Tuesday 2 December 2014

Fearne Cotton Nail Varnish ǀ Review

For me, and I am sure that this is the case for many other people, doing your nails can more than often feel like a bit of a chore. It is irritating sometimes, that nails can be such a significant part of your appearance and are now an important consideration when aiming to presenting yourself for a party, interview or really any formal situation. I love to have my nails looking pretty but I rarely have the time or the patience for it. Usually I get most impatient when I can't pull up my tights for twenty minutes and then I begin to question whether it is worth it at all.

Unlike so many of the other drugstore nail varnishes I have trailed, Fearne Cotton's is my favourite, purely because I find it so much less hassle to apply. There is no major, stand-out difference between this nail varnish and others, however I do find that very few coats are needed in order for the colour to be bright and opaque. The thicker brushes from each bottle spread out nicely so the nail is coated quickly and easily. It also has a short drying time.

One thing I do admire is the shades. They are each so different to the next so within each set you get a variety, some shimmery and the rest block colours. I found that the shimmery ones were a little less effortless to apply than the others but required more coats. I do find them to look pretty once done though, the way they reflect the light is very eye-catching. Personally, I would say they are worth the price if you are looking for a nice addition to your nail varnish collection or even for a gift for someone else.






Tuesday 25 November 2014

How to: Take Good Pictures



Since starting this blog I have noticed that I've been carrying my camera around pretty much everywhere. Therefore, I have gotten a lot more practice than usual recently at taking photos. I went on a photography course once and I remember hearing very little besides the words "aperture" and "shutter speed" which the one day course did not allow enough time to cover entirely and anyway, I do not believe you have to have in depth knowledge on these terms in order be a good photographer. I definitely am not a fantastic one myself ('photographer' and 'Keating' have probably never even been said in the same sentence before) but I have managed use my photos in order to run a blog and I feel like I could offer tips I have learnt so far, despite lacking some more technical knowledge and especially if you are just beginning or wanting to write a blog yourself. I know there are people out there on the internet that can say all these things and more in a lot more detail but this may hopefully be able to fill in a few gaps for you.

The first thing I would recommend would be that you got to know your camera. This just means practice more frequently and experiment with the different settings. Try to take the same photo in different modes to see which one works best for which job. Soon after doing this you will be able to asses a situation and know almost instantly which is best for the shot you want. Take pictures both indoors and outside and look at the difference in lighting. Lighting is also a very significant factor which has potential to determine whether the photo you take will be what you want it to be. You need to experiment also with that, where lighting can't be changed your angle could be.

There are lots of different cameras so you just have to test out your own and make the best with what you've got. Sometimes however, you are only as good as your camera and there can be limitations but that is no reason to give up just yet. You can see in the pictures below how your settings and angles can have an effect. The photos on the left are me just picking up my camera and taking a photo of what I saw, the photos on the right are taken after reconsidering my settings or my angle.



For example through experimenting, I know that with my camera to get a blurry background and an object of focus, you have to stand further back and zoom in. Don't be ashamed to use auto-mode either. Admittedly, a lot of the time it knows what it is doing better than I do. When capturing fast moving things you are only going to get that shot once so don't waste it trying to get the right setting, just go for it!

This next bit is a really important trick that, shockingly, not many people point out to you when you are first starting. Your brain likes to see things in thirds. This means that when looking through the screen of your camera, in your mind you need to divide the image you see both vertically and horizontally. Many people do this naturally but it helps if you recognise what you are doing.

You use two imaginary lines to split up the image horizontally into three different sections like the example below. You can see here that each section looks different. It has a different shape, colour, distance and focus. You don't need to consider all these factors when taking pictures, just a few or even one at a time will do.


Still considering the horizontal lines, you need to introduce your imaginary vertical lines. It follows the same rules. This is a good example because it demonstrates how it is not necessary to have a very obvious or noticeable difference between the thirds. I have kept it very simple here so only the shape of the wave divides the image.


Some cameras do have grids to help you do this. It can be overwhelming to try and figure out how to ensure each box has different content. You don't need to do that at all in order to achieve your perfect photo. The differences can be very subtle. Just think about the lines as being horizontal or vertical to keep it simple and organised in your mind.


Don't worry if you don't get the photo you want on your first take, I normally take a few and decide which I like best. It can take a while for you to adjust to seeing pictures this way but practice is all that is needed in that situation.

My Final piece of advice is to try and take pictures people are interested in, things that you don't usually see in real life. For example the picture above shows an angle you would not usually view the sea from and with lots of extra detail that you are never able to see in real life. People also like to see photos of you and what you are getting up to, or sometimes photos that would inspire them and give them ideas. If you think about it those are probably the main reasons that Instagram and Pinterest are so successful. You just have to keep people interested. Good luck!

Friday 14 November 2014

Charlie Pink ǀ Review

I'll be honest and say from the beginning that this isn't a brand I would have chosen to buy myself. I got this as a gift and surprised myself when I grew to really love it. Not only does it look very cute, with sequined print and pink colours, the contents of the gift set are actually very nice. I particularly love the nail varnish as it has this gorgeous hot pink colour. I will be wearing that, maybe more in the summer than right now, but it is definitely something I will come back to when the weather heats up a little. The two other things (the spray and the perfume) are just as good. They are simply useful to keep in your handbag to prepare you for various possible situations.


Monday 15 September 2014

Mostar ǀ 2014

I feel like I should probably show a little more dedication to this blog and perhaps maybe even begin to actually write on here frequently. Here's my first attempt to blog about Mostar. Mostar was one of the main places that stood out as somewhere new this summer. Usually, as a family of five with a dog, we go on a road trip each year and inevitably each year we end up in a new city. This year Mostar in particular became a city I that I decided I wanted to post about. Despite only staying there a short while, it became one of the highlights for me for many reasons, particularly the history and the people. I tried to make each photo an honest reflection of the sights I encountered and of the city as a whole.



Wednesday 30 July 2014

Summer Holiday ǀ 2014

If someone asked me my opinion on the place that most resembles paradise I would say Croatia. It fulfills my summer checklist entirely and ensures that my holiday consists of sun, sea and water sports. For the last ten years it has been the destination at the end of a crazy road trip for me and my sisters. I always have an annoying amount of photos to post on Instagram so I thought I should start uploading them elsewhere. Consequentially, these are some of my favourites from this summer.