Budgeting Tips

As a student or anyone on a low wage job it can be difficult to afford such luxuries as rent and food, so it is important to budget your money effectively. It won't work unless you find a method that works for you, so I have included the pros and cons of each tip to make it easier for you to choose one. Let me know if you have any methods that work well for you!

Get a Budgeting Card (Such as a Monzo Card):

This is NOT an ad, I just love Monzo. It allows you to set budgets for each month including a total spend and categories such as groceries, meals out, utilities and shopping. I personally like it because I can transfer a small amount each week to stick to instead of having loads of money at the start of the month and none at the end. The only disadvantage to this method is that you have to pay to get over a certain amount of cash out each month, so if you like to use cash then this is not for you.

Use Cash:

Again this method is great for restricting your weekly spend, but it's is easy to lose cash, you end up with loose change and you can't shop online with it.

Make a Spreadsheet or Write Down Where you Spend Money:

This is good for showing you where your money goes, and therefore identifying where you need to cut down but not so much for restricting your outgoings in the first place. As you personally input the data, it can also be prone to mistakes.

Make a Savings Account:

This can be a good option if you have a student loan, so get most of your money in a lump sum. You can use your savings account to put aside the money you need for rent and bills etc, so you only spend what's left over after that. The problem with this is it may not help you put aside money for things like a food shop, which can vary in price.

Limit Food Shops:

This is more of a way to save money than budget it, but if you buy your food in one go and freeze what you don't need straight away then you won't be tempted to spend a little extra on snacks etc. that you don't need. Similarly, unsubscribe from email lists to avoid temptation, but do subscribe to student discount websites!

Use Prepaid Grocery Cards:

This can be especially good if your parents give you money for uni, as it removes the temptation to spend that money on other stuff.

Like I said, let me know if you have any other ways of budgeting, or saving, as I'm always looking to save money! I hope this post has been helpful to at least some of you.

Avon Beauty Box Review

My Grandma very kindly bought me the Avon Beauty Box this month, and I thought it was brilliant! I hadn't heard of it before so I thought I'd spread the word. I can't find this specific box on their website, but the products are all there individually and other boxes are available for £20. As some of the products are worth £20 on their own this is a fantastic deal so worth checking out! All products were full sized too. *This is not an ad! I just love this!*

The first product in this box was the Eve Duet perfume. It is essentially two perfume bottles with one lid, which sounds a little weird but it works somehow. I love both scents, they're fresh and floral, and slightly fruity. So feminine! It's heavier than most perfumes so it's not great for travel, but other than that I can't fault it. 9/10.

The next item is the night cream. I don't really use night cream, and I don't really understand the difference between the two ends of this so I'm really not the best judge of this product. Also the bottle is inconveniently long. It has a lovely light consistency though! 6/10.

Next in the box was the Mark lipstick in blushing beauty. This lipstick is beautifully smooth and glossy, a gorgeous colour and it stays put without smudging. It's a little more colourful than your average nude but isn't as in your face as a red or bright pink for example. A fab middle ground. 10/10.

There is also a lipstick in the shade Marvelous Mocha. This one is matte and comes in beautiful matte packaging. It is a lovely nude and isn't as drying as some other mattes can be. I would give it 10 but it's not quite as nice as, but very similar to, my MAC Velvet Teddy lipstick. 9/10.

There was also a lipliner from the Avon True collection which goes beautifully with the matte lipstick. Nice smooth application and twist up to avoid the need for sharpening. I really liked this and it looked natural when I slightly overland my lips to give a plumper look. 9/10.

This is what both products together look like:

Next up was the Mark Big & Extreme mascara. It wasn't as lengthening as I usually go for but it was good for volume and wasn't too clumpy. I would recommend this for a more natural look. 7/10.

Next up was the Anew Clinical Lift & Firm Eye Lift System. This pot has two creams in, one for above the eye and one for below. It feels like it's working immediately after putting it on and it seems to have reduced the appearance of my dark circles too. 9/10.

Next in the box was the Mark Gel Shine Nail Enamel. It's a lovely glittery purple colour which is nice for a special occasion or Christmas time! Or any time on your toes to add some sparkle to your life :) It's also nice and fast drying. 9/10.

Last but not least, we have the Mark Gel Top Coat. I haven't had long enough to test this thoroughly, but I like that it's smooth to apply and not sticky like some top coats. 8/10.

Judging by the quality of all of these products, I would definitely recommend any of them! I would also say it's worth checking out some of Avon's other products, I certainly will be :).

Review: Benefit Brow Contour Pro

*Disclaimer: this is not a sponsored post*

You may have seen that Benefit recently released a new four colour eyebrow pencil known as the Brow Contour Pro. It's £28.50, which for me makes this an expensive product. If you feel the same, you may want to read a few reviews before purchasing one so hopefully this will be helpful to you!

I would like to begin by saying that I do like this pencil a lot. It gives off good colour payment, is smooth, easy to apply and twists up so no need to sharpen it. However, I think it does have some key flaws too.

So the idea of the Brow Contour Pro is that there are two shades of brown, a definer and a highlighter in one pencil. This supposedly gives more definition to your eyebrows than just a traditional pencil. While I do think this is true, I don't think that it does to the extent that I'd like it to for the price difference. However, if unlike me, you normally use a mixture of different shades and highlighters then this all in one could be more compact, and even cheaper for you.

Before.

After.

The Contour Pro is shaded to match your skin tone as well as your eyebrow hair colour, so since I am pale and like to shade my brows lighter than they are I went for Blonde, Light. Luckily my eyebrows are quite dark so they look okay with this shade but it is much darker than most blonde pencils I have used. Beware if you don't like dark eyebrows!

Overall I think the quality I have found in some cheaper brands, or even Benefit's other pencils makes this not quite worth the money. However, I do still really like it and if a lighter shade became available I would consider buying it again.

Top Tips for Freshers

Due to transferring universities, I have now been a fresher twice. This means I've picked up a few tips on how to enjoy the experience as much as possible so I thought I'd share my top 10!

1. Don't be afraid to try something new. Join a society or a club that sounds fun, or join a gym, or start a part time job doing something you haven't done before. It can be a great way to make friends but also keep fit, make money or just relax when you've finished your uni work.
2. Don't feel pressured to do anything that makes you uncomfortable. While I'm all for stepping out of your comfort zone to try a new hobby, you shouldn't feel like you have to do anything you really don't want to. I don't drink much, and had been worried that I'd be pushed to at uni, but true friends are respectful of your wishes and will do other things with you.
3. Never walk home by yourself at night!!! I cannot stress this enough! It's so dangerous for men as well as women! Get a bus or a taxi or call a friend.
4. Try to cook properly and exercise regularly. It is so easy to gain weight in first year from all the alcohol and pot noodles and losing it is more difficult than keeping it off in the first place.
5. Budget, budget, budget! It may be a pain but it is honestly so worth it. I use an app called Monzo to keep track of my spending each week/month (not an ad, I just think they're brilliant).
6. Go to your lectures. This may sound either boring or obvious, but the temptation to sleep through a 9am is real and going to them will help you so much with exams/essays and also your work in second and third year.
7. Go to the Freshers Fair. So much free stuff! And a great chance to get information about uni life and societies you can join.
8. Personalise your room! Put up photos, posters, cards and fairy lights to make your room a happy place and hopefully ward off homesickness.
9. Call your family at least once a week. It'll make them happy, I promise.
10. Don't be afraid of speaking out! If you're unhappy or need financial help or just simply want help with an essay, your uni will have someone on hand to help you out.

Most of all, enjoy yourself! You only do uni once (usually) so make the most of it.