Taking the Plunge in to YouTube| It's Carenza B

Hello,
So as the summer holidays fast approaches, plans and daydreams begin to formulate and one thing that has been on my mind (other than my killer amount of work to do) is starting a YouTube channel. I have always admired the people have YouTube channels, especially those who are still in full time education like myself. However, I am that person who if they don't like what they are doing will just give it up. I feel like if I had a YouTube channel it would coincide nicely with my blog.

Also, because I will have no school for 7 weeks (woohoo!) means I could do a weekly vlog series, which some of you may be interested in. When I started this blog back in early June, I started it to share my opinions with the internet, particularly about books and beauty and bits n bobs (originally I was going to called my blog B is for... because it was the letter the three things I wanted to focus on and also the first letter of my surname), so if I had a YouTube channel I could give you guys even more content.

I feel like this time I could put even more effort in and will try, last time I had a YouTube channel (which has been deleted) I just didn't try and my content was boring. I want to be able to interact with you guys and YouTube makes that possible (most social media allows you to do that). I believe that a blog allows you to get to know the writer through the writing style however with YouTube you can put that style with a face and a personality.

I  have been watching lots of book based YouTubers, especially A Book Utopia and Benjaminoftomes  and they have inspired me. I almost always find myself subconsciously planning video ideas. I feel like I just need to man up and do it as I loved filming my videos when I had my old channel.

So, sorry that this blog is a bit rambly and boring but this was something I needed to get of my chest and I just wanted to ask other peoples opinion!
Carenza B
x

How to: Travel in Style and be Sensible| It's Carenza B

Hello!
So recently I went to London for a day trip with my family, and I realised that I wasn't the most sensible of travellers. I would describe myself as the queen of overpacking. Seriously, my bag is the embodiment of the Tardis. So while on the train journey back home, I thought I'd write a blog post about travel tips. Now for a quick disclaimer, this tips might just be tips that work for me so please don't go crazy in the comments if you've never heard of these and if you disagree with me.
So lets get started!

Take a reasonable sized bag:

So when you've been travelling and on the move all day, the last thing you want is to be carrying a massive mountaineering sized backpack. I'd advise you to take either a medium sized handbag or backpack. The bag I took was the Zara Shopper Bag in black.

This is your average shopper bag and I would say is a solid staple for a traveller. It has one big compartment with two small pockets and on the outside has two pockets that shut with poppers. I like this bag as it fits all my stuff and is fairly secure but the outside pockets are useless as you can't really put much in and if you do they don't shut.

 (This is the bag filled with things I took with me to show you how much it can hold)

(Sorry for my body spray and deodorant making a cameo, I need something to hold the bag up!)

Secondly, the large strap is very thin and can hurt the shoulder. Personally, I would recommend taking some kind of backpack as then you can balance the weight on both shoulders. 

Take only what you need: 

Like I mentioned in the opening paragraph, this is something I fail at. When you are rushing to catch a train you don't want to be carrying the equivalent of a 10 tonne bolder in your bag. I would say my essentials are my phone and iPod with headphones. When I am sleeping the headphones I use are the my sleep phones which are brilliantly nicknamed pajamas for your ears

They are super comfy and fit really snugly, they also double up as a sleep mask. Another great thing up about them is that they roll up and take up barely any space but be careful as this sometimes makes the connection dodgey. The only bad thing about them is that everyone around you can hear your music but when your on a train or plane, no one really cares. 

Another thing I regarded as an essential is to have everything I need in a emergency or just-in-case in one place, so for this I have my trusty little black bag.

I don't know where this comes from but you could use any old spare makeup bag so long as it isn't too big. In my little black bag I keep...

So I'll do a small summary for each of the products so that this part isn't the equivalent of War and Peace!

Body Shop nail file- this is something I recently added as I bite my nails, safe to say this product is fairly safe explanatory. Just a quick heads up, the link for the nail file isn't the one I have as I got mine in their advent calendar for 2014 

Piriteze allergy tablets - these are the non-drowsy version and are a summer staple for me as I get bad hayfever and am allergic to grass. I carry them with me incase I forget to take them.

Strawberry Hand Cream- again, another product from the Body Shop advent calendar. I use this after using my hand sanitizer to stop them from being sticky.

Halls Soothers- a staple for me all year round as I talk a lot and am a singer, I need to take care of my throat so I always have some on me.

Kleenex Tissues- these are to go with the hayfever tablets and plus you never know when you're going to need a tissue.

Soap and Glory Hand Maid- this is for the times when you are rushing and don't have time to wash your hands. Also when you're rushing around, you're bound to pick up some germs. It's also good if you are eating on the go and don't want to get dirt on your food.

Baby Lips Peach Kiss- not only does this keep your lips nice and moisturised, it's a very pretty shimmery nude colour. Perfect for summer and smells edible.

Nasal Stick- this is for the days when I am feeling blocked up and this helps me feel unblocked.

Halo Fragrance Free Facial Wipes- these were in the June edition of Glossybox: which if you want me to write a review, I will. But back to the point, these are to take make-up and are in a handy travel size, I haven't used these yet so I will let you know what I think.

Lemsip Cold and Flu tablets- I only ever take this when I have a cold, self-explanatory. These are handy as with the sachet ones you can't make them on the go.

Wet Ones Antibacterial Wipes- I have these in case I don't want or have time to use the Hand Maid.

Hair Grips- I don't have to say much about this, these are just standard hair grips.

Tic Tacs- I have a mini pack of Tic Tacs to keep my breath minty fresh, plus it's super cute and handy.

Next, I have two wallets. This may seem weird but I was in London and I didn't want to get out my big purse with my cards in as London is famous for it's pickpockets. The smaller one has my oyster card in whereas the other just has the rest of my cards. The larger one is from Amazon.

   And finally, I have my phone case- which by the way, isn't it adorable? I definitely need to name, comment down below what I should call my little phone case. I recommend you get a case like this as it protects your tech and is padded which prevents them from getting scratched. It has a little pouch which I either keep my normal headphones in or my camera battery in.

Wear minimal or no makeup

When I am travelling, I usually never wear makeup but I usually carry some with me. I recommend you don't  wear any as travelling isn't something you need to look pretty about. Also you don't want to spend 30 minuets painstakingly applying it and then to rub your eyes and ruin it- trust me this has happened to me lots. I take with me ...

 Body Shop Mini Brush Kit- I take this for the mini concealer brush and also in case I have other makeup with me. It has four mini brushes which are Blusher brush, Eyeshadow brush, Slanted brush and Lip/concealer brush. It retails at £13.50, which is a bit pricey but because it's from the body shop  I don't care.

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in Fair- although lots of beauty bloggers regard this as a holy grail, I don't rate it that highly but for all I know I could be using it wrong- I am in no way an expert in these things. I use this over my No7 concealer to brighten my eyes.

No7 Match Made Concealer in Calico- I prefer this to the other concealer as it does the job a lot better although this is the more pricey option it's worth the money. To apply it, I use the No7 Concealer Brush  as it gets right in the creases.

Sleek Full Fat Lash Mascara in Black- this mascara is one of my favourite mascaras of all time as it makes my eyelashes look large and opens them up so much, although I have never tried the Benefit Roller Lash I would say it was a cheaper dupe, but that's just me.

No7 Lip Crayon in Daydream- this is a shiny pink-nude and I took it because it is my favourite lip product. It's easy to apply and just gives you a nice coverage.

Be Organised  

This is probably the most important tip I have told you so far. But there are several steps to this tip.

Step One- Pack before you go:

The last thing you want to do on the night/morning before you leave is run round getting your bag together. So before you leave, get everything together and then in the morning you won't feel stressed.

Step Two- Plan your outfit the night or morning before:

Again, like the previous step you don't want to spend ages picking the perfect outfit. My advice is wear basic clothing. When I went to London I wore some plain black high-waisted skinny jeans, my converse, a black hoodie and a salmon pink t-shirt from the brand Mango.

Step Three- If you are going for more than a day, get a guide book and a filofax.

  This helped me so much as it had a map for the Tube (the underground train system in London) and is travel sized. My filofax is something I can't live without, I have become so much more organised and time efficient. It allows me to have everything I need in one place.

So those are my tips! Few, that was an almighty long post. Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Carenza x

All photos are my own and are taken on a Canon Powershot SX500IS 

     

 

Saying Hello and a Friendly Introduction| It's Carenza B

Hello!
So for the fourth time I am going to try and write a blog. If you are wondering, I have deleted my other blogs so yeah. I have always found the idea of keeping one appealing as I believe that I am quite a creative person, but that's just me. But a couple of things put me of starting this blog and why I deleted my other blogs. Firstly, the commitment: I am currently still in education (not going to say what year just yet as this is my first post, but if you want to know more about me stick around) which means I am very busy and don't always post regularly which makes it difficult. I use to feel like when I didn't post I was letting my audience down (i.e. me and my friends and family). Secondly, the internet can be quite a negative place and around a year ago I experienced this first hand which put me off for nearly a year. I won't go into detail just yet, but that may be a post that comes up in the future.

But now on to something a lot more cheerful than the ever so slightly depressing paragraph above and get on to the post. So for something basic and so you can get to know me better, I thought I'd start with ten facts about me, here we go:

Number one: My name is Carenza, pronounced k-ren-za- fun fact although my name comes from Cornwall (but spelt with a K), in Italian and Latin my name means deficiency. So if I ever went to Italy, I'd have to change my name. If you are wondering why I am named Carenza, I am named after an archaeologist from a programme called Time Team which was popular in the 90's (which was before I was born)
Number two: When I went to see the Fault in Our Stars movie last year with a friend, I was one of the few people who didn't cry and there were some men who were A LOT older than me who were crying. Don't get me wrong, I love the book it's amazing and written really well but the movie IN MY OPINION ruined it for me.
Number three: I am extremely clumsy. No jokes. End of story. Want an example? I once fell over something that I wasn't standing near. I am very bad a judging distance. Something must be wrong with me.
Number four: I love cats. I have my own cat called Mackenzie or Mac for short. They are just so friggin cute. I am so glad my parents and I decided to get a cat- okay it was a birthday present but me and my love him to pieces. 
Number five: I would say that I am a big reader. Books have always been a passion of mine and coming from a family of bookworms meant that my passion is pushed even further. I am currently reading The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, for the seventh or eighth time and Mr Norrell and Jonathan Strange by Susanna Clarke after seeing the tv series.
Number six: I am a stationery hoarder. I love making my notes colourful and pretty and doodling. Also when I am doing the occasional diy, they come in handy.
Number seven: Apart from a Nintendo DS that I got when I was nine, I have never owned a games console. Personally, I don't find them interesting. I'd rather read a good old book. The only reason I got my Nintendo so I could use it for educational persons.
Number eight: I am a very cultural person. Often, at weekends my and my family can be found in an art gallery, a theatre or in some abandoned ruined castle or historical place.
Number nine: I am an only child. You could say that this is good or bad but I like it as I think I would be an awful sister.
Number ten: I am addicted to musical theatre. My current favourites are Matilda the Musical and The Book of Mormon which I am going to see in roughly 45 days from when this is posted.

So now you know more about me, I want to know something about you. Leave an interesting fact about yourself in the comments bellow!
Love, 
Carenza B x