famous bath bombs, a real cult favourite. It's so colourful so I can't wait to use this one again (I got a set with it in on last year's sale). It also comes with another two bath products I have never tried - the Candy Cane bubble bar, which you may remember seeing in my Lush Christmas Wishlist so I am really excited I can now try! It looks so cute - it may not be the festive season anymore but I still love it. The final bath product it comes with is the Bubble Bear, which is obviously a lot less colourful than ones like the Lush Pud, but I think this will be a lovely bath.


The last item the set came with is a mini Snow Fairy shower gel. I couldn't find any Snow Fairy shower gel on sale so I am so glad this set comes with some! It's such a gorgeous scent, and the small size is so travel-friendly.

My Lush sale tips:

- Plan ahead: Lush's Christmas items disappear from their site by Christmas Eve, so I would recommend looking online a week or so before the sale to work out what you might fancy getting, and how much you might end up spending so you don't go too overboard while you're there!

- Sets are often better value: Especially when most of the products in the set are no longer available on their own! But make sure you are getting your money's worth, and you're not just buying a set for one item in it, you may as well just have gotten it full price before the sale in that case!


- Get there an hour or so after opening: I got to town a little after Lush opened and I was shocked to find a huge queue outside the door - nieve I know! I wandered around a few other shops for an hour and returned to be able to walk straight in. It may seem overwhelming but it will die down eventually, and you will still be able to get the same stuff as those who are first in!

- Be prepared to queue: My Lush had a queue for actually buying the product all the way around the store - it's a pretty small shop! I was saying it's important to plan what you want, and this is also because you need to be pretty speedy because most of the time you spend in the shop will be queueing!

- There's Still Items Left After Boxing Day: If you really aren't one to leave the house after Boxing Day, I totally get it - there's usually plenty of products left a couple of days later, especially in bigger stores! I visited the Leeds Lush on the 28th last year, and despite most of the individual products had gone, there was still lots of sets left and I bought enough to make my arm ache from carrying the bag around with me all day!