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!

The beginning of a new year floods our social media with 'new year new me' inspired goals, and although I don't feel like particularly embracing a new me, there are a few areas I would like to focus on this year - maybe we can come back at the end of the decade (yep, we're really nearly at the end of these tenties or whatever we're supposed to call them) and see how many I achieved.

Only buy makeup if it's filling a gap in my collection: I have accumulated a lot of makeup over the past couple of years, and I do consider it a proper collection that I love adding to, but I really want to stop adding necessarily to it. I really want to work out what I need (definitely not another brown toned lipstick anyway), and curate a collection of products that I really use all of.

Make my blog more 'me': Although I am not entirely sure how I want to achieve this, something I know is that I really want to make my blog exactly how I want it to be this year, and use it exactly how I want too. I reread my 'hello 2018' post prior to writing this one, and there was a real focus on growing follower numbers and sticking to a blog schedule. I felt bombarded in 2018 by posts about 'how to triple your followers' or 'how to drive traffic to your blog' and began to realise that those things aren't why I started, nor why I want to continue.

Even looking back at posts I wrote from a few months ago, I realised the topics weren't something I would write now - I found myself thinking "When did I even write that?!". In 2019 I really want to focus on writing about topics that really interest me. This includes more fashion posts, at least half of what I read has to be fashion related and my love for it has grown in the past year, I just have to work out how this will work for me. A huge part of my life which I barely share on my blog is my love for art, maybe we will see a more creative side to Everything Erin in 2019, who knows!

Eventually I would love to give my blog a makeover and really think about what I am adding to the internet, but for now we won't be having a 'new year new blog' (thanks A levels), maybe think ' new June, new blog'...


Connect to bloggers more: Something that hasn't changed since last year is I still really want to comment on more blogs, and use social media productively. I find that I scroll endlessly throughout Twitter and Instagram without adding anything, and it's such a waste of time! When I use social media, I really want to start using meaningful comments and actually use that scrolling time to benefit others a bit more. I also want to meet more of my favourite bloggers, as I mentioned in my last post, meeting Eleanor in Oxford was amazing, and we can't forget about my fab friend Ellie - whose blog I read a long time before I actually met her and now we're in the same French class! I really want to make more blogging related memories this year.

Accept what is meant to be: In under a weeks time I will find out a decision that will probably determine the next three years of my life, or even more than that, in one way or another. One of my biggest goals for 2019 is to not shroud myself with 'what ifs' and focus on what is actually happening. Wherever I end up, it will be where is right for me, and I really need to remember that.


Stop procrastinating: It all goes back to that scrolling thing doesn't it... I really want to spend less unproductive time on my phone. I've become a little over obsessive with the new 'screen time' section of the iPhone, and have worked over the past few weeks to get my daily average down on my phone. Sometimes it's quite high, perhaps I've been taking blog photos or reading a book, so I can't possibly beat myself up for that, I basically just want to stop the scrolling. I could be spending that time so much better, and then I won't get as overwhelmed that I have a thousand and one tasks to complete!

Read more: But by that, I am happy enough if it doesn't mean reading more books. I have come to terms with the fact I don't have the attention span nowadays to get into a full fiction novel (I shocked a few people in my English last year when I commented I don't really read, nope, definitely not even Harry Potter...). Perhaps in the summer, I could read more books, but I am happy enough for them to be historical and something that I am particularly interested in. I love learning, so this year I would love to read more interesting articles, blog posts, even more magazines.

2018 has been one of the quickest and craziest years ever. There have definitely been highs and lows, but since I have completed a monthly review post for most months this year, I really wanted to sit back and type up some of my highlights from 2018 to round it all up, taking some of my favourite things I've done and loved, working my way through the year.

In 2018 I have...

Gone out of my comfort zone on the French Exchange

One of the biggest things I did right at the beginning of the year was taking part in my college French Exchange. It may have been a traumatic experience being there (all I'm saying is I still get flashbacks), but I made some amazing friends while I was there and I know I wouldn't be in the same place if I hadn't had taken the risk and gone on it.

Seen Harry Styles live

The best concert of this year, which has definitely become one of my favourites ever, was on the 9th April when I saw Harry Styles live. The way he brought an arena to life on his own was truly incredible, I absolutely adore him and his solo music and it was a real highlight of my year.

Been to New York (!!!!)

I still cannot believe this happened - and even more, cannot believe I managed to have a cold throughout my trip and therefore felt ill for most of the time! Every time I see a photo of New York nowadays I am dying to go back. It was the best holiday ever, we packed so much in - including walking 13 miles one day, I mean for someone who does absolutely no exercise to walk half a marathon worth in a 32 degrees day is pretty good right! Although I felt absolutely knackered, you totally had to walk that much to take it all in and the sights were so amazing.

Been really into The Crown

The Crown has to be one of my favourite series' I watched this year, it has really inspired me to learn a lot about the history of the current Royal Family and I have got so into it. After watching a show about the Royal Family, I decided to stay on theme and watch a show with a member of the Royal Family in it, therefore got totally obsessed with Suits! Yes, I may have just started watching it due to the Meghan Markle hype but I have enjoyed it so much. The other show I have really loved this year is Parks & Recreation, one of the funniest shows ever.

Visiting Universities

This summer has been one of applying for universities, therefore I had to visit several to make my mind up! This included a trip to London which I really enjoyed, especially seeing the musical 42nd Street while I was there which was simply amazing! I absolutely love London - who knows, I may have spent more time there by this time next year!

Listened to a lot of George Ezra, 5 Seconds Of Summer and The 1975

Music favourites this year can be summed up by the three artists above for certain! I got obsessed with George Ezra's Staying At Tamara's album, the song Pretty Shining People has become a firm favourite of mine. On Spotify, 5SOS was one of my most listened to artists which I am not surprised at, their YoungBlood album has been on repeat this year.

My Last Fm stats make The 1975 my most listened to artist by a mile; I'm totally obsessed with their new music, such as their new song It's Not Living (if it's not with you), but their old stuff also never gets boring for me either! Oh, and the final artist I have listened to a whole lot is Coldplay. I have always been a huge fan of Coldplay but I have really explored their back catalogue this year getting to know their earlier stuff better.

My Last Fm most listened to artists - bearing in mind I began LastFM on 1st May 2018, so 7 months of the year!

Furthered my love of History

Applying for History at university this year has spurred me on to explore my love of history more and work out which sort of history is really for me. I have realised I am most into social history, and have read some amazing books such as The Century Girls by Tessa Dunlop, which influenced me so much I wrote about it in my personal statement. It was so interesting to read about the past 100 years from six centenarian women all from completely different backgrounds, an absolute must-read.

Saw a concert front row with my best friends

I have made so many fab memories with my friends this year but an event that really sticks out to me is seeing George Ezra front row in the pouring rain! It was such an achievement to get the front row and such a great concert, I commented before about how much I have listened to George Ezra so it was great to see him live so close.

Been to Friends Fest

Being a huge Friends fan, I loved going to Friends Fest this year at Manchester's Heaton Park, as I had dreamed of attending for a couple of years! It was such a fun experience exploring the apartments and taking many Friends style photos, I seriously recommend it to any Friends fan like myself.

Obsessed over the Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance palette

I'm thinking of writing a separate post for beauty so I haven't gone overboard in this one, but I couldn't round up the year without commenting about how much I loved the ABH Modern Renaissance palette this year. Since I got it in New York in May I have used it ever since; it has become an absolute staple for me! I am tempted to give it a break for a little to give my other palettes some time to shine, but it really is the best eyeshadow palette out there.

Interviewed at Oxford

To round up the year I went to Oxford to interview which was the most stressful but amazing experience ever. It almost felt like a mini-holiday, getting away from college for a few days to explore this amazing city, if we ignore the stressful interviews in the middle! I met so many wonderful people, including one of my fave bloggers Eleanor so it really was a trip I will never forget, and the best way to finish the year.

I always suddenly become very nosy once all the what I got for Christmas' posts come out - I love seeing what people get and they can come in handy for inspiration for previous years. I have written my own the past few years - also because it can be a useful way for me to look back on what I have received, so I decided to carry on the trend this year. I am of course super grateful for everything I received, I have definitely been very treated this year!

MAKEUP & SKINCARE:

Of course one of the things I am most excited for is makeup, so I was really excited to receive not one, but two eyeshadow palettes. From my brother I received the Colourpop It's A Princess Thing palette; I absolutely adore their Disney Princess range so I am really excited to own the palette from it. It's a lovely everyday palette with some showstopping silver and gold shimmers too, I really love it.

I also received the Too Faced Gingerbread Spice palette - I asked for this one but had pretty much accepted I wouldn't get it because it was sold out everywhere, but my mum managed to get one of Selfridge's last ones and I couldn't believe it! I am head over heels in love with this palette, it is filled with gorgeous warm tones and some really unique shades while the formula and quality is outstanding.


From my grandparents, I got a few products from Pixi, a brand I have been dying to try for ages but they are definitely more of a treat because I couldn't quite justify spending that much myself on skincare. I received the Best Of Bright set which comes with some of their classic staple products, including the Glow Tonic which I can't wait to try out. I also got the Glow Mist which looks fab and I think it will come in extra handy in the summer months when you need a bit of hydration.

DVDS, BOOKS & GAMES:

My Aunties clubbed together to get me The Crown box set, including seasons 1 and 2 - I really love The Crown (it totally fuelled my royal obsession), but I don't have Netflix so I am crazy excited to own it so I can finally watch it properly in HD on TV. They also got me the Christopher Robin DVD, which I saw at the cinema and loved so I can't wait to watch it again.

My parents also got me a book called 'On This Day In History' by Dan Snow, I spotted this in Waterstones when it came out and it looked super interesting, going through every day of the year with an event in history so I can't wait to read it. They also got me a Vogue colouring book inspired by the 60s along with a Vogue magazine subscription, which I cannot wait to receive - especially as my first subscribed issue will have Emma Stone on the cover! Friends monopoly was also something I am really happy to have received, it really isn't Christmas for me without receiving something Friends related and it was really fun to play, even if I came last!

VINYLS:

Since I got my record player last Christmas I have enjoyed collecting vinyls, and I received two of my all-time favourite albums on vinyl - Coldplay's A Head Full Of Dreams and Harry Styles. I also was very surprised to receive Coldplay's Butterfly Package on vinyl form - a live recording of their tour along with two DVDs, on gold vinyl. It looks so stunning but is quite expensive (my mum put money towards it because she wanted it too) so I am so happy I got that because I really wasn't expecting it!

KATE SPADE GOODIES:

 I am so excited to have received a few items by Kate Spade this year, which included a pencil pouch - which I plan to save for university because it's super gorgeous, a phone case with the Empire State building which actually glows in the dark, it's such good quality (as I am sure you would expect), and finally this gorgeous rose gold necklace. One side has the letter E on it for my name, and the other says 'one in a million'. It is so pretty and will match my rose gold watches and bracelet.

BEST OF ALL:

I still can't quite believe my favourite present of all - it was a total surprise which is always the best sort of presents. My parents got me a burgundy Michael Kors clutch bag which is so so pretty, it fits my phone in perfectly and has plenty of space for money along with two zipped compartments. It is so lovely and I can't wait to use it; since it's burgundy it matches so many of my outfits too.


I got a few other little bits but I really wanted to round up some of my favourites - of course, I am super grateful for absolutely everything I receive. I would love to hear what you received in the comments because as I said, I am super nosy!

This time of year I definitely live exclusively in sweaters and jumpers - they are possibly the only good thing about the awful weather right now! Today I decided to round up some of my favourite sweaters right now and show you my must-haves.

I'm not the biggest lover of a full out Christmas jumper but I think that can easily be combatted my getting a jumper with a bit of a festive feel. One of my favourite ways of doing this is the fairisle knit, it seriously screams Christmas to me - especially in festive colours like this ASOS jumper.


The other way I love to feel a little more festive with my jumper or sweater is going for a red. I am currently obsessed with a red jumper from Hollister because it makes me feel so festive, while it's also super super warm. I had to include some red in this edit - one of my favourites is the block red and black sweater from Pull&Bear.

I am such a huge fan of SuperDry's Croyde jumpers, owning a burgundy and a navy already, but I have been on the hunt for the perfect cream jumper and have definitely found it in their range. I'm already obsessed with them because they're so cosy and snug without being too heavy, so I hope this one comes on some kind of offer after Chritmas!


Stripes are always going to make an appearance when it comes to sweaters and me - are we really surprised that I didn't include one, but four striped jumpers in this edit? I'm totally obsessed with this & Other Stories sweater the most - the colours are so in this season and it looks so chic.

SHOP THE EDIT:

I have never been a huge one for jumping on the Black Friday bandwagon, but this year I found a couple of beauty-related deals that were simply too good to resist. Since deals like this are only ever found online, especially on the brand's own store, it took a while for them to arrive and I wanted to try them out properly before I wrote a post about them all, so it has come to only now for me to post this!


I was most excited to make an order at Colourpop; now that the taxes are included in shipping (no more pesky customs fees), I have been waiting for the day that free worldwide shipping has no minimum, and the day finally came on the Tuesday before Black Friday. They only held this offer for 48 hours, and it was towards the end of this time when I noticed so I made an order sharpish.

The first thing I chose was some lipsticks, as their Black Friday week deal was 30% off, making Colourpop's $5-7 lipsticks even cheaper. I picked up one of their liquid lipsticks while I was in New York so I wanted to try their different products, so chose one Lippie Stix and one Lux Lipstick.


The Lippie Stix in the shade Brink had the most amazing colour pay off which meant it lasted a super long time. I'm not over keen on its scent, and you can feel it on your lips for quite a while which can be a little irritating. However, I really do love the shade, a lovely pink toned nude which is really flattering, and the packaging is gorgeous.


Yet the star of the show has to be the Lux Lipstick in the matte shade Money Moves. I adore the packaging of their Lux lipsticks - the bullet even has stars embossed on it, so I was super excited to try one of these. It really didn't disappoint - in fact, it exceeded all expectations. The formula really excited me, it had quite a thin feeling that you can't feel on the lips whatsoever, while the colour is super pretty, a nude that reminds me of MAC Velvet Teddy. This is definitely one I will be getting a lot of wear out of!


I also purchased two of their Supershock eyeshadows, since I own two of these already and love them. However, there was no saving on these at the time - they were full price $5, still amazing for such a pigmented eyeshadow. I firstly chose an Ultra-Glitter shadow in the shade 'Frog', a gorgeous champagne shade with blue and pink glitter in it, giving it a real unique reflex.


I also wanted to try one of their matte eyeshadows and chose Elixir, a gorgeous burnt orange. This is super pretty blended into the crease, it's a real rusty shade that I think, because its border on orange and brown can suit so many different eye looks.


On Black Friday itself, I browsed the Anastasia Beverly Hills website and found some offers way too good to pass up on. A huge selection of their products ranged from 30-50% off, which were huge savings on some of their most iconic products. I was most excited to spot their Contour Kit at 50% off, making it £21 rather than £42. It has been a product I have dreamt about owning for years, yet at £42 I could never justify it, I would rather spend that money on eyeshadow usually. But at £21 it was an absolute no-brainer.


The contour kit was actually smaller than I expected, but includes 6 shades - 3 highlight, 3 contour. I love the fact these are refillable too as there will definitely be some shades I use more than others. I am yet to have a proper play around with all the highlight shades, but I absolutely love the contour shade in the middle, Fawn. It is the absolute perfect matte bronzer, particularly for the colder months, as it is cool toned and also light enough that you can be a bit more heavy-handed, but not too light that it's hard to work with.


Another ABH deal I was excited about was their £15 brow products. A huge lover of their Brow Wiz, I really wanted to go for another brow product, and since this was the most expensive to start off with (£24), and therefore the biggest saving, I chose their duo brow powder in the shade Ebony. It applies super easy like any powder would, and I love the two tones - lighter for the front of the brow, darker for the tail, to really suit your brow and make it look as natural as possible. I do think it's slightly more warm toned than the Ebony Brow Wiz which is something to bear in mind, but it is definitely a product I will get a lot of use out of - I also love the chic packaging.