#is there anything sexier than pages and pages of budgeting?

[robot-roadtrip-rants]

my feed is full of blueberry fuckers and i aim to please

[khaelisfics]

Classroom War - Chapter 2

Paring: John Smith x Rose Tyler Chapter: 2/? Rating: T Word count: 1900 Tags: Enemies to Lovers, Slow Burn, University AU

Read on AO3

Tagging @doctorroseprompts and @timepetalscollective for the second chapter of this University AU!

He grinned proudly as he tore the cardboard of the parcel he had received on his desk, taking out a heavy book he had ordered. He had spent his own money on something he would never use, just for the sake of retaliation - and because he couldn't wait to see her furious face again. The motivation was clear. Get his revenge for that cheap short she had aimed at him the week before. It was simple, efficient, and not evil enough to risk much more than a glare and another fit of anger. Oh, he couldn't wait.

He tucked his book under his arm and walked out of his office, unable to wipe the smug smile from his features. You’ll get your stupid book, he thought as he walked into one of the humanities corridors that sprouted from the mail hall, greeting a few of his own students on the way. He had never been to her office before - not for lack of interest, because he had wanted to visit her for two years, but for lack of any precise reason that would leave her wondering why he had even bothered when they had a phone and emails. Phone and emails had this one disadvantage he couldn't see her, skirt and high heels and tight blouse, but well. He always managed to find a good spot at the canteen to make up for all those times he didn’t visit her - namely, that one table behind the plastic plant that shielded him from her, but from where he had a very good view of her legs under the table.

He knocked on her door, grinned even brighter when she answered, and stepped into her office with the firm intention to thoroughly enjoy her rage. He was momentarily struck by the size of the office, less than half the size of his, and he realized a lighter budget was not the only bad thing about the humanities. Especially since, being the literary person that she was, piles and piles of books were stacked against the walls, precarious towers that would all tumble down if she picked but one of them.

She was wearing that light pink blouse that day, one of his favourite, and he was disappointed he couldn't see what skirt she had paired it with. No. He wasn't there to watch her legs. Revenge, he remembered.

“Doctor Smith, what can I do for you?” she greeted with a smile, taking off the black glasses perched on the bridge of her nose - he would have liked to tell her to leave them on, because he didn’t think he had seen anything sexier in his whole life, but he managed to keep that thought for himself.

“Doctor Tyler,” he nodded, shutting the door behind him with a kick of his heel. “I got you a little something I thought you might like. Remember that book we, er, argued about last week?”

“Yeah, I do, thanks for reminding me,” she sighed, leaning back in her chair, tucking a temple of her glasses in her cleavage. “So?”

“Well, I kinda felt bad, you know, I got this brand new, amazing centrifuge and you’re left with nothing,” he said - he made sure to sound falsely saddened and offered an ironic smile of compassion. “So, I got you the book.”

“Did you?”

He nodded with a grin, the delighted flutters of thrill blooming in his stomach at her surprise and immediate softening. Oh, she really wanted that book. And she was genuinely happy he had bought it. It made it even better. The downfall would be rough.

“Here it is, new edition and all,” he said, letting the book plop down on the desk, putting its title on prominent display. “Cost me fifty quids, but well, I’ve got a centrifuge worth a few thousands so I thought… You know, consolation prize.”

“It’s in French,” she noted with a frown as she flipped through the pages. “All in French.”

“Oh, is it?”

He faked an outraged gasp, and started to ramble about how it hadn't been made clear enough on the website, and how they would hear about it and he would get his money back because it was unacceptable to pay that much for a few pages in a wrong language. Of course, he was jubilating at her momentary perplexity, but on the inside only. Well, probably a bit on the outside too, because she raised an eyebrow and smiled, the kind of amused smile that had him observe her with a hint of suspicion. She wasn’t disillusioned, like he had hoped she’d be. She looked… Pleased. Now, that wasn’t part of the plan. Something must have gone wrong somewhere.

“Thank you very much, Doctor Smith,” she simply shrugged, shoving the book in a drawer. “That you would go to such extents is proof of your repentance.”

“But it's in French,” he pointed out, frustrated that she wouldn't make any more comments about it when he had expected, and even hoped for a tantrum.

“Yes, it is,” she smiled, slipping her glasses back on the tip of her nose - ah, that looked much better. “Good thing I speak French.”

“You… You do?” he asked as he watched his plan crumble down to ashes along with his confidence.

“Of course I do, majored in French literature, did one of my thesis about Molière. Why the disappointment? At least you didn't spend your money on a silly joke. I can actually use it. Gonna need to do a few extra hours to translate what my student needs, but all in all, this is better than nothing. So, thanks.”

“Oh, good, then, very good,” he could only nod, trying hard not to let the his abatement show on his face. “I could send it back and order the good one, though, I really...”

“Don’t sweat it, Doctor Smith,” she grinned as she handed him a small file of papers. “I know what you wanted to do. Sorry it didn't work.”

“No idea what you're talking about, I just wanted to help you.”

“Right. Now, I have work to do, so…”

He nodded with a sigh of defeat, but it was when he started to turn on his feet that he absent-mindedly read the title written in sharp little letters on the top of file. A title he knew all too well.

“Wait, what's this?” he asked as he sifted through the sheets to make sure it was what he thought it was.

“Your article about nuclear fission in subaquatic rift currents was good, but your whole theory doesn’t look very professional,” she started to explain much too matter-of-factly compared to the scornful twitch that pulled on her lips. “You'll find annotations and corrections. It might be science, but if you can’t spell all your gibberish properly, you won’t get published. You can leave it as it is, of course, but I doubt you'll go far with subacquatick rifts.”

“You went through the trouble of reading my article just to taunt me on stupid grammar?” he huffed, both angry and embarrassed to see so much red painted over the pages.

“Spelling, Doctor Smith. The grammar isn’t that good either, though, you'll find a few notes about that too. Page three, you say one thing and the exact opposite two lines further. It matters when you’re talking about potentially deadly stuff, just saying.”

“This is a paper I am still working on, I typed my notes at two in the morning, okay? How did you even get this, you snoop, I only posted it to my personal drive.”

“And on the staff Intranet. It appeared in the news stream, under the glorious title, hm, what was it? Oh yes, FML this fissions my ass. Thanks for the laugh, by the way.”

“No, I didn’t, I can’t have! It wasn’t even on the page yesterday when I logged in, and the latest news posted dates back to three weeks ago.”

“Don’t get your pink panties in a wad, your ass suffers enough as it is, it seems.”

“Just tell me how you found it, for God’s sake!” he huffed, angrily rolling the file in his fist as if he wanted to whack her head with it.

“The Intranet,” she repeated, undaunted by the way he braced himself against the edge of the desk to bend towards her, menacing and eyes shooting thunderbolts. “I knew you’d posted it by accident, so I saved a copy and deleted the post to spare you the embarrassment. But you know what, you’re right. Not my problem. I’ll just post it again and you can deal with it yourself. Now stop fissioning my own ass with your childish enterprises and go back to your toy to grow your mushrooms. Might want to stop by your computer first, though. People don’t need to know about your current anal health.”

He watched, powerless, her fingers type words he couldn’t read and click several times on her mouse. Surely, she wouldn’t… But then, she cocked her head at him with a bright smile and mouthed a done. Obviously, she would. And she had. Yes, he had been looking for trouble and willingly tugged on the Devil’s tail, but that didn’t prevent anger from boiling in his veins. If anyone else found this article, under that title, he wouldn’t bet much on his reputation for the coming weeks. He’d need to invest in earplugs rather than in books to mute the sneers and laughs that would bury him under mountains of shame.

“Go to Hell, Doctor Tyler,” he seethed, shoving the rumpled sheets in his pocket. “I won’t argue with someone who can’t differentiate between mushrooms and microbiological cultures!”

“Fine, just go, then,” she shrugged as she planted her fingers on her keyboard and waited for him to actually go. “Thanks for the book again, that was very thoughtful of you. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to prepare for my next course. You’re welcome to attend, it’s about latin etymology, you might learn a thing or two about spelling subaquatic.”

“I know how to spell subaquatic, I wrote this in a rush, alright? I just… Nevermind. Have a nice day, Doctor Tyler. Enjoy your stupid book.”

He stormed out of her office before he could drown in her sickening smugness and rushed back to his office, his highest priority now consisting in deleting any trace of the humiliation eulogy this post was. He sat behind his computer and hurried to log in, opened the page he was looking for and scrolled through it to find the subject of the offence. Sure enough, there it was, posted under his name, but it seemed Doctor Tyler had deemed necessary to add an attachment. Introduction to Latin Etymology. He made a face at his screen and erased the article from the database with a few clicks. She was saucy, that woman. He loved it. Still, he would need to up the ante and hit harder if he wanted a chance at winning.

The email bell chimed again. His face blanched as he read the message she had sent him and his hands went to his fly.

I didn’t say pink panties by accident, BTW. Lovely underwear, Doctor Smith. Dr. T.

He zipped up his fly and fell back in his chair with a groan.

[commodorecliche]

hey babe!! I just have a little q for u. Do you have any advice for writing porn/mature scenes into stories? I struggle with this more than anything, and end up making the rest of my piece really awkward trying to write my way around it instead of writing it. Any advice? Sending via ask bc maybe someone else will benefit from my question too.

Woo! I’m finally getting to answer this ask - I’ve been out and about with the fam today. And it was just… not an opportune time to talk about writing about people doin’ the do. But I’m home now and can actually answer this. 

I’m going to put this below a cut, because obviously this is long and NSFW (duh). R18+ below the cut. You’ve been warned! 

Okay so smut can be understandably very difficult to write. From my experience with reading smut, I’ve noticed that the biggest and most glaring issue is that people don’t know how to make it realistic. And ‘realistic’ can refer to a lot of different things: it could be because something is anatomically impossible, it could be because they are over-exaggerating the feelings/sensations descriptions to the point where they are over the top, it could be because the writer is inexperienced and doesn’t know what certain sexual acts entail, it could be because they keep calling a character’s penis their Love Hammer. Staying realistic is accomplished via simplicity: like having the tone of your smut stay in line with the tone of your piece, or maintaining your characters emotional states throughout the sexual experience. But all in all, it’s pretty easy to tell when smut is bad: bad smut just doesn’t feel realistic.

A lot of people’s go-to advice when asked about writing smut is to tell people to go watch porn in order to learn about sex better - but I actually disagree with that tip. I don’t disagree with it from any moral stance or personal preference, either. I like porn. But of course, some porn has it’s moral, feminist, and ethical issues - but those are things that are best left to another post. Porn can certainly been enjoyable and sometimes even helpful. But the reason I would tell most people to just skip trying to learn about smut from porn is because most porn nowadays is astoundingly unrealistic. It’s not made to be informative about sex or how sex works/feels - it’s made to be entertaining to a viewer. And for many people it is. But it isn’t realistic, and a lot of stuff that happens in porn just does not translate well to the page.

If you are curious and feel that something visual would help you get a better understanding of sex, then I would recommend looking up lower budget/amateur level porn. It typically is more realistic as far as the experience of both partners goes.

But aside from that, something that will really help you better understand writing smut?: go read smut. Go find smut that you LIKE. Read a bunch of smut.  Take notes about it. Find smut that sounds AWFUL to you. Find smut that sounds AMAZING to you. Find smut that turns you on. If it turns you on, or makes you feel emotional, then odds are it’s good smut. Naturally, everyone has their preferences as to what they like in smut, but it’s pretty easy to spot bad smut. (I’ll get to that a bit later)

Okay, Lindsey, so how do I understand smut better to WRITE it?

1) Understand the tone of your piece.Tone: The tone of your fic as a whole needs to match the tone of your smut. For example, if you are writing a fic that is heavily emotional, where the focus is mostly on their first time together, or on their emotions/feelings, then suddenly tossing in a nasty, kinky, graphic sex session to top it all off is going to ultimately feel out of place tonally. (That isn’t to say that situation CAN’T be executed well, but it takes skill. But if you’ve got a fic where characters are… learning about their feelings for each other, waxing poetic about how much they mean to each other, being sappy and emotional together, and then toss in a “OH, FIST ME DADDY” scene, it’s gunna feel… off.)

2) Understand the characters you’re writing.Characters: Understand the characters you’re working with. Whether these are your own characters or someone else’s characters (fanfic), you need to examine the personalities that have been crafted for them. Are they a character who would become deeply emotionally involved with someone? Are they a character who is emotional, but also very physical? Are they a character who is reserved/shy sexually? How experienced are they in bed? If they are experienced, then what kind of experiences have they had before? Etc. Because your understanding of a character is how you are going to want to portray them in bed. If they are a shy, inexperienced virgin, guess what? They probably won’t be rushing to swallow a cock. And they sure as heck aren’t gunna be taking a dick the size of a baseball bat up their tush immediately.  Build up to it, make the smut work with their characterizations. 

3) Understand the nature of the relationship you’re writing.Nature of the relationship: This goes along with the previous point, but what kind of relationship do these two characters have? If they are getting together for the first time, have they been friends since they were kids and are deeply emotionally invested in each other? Is this a casual hookup? Are they in love? Have they had sex before and are just now realizing they want to have something more serious together? Have they been in a long term relationship for years and are intimately familiar with each other? Are they sexual strangers? Is this a case of “love/lust at first sight”? Is this relationship meant to last? Etc.

4) Understand what kind of sexual encounter you’re writing.Nature of the sexual encounter: What kind of encounter is this? Are these two characters in a relationship and unable to contain their desire for each other? Are they having a sordid quickie in the bathroom at a party? Are they having soft, slow, meaningful sex together in the quiet of a bedroom? Is this the first time they’ve ever met? First time they’ve slept together even if they already know each other? Are they nervous? Are they desperate and hungry for each other and frantic to have each other? You can make any of these work with any kind of relationship, btw:

“These characters meant for this to be a casual hookup, but they accidentally got a little too emotionally invested".“These two characters have been together for years, they adore each other, and they love to experiment with each other sexually, so sure honey, get that fist up in there.“ “These characters have been pining over each other and are finally getting together.” etc. 

You can have a lot of fun with smut, you just have to figure out what kind of smut you’re wanting to portray. And a lot of that is going to depend on the points above.

Okay, Lindsey, that’s super. I’ve got a grasp of all that stuff, but it still feels clunky! What would making actually WRITING the smut easier?

1) Learn. Anatomy. And learn about sexual acts. Don’t be afraid to look up blowjob tips or look up guides on how to rim/eat out/finger somebody effectively. Go read people’s personal accounts of sexual experiences. Go read comments where people talk about what they like in bed. It’s super helpful.

2) For the love of god, avoid as many ridiculous euphemisms as you can. Think of sex in a much more grounded sense - don’t think of it in metaphorical terms. Some subsitution words are okay, obviously. A penis can be a dick or cock, sometimes even a member, but even that sounds a bit ridiculous sometimes. A hole can be an entrance, a rim, etc… But for the love of god, avoid nonsensical euphemisms. I have seen smut that legitimately, without any hint of irony, called a penis a “meatstick”. Meatstick is not sexy. If you were in bed with someone, and they said “Oh yeah, baby, you like my meatstick?”, you would laugh your ass right off that bed. You would laugh your ass all the way back to your house after you left that moron naked and alone in their bed. Nobody is in bed and thinks to themselves “god this meathammer sure is just the bees-knees”. Sex is sexy! You don’t need to dress it up with ridiculous euphemisms. You don’t need to call a dick a meathammer to make it sexier. Call a dick a dick. Call a pussy a pussy. Call a clit a clit. Call an asshole a hole.  

(**Note: I am speaking from a cis perspective about this. Writing trans characters in sexual situations is something that I feel a trans individual should advise, rather than me. I do not feel it would be right for me to try to offer advice about how one should or should not refer to sexual organs when it comes to a trans or nonbinary perspective, as that is not a perspective that I have experienced. (This is especially important I think regarding body dysphoria; I want trans individuals to have THEIR say about what is or isn’t appropriate as far as genital descriptions. And this may come down to personal preference, like a lot of smut.)  If any trans individuals would like to weigh in on this or offer advice, please feel free to comment! But… I still stand by my assertion that you should never in a million years call a penis a meathammer.**)

3) Don’t forget that sex can range from strictly physical, to strictly emotional, to a mixture of both. And depending on the tone you want to set, you should pick what kind of range you’re working with. If it’s more physical than emotional, try to focus on the physical aspects of it - what are they physical sensations? If it is more emotional, then show how the character is feeling as the actions take place. Most of the time, you’ll be working with a mix of physicality and emotionality. And even strictly physical sex can have emotional sensations (happiness, euphoria, frustration, etc…) Tell us the actions that are happening, of course, but don’t forget to show us how the characters feel about them too.

4) Foreplay, foreplay, foreplay. Even if this is a one night stand, foreplay is a must. Jumping straight into the sex can be wholly unsatisfying for both parties. Let them kiss - let them bite each others’ necks. Let them suck hickies into each others’ skin. Let them touch, let them tease. Nibble ears, play with nipples, dig fingers into hipbones, grind pelvises against thighs in desperation. Let them be hungry for each other. Like someone once told me: If this sexual encounter isn’t a “hit-it-and-quit-it” situation, don’t treat it like one.

5) Avoid too much dialogue - especially lengthy dialogue. Once sex starts happening, your characters likely won’t be having lengthy conversations about the meaning of life, ya know? Dialogue can certainly happen, but it’s not like a normal conversation. It’s breathy, it’s strained, it’s needy, it’s curt. It’s filled with moans and whimpers and uneven breaths. 

If it’s desperate/quick/needy sex, keep your speech curt and to the point: “Yes”, “God, fuck”, “Please”, “You like that?”, “More”. If it’s more relaxed/emotional sex, your speech can be a little lengthier, but not by much: “You’re so beautiful”, “God, I love you”, “I’ve missed you so much”, “Tell me you love me”, “Please, I want you”, “It’s okay”, “Kiss me”, “God, you feel so fucking good” (PS, don’t be afraid to let them swear).

6) Focus on the big picture - don’t just focus on the actions, or even just the emotions. What sounds are they making? How are they breathing? Are they nervous and whimpery? Are they aggressively desperate and growling with need? Do they moan? Is it hot in the room? Are they above the covers? Under them? Do they hiss when they’re touched? Are they breathless? Do they bite and kiss and lick? Do they rake nails down each others’ backs? Give us a whole picture. (And as with any writing: SHOW DON’T TELL. Don’t say “He breathed rapidly”, say “He panted” instead.) Paint us a picture, give us a scene to visualize.

7) Think about what YOU enjoy. Seriously. If you’re ever in doubt about whether or not something sounds sexy, or if it would feel good or not, think about your own sexual experiences and about what you like. Whether you’ve been with a partner or just on your own, or even just remembering your own fantasies. You likely understand sex and sexual sensations more than you think you do. If you ever are unsure, think of your own feelings, your own emotions, and your own sensations. It can really help.

Got any examples, Lindsey?

Making smut sound realistic takes some skill, but of course, like with any skill it just takes practice. The more you write it, the easier and more natural it will be. And the better you understand sex (whether from experience, observation, reading, etc…), the more easily you’ll write sex. Below, are two examples: one is an example of “do” (using a snippet from one of my own works, hopefully that isn’t too... idk, pretentious? it’s what i had on hand lol) and an example of “don’t” (using a notoriously bad, published erotica scene).

Do:

Shiro presses down into him, body rolling against his - fluid and pliant and wanting, going wherever Keith would have him go. He only moves away when Keith ushers him to do so. Nimble, determined fingers push at the waistband of Shiro’s pants, urging them down as best he can. Shiro understands - he’d have to be a fool not to - and he leans up, ridding himself of his pants and briefs as Keith unbuckles his own and does the same.

They’re naked now and Keith’s body feels the same as it always has. Shiro finds comfort in the familiarity. He eases between Keith’s legs once more, folding himself down close, his elbows resting at either side of Keith’s head. He cages him, encases him, guards him off from the world, lowering his mouth to Keith’s with a gentle roll of his hips.(from my fic, “Coherence”, there is more smut in there if you want to see more of how I write it, this is just a little snippet)

(for the love of god) Don’t:

He came again so hard that his dick wrenched out of her hand and a shot of it hit him straight in the eye and stung like nothing he’d ever had in there, and he yelled with the pain, but the yell could have been anything, and as she grabbed at his dick, which was leaping around like a shower dropped in an empty bath, she scratched his back deeply with the nails of both hands and he shot three more times, in thick stripes on her chest. Like Zorro.(from “Winkler” by Giles Coren)

Takeaways: 

- Don’t be afraid to research- Don’t be afraid to talk about how things feel- Don’t be afraid to talk about what things/characters are doing- Don’t be afraid to emulate your own experiences- Don’t be afraid to show the physicality of it- Don’t be afraid to show the emotional aspects of it- Stay grounded, stay realistic

So yeah, that got a lot longer than I meant for it to be, but I hope that this was at least somewhat helpful! If any of y'all have any specific questions/concerns that I didn’t address here, please feel free to reply/message/inbox me and I’ll do my best to answer!

Thanks for taking the time to read this monster-length wall of text, too… I hope it helps!! 

[stylionable]

As with the beginning of a new year there should be some new posts and after seeing everyone doing favourites on Instagram and YouTube I wanted to follow this particular trend down this alleyway, as I think it will be immesurably useful to have something to look back on when it comes to products, clothing items and other little details. Also, I feel like this year I finally have my life together a bit moreand after trialing a lot of things over the last couple of years at university, I can definitely say with more confidence what I like and what I don’t.

As I am going to a wedding for the next week I didn’t want to leave this January favourites too late (I know, it’s already the middle of February and before long I will be posting the February one too) but I say- better late than not at all!

Toeing that fine line between expenses and savings, these items have now got me through a whole month on a reasonalby minimalist budget, especially considering how many of the items on this list are multi-functional and long-lasting, which is essential when 1) you are a student trying to get savings together for your first year of work/Masters and 2) it’s so cold in Durham and no amount of ginger tea will warm you up from the inside, meaning you have to hide yourself in layers upon layers of clothes. Either way, I am rambling.

Without further ado, here are my January Favourites 2018:

1. Davines Dry Texturiser, £19.95

I love the brand Davines so much it physically hurt when I ran out of their Nounou tomato extract hair conditioner from my Liberty beauty box last year. As the box was a gift, I felt like it had been a reasonable purchase, with a ridiculous amount of amazing products featured inside, which is another reason I am sad that they either didn’t do one this year or I missed out without knowing it. That Davines conditioner that I used like a hair mask was a real revelation, not only because it smelt amazing but becuase I had very brittle hair at the time and it provided the perfect hit of moisture that it so desperately needed.

Anyway, back to the texturiser. As again with the issue of money, I very rarely get my hair cut, as I usually snip the ends away at home and then go once or twice a year for a proper, big cut where the hairdresser does her magic and restores my hair back to some level of normalcy. This time, the lovely Mihaela from Taylor Taylor at Liberty’s London used this spray/texturiser-in-a-bottle/dry shampoo on my unreasonably fine and flat hair, and boy, did it look amazing! I hate dry shampoo’s for their white powder residue and texturisers are usually either too sticky or too drying, so this spray was a revelation, I really cannot get enough of it.

Used veeeery sparingly, I am hoping it will last me at least half a year.

2. Penhaligon’s Portraits: The Bewitching Jasmine, £185

I don’t wear perfume very often. Now this may not be the best advertisement for the second item in my favourites for January, as it is a perfume, and a very expensive one at that! I find most scents don’t have enough staying power, with the complexity of the scent being overpowered by flat notes of musk, amber or flowery rose, which I am not going to lie- I hate. After my love affair with beautiful candles like the Diptyque Feu de Bois, I was looking for a scent that would have the similar layered quality of deep, spiced, rich notes that would unfold as you wear it throughout the day like a flower.

Now I love the traditional, old Victorian feel of London around Old Bond Street and the Burlington Arcade. Nothing makes me happier than window-shopping in that tiny covered walkway among old-fashioned, luxurious cashmere shops and vintage jewellery stores with Lalique icons displayed in their windows (I even wrote about it here!).

Each time that I head down to London I walk down here, usually stopping by Penhaligon’s like a pauper to pick up one of the scented napkins that they leave out on a silver stand outside the shop, filling the whole walkway with the most intriguing array of perfume scents. While I was there in December for Christmas shopping, the Burlington Arcade was packed, filled with eager and frantic Christmas shoppers. And Penhaligon’s was having a sale!

So in we went, and at an absolute steal got this beautiful scent in the unique cat-head bottle. The scent is very gentle at first, with the stronger, fiercer notes of sharp coffee and spice coming out later before evening out and spreading into a perfect aureole of mystery. The head note is Jasmine, then the heart is Incense and the base note is Oud. I would highly reccomend this for people who like the scent of spiced winter candles, but want a more harmonious scent that will sink into the skin. i think this will be an amazing contrst on skin in the summer as well… We shall see!

For something even sexier, pick Clandestine Clara, another one of the fragrances that I received as a sample with the purchase.

3. Alaska Bear Eye Mask, £10

This is the second one of these I have purchased, with the beautiful navy stripe design perfect for my boyfriend (I have one in black). I have been looking for a large, blackout eye mask that would be ideal for travel for a veeery long time. I have been using the free eye masks that you get on some of the longer flights, but the elastic at the back had gone completely and it had become such a chore to wear. Most silk eye masks are ridiculously expensive and not always completely blocking out the light, which can be very troublesome on 6hrs+ flights. I think I have quite an awkwardly shaped nose, and most eye masks seem to expose the inner corners next to the nose quite a lot, which means that I can always see through the side (I find this very annoying on long flights especially when I finally manage to get to sleep but the airplane lights come on).

So after reading a LOT of reviews on the best eyemasks and where to get them, I shot my blind faith into the dark for this Alaska Bear eye mask that came with high reccomendations from customers on Amazon. Oh my god, this has got to be the most perfect eye mask created. Unbearably soft and smooth with delicate piping around the outside and a thick elastic at the back (adjustable), it is exactly large enough to cover the whole eye area and sits snugly around my nose without exerting too much pressure. It is reasonably affordable, looks very stylish and originally came in a little pouch that you can put it into for travel, so on my list, it ticks every box. Cannot recommend this enough!

4. The Ordinary Serum Foundation in 1.1 N( Fair), £5.70

I don’t like many foundations as I find that they all get very drying on my face during the day, with creases around my nose and under my eyes, which is just not a great effect. They also make me look very washed out, which I hate, which usually means that I skip out on foundation and only use concealer in problem areas (the Maybelline Eraser Eye in Light is pretty great).

However, as I have been using The Ordinary’s Hyaluronic Acid and Retinol since last summer, and now their Buffet serum, their foundation range looked very promising, and at close to £6, it was the cheapest foundation I could find anywhere (which may have been the number one reason I got it). The formula is very liquid and it buffs out beautifully with a foundation brush, leaving a smooth, glowing complexion you can be proud of. So far, I think I have used about a quarter of a bottle over regular use every day, so it goes a long way as well!

5. H&M Knitted Polo Neck Grey Jumper, £24.99

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

All of those pictures of grey jumpers on my Pinterest finally pushed me over the edge to buy one in January from H&M. This has got to be the perfect oversize throw-on that goes with anything, as I have worn it mutliple times with dark wash jeans, black leggings from the Girlfriend Collective (pictured) and black skirts and boots when I am feeling a bit more fancy. It has a structured polo neck, with piping across the front that adds to the graphic appeal of the oversize cuffs. I have worn this jumper more times than anything else in my wardrobe, so I definitely think it deserves an honourable mention in my favourites.

However, I do think it has sold out in the UK, as I was only able to find images of it from H&M Kuwait, but there are still some amazing grey jumpers available in their collection. I will put all of these in this post, so just click through for the photos and links.

6. Glossier Cloud Paint in Puff, £15

With Glossier launching their UK delivery option some time ago, it has been my mission to try some of their most hyped products, and as I finished my favourite powder blusher about a month ago, I wanted to try something more natural in a cream/gel formula that would give me that flushed look without caking on too much product on my face. Clean and glowing is the look for 2018, and Glossier is leading that particular battle cry more than any other brand on the market.

The formulation is perfect, instantly blendable and perfectly rosy, without going overboard on the colour pay-off, making sure that you always have the right amount on. The cute paint tube shape is great for travel as well and I think this will definitely last me at least another 6 months, so Cloud Paint definitely aims high for the price to product ratio.

Next to try will be the Milky Jelly Cleanser and Boy Brow, but who knows when I will be able to afford and try those!

7. Audible (‘Little Black Book’ by Otega Uwagba), FREE

I have been saving up Audible credits like crazy since last year, and I finally bit the bullet and purchased some of those awesome books that have been floating about on my ‘To-Read’ list for quite a while now. With great book recommendations from the Anna Edit, Estée Lalonde and Elle magazine’s monthly books, my list has been steadily growing, but with all of my reading for my lectures and seminars I was simply too tired to focus on another page.

I remembered I had the Audible credits in the first eek of January, and Otega Uwagba’s Little Black Book was the topmost book on my list, as it covered everything to do with life, organisation, self-employment and most importantly, managing money.

I have only just realised how moeny-focused this favourites is, so, apologies everyone for being so penny-aware, but as a student, every pound has to be accounted for on a day-to-day basis.

The book related well to young 20-something’s going through life transitions that may make them feel overwhelmed, something that I am sure a lot of female students struggle with. I am happy to say that with this book, all of my commutes to university have become all the more productive, and my eekly to-do lists on Evernote have become more organised and efficient, meaning that I am finally on top of all my university work, correspondence and chores.

That is it!

All of my favourite for this month, with links to all of them above. I hope that you will aos find these useful as I would personally recommend all of these to anyone I know.

January Favourites As with the beginning of a new year there should be some new posts and after seeing everyone doing favourites on Instagram and YouTube I wanted to follow this particular trend down this alleyway, as I think it will be immesurably useful to have something to look back on when it comes to products, clothing items and other little details.