2016 Resolutions??

I hope you had a great Christmas at that it was filled with lots of smiles and laughs. It's so sad that it all had to come to an end as does this year. 2015 went so quick! I didn't even have time to think of my new years resolutions and there's no time left now; another year is already on the way. Not that it would be much point though I hardly ever bother trying to fulfill my resolutions or think of any to begin with.

For 2016 I thought I'd do something different. Instead of lying to myself saying I'll do this I'll do that I'm just going to see how it goes and change little things along the way. It may not seem like it to me, but I know I am young and I have so much ahead of me. I'm starting to realise just how quickly time goes. So this year I'm not going to set myself resolutions. I am just going to enjoy myself.

These past 12 months have not been the happiest or the easiest. It seems that whenever I get a little bit of happiness and forget my worries it all comes flooding back in a matter of seconds. It's like I can never escape it... But I can change this, a little bit at a time. I don't need to escape my worries because it won't do me any good if I run away from every problem I face. All I need to do is solve it.

Now I've never stuck to a personal timetable: revision timetable, to-do list, it just doesn't help me and frustrated me. So new years resolutions are useless to me because I won't stick to it. Or I'll just forget it. So as I said, I'm just going to change things as it comes. If I worry about stuff in the future it sends me into a spiral of panic that most of the time involves me crying into my hands like tears will just send it away. So I don't want to make a fuss over something that I don't even have to deal with yet. Which will be hard considering all the pressure us teens have now about choosing a career path and working towards it. I think that whole idea is a waste of time. Most people aim for some sort of job, work their socks off to get the qualifications then realise it's not for them. Besides, of course I'm going to change career at some point.
1. I don't want to be stuck at the same place all my life.
2. A ladder is only so high and I have to stop climbing at some point (the career ladder if you don't understand)
and 3. We're always discovering new things and gaining new interests and aspirations. Although pressure like that does make me work hard especially towards my goals but it can get all a bit overwhelming at times and makes me want to quite everything. Which is not the attitude I want to be having right now.

So, that's what I want to work towards in 2016 - making my own decisions and changes little things as they come and stop worrying about the future and where I'll end up. And if that doesn't go to plan there is always help for those who need it. You just need to ask the right people.

Have a fantastic new year!!

All my love
Anna xx

Halloween is Here!

Well, almost.

 

I love Halloween. I don't just see it as one day, to me, October is Halloween month. I've always loved dressing up and not just on Halloween. For me that's one of the best parts. I have a Halloween party coming up soon but I haven't decided what I'm going to be yet. I'll probably just put in some fangs wear dark makeup and say I'm a vampire.

 

Vampires have always fascinated me. I don't know why but I just love all the gothicness and the bad side of vampires. Although I would never be or dress gothic myself unless it's Halloween. I love the vampire character Katherine Peirce from the TV show The Vampire Diaries. I just love how she is a totally sexy, badass woman and the actress Nina Dobrev plays her so well.

So anyway. This is just one of the reasons why I love Halloween. I get to fulfil my fantasy of being a Vampire for one night and it won't be weird!

 

Another reason is all the freaky decorations. Like Christmas, decorating the house and baking decorated cakes and biscuits is so exciting. Unfortunately the rest of my family aren't as enthusiastic about Halloween as I am. If it were my way I would go all out on the decorations and baked goods. I would have a massive Halloween party and watch as many Horror films as I could. Or as many as I could handle before I am traumatized!

 

But instead me and my friends always organise a Halloween party and sleepover at one of our houses. Which does mean I only get one night of dressing up and watching Horrors but I do get to do it with as great lovers of Halloween as myself.

 

This year I want to get more creative on the makeup side of things. I want to try out a few techniques but saying that it probably won't turn out that good! I was thinking if I'm going to be trying out different looks I might as well film it and edit it together to make some sort of Halloween video. I would like to do a baking video but it is slightly difficult with no one handly to help me film and I don't have a lot of free time at the moment so I thought this would be a nice idea

Make sure to stay up to date with my YouTube channel and watch out for that video! YouTube.com/IThePineappleShowI

 

All my love
Anna xx

My Little Loves - August Favourites

A few months ago I uploaded a post called My Little Loves. I thought it was time to update that with a monthly favourites since it is now September and I had quite a few favourites last month. 

Beauty

Eye Shadow

I got this palette for my birthday in March and I have been using it since but in August I've practically used it everyday. I love it so much and it's all the colours I normally use, subtle nude shades and also darker shades for a smokey eye. This eye shadow palette is from Revolution and is called Redemption Palette Iconic 3. As it was a present I don't know how much it was at the time but on Superdrug online it is £4. 

Lipstick

I also got this product a while ago but have been loving it this summer. It is a really summery colour; a bright shade of orangey-red with golden glitter so it shimmers in the sun. It really brightens up my face and just perfects my look. It also last quite a long time. This product is from Collection from their lasting colour lipstick range in the shade Passion Fruit. I don't think this is available any more as I haven't seen it in stores but it may be different where live. 

Accessories

Necklaces

I don't normally wear a lot of jewellery but this summer I have been trying to wear it a lot more. I found it easier to throw on a necklace to complete my outfit. I've never been one for bracelets or watches as they annoy me and I sometimes find them uncomfortable on my wrist. So I decided to opt for wearing more necklaces! I'm sorry I don't know where most of these are from as I normally get them as gifts for birthday and Christmas.

These two are Scottish toucans

This choker came as a set from

Topshop as for £5

Backpack 

I have been taking this everywhere with me. I used it so much on holiday when I went out and about (side note: I will be posting holiday pictures soon so make sure to look out for that!) and also back at home just as a casual bag. I absolutely love the design and it is very spacious inside. This bag was from Primark. 

Fashion

This is a recent by but I am IN LOVE already. This was from Primark for £7 but it was on sale, I think its original price was around £12. It's such a summery item and I've been wanting to buy one for ages and I just screamed when I saw it was reduced. Well when I say screamed I mean internally, I didn't want to make a scene in the store! I haven't worn it a lot because it is pretty recent but hopefully we will get some sunny days in September so I can wear it again.

That's all from me today. Hopefully I will be uploaded more YouTube videos soon I'm sorry it's been so long but my laptop is broken so I can't edit it.

All my love
Anna xx

Sleeping Under the Stars

Last night I had an amazing opportunity to sleep under the stars. Literally. We didn't use any tents but I had loads of layers and blankets I was toasty warm :)

I took a few pictures of the sun set it was so beautiful. I would have loved to get a picture of the stars because it was just so magical and there were so so many of them but you need a special camera for that (which I'm guessing is pretty expensive) otherwise you wouldn't be able to see them. 

I can't even describe what the feeling was like just lying under thousands of stars and being around such amazing people. If you ever get the chance to do something like this DO IT! 


Here are some photos from last night taken 
on my camera, an Olympus D-745 if you were interested.

 

I'm the 3rd one in from the right

My Little Loves

I always miss monthly favorites and by the time I get round do doing 'March Favorites' it's already the middle of April! So I thought why don't I just do it differently. I can still upload my monthly favorites but it doesn't necessarily have to be at the very end of each month. Obviously I'd have to have a different title for it because I can't call it 'March Favorites' when it's almost May! I think 'My Little Loves' is such a cute tittle don't you  think? This way I don't have to get stressed or worried about having to do it at a specific time. I can do it any day of the month, in fact, it doesn't even have to be monthly. Just, if I've had quite a few favorites one month then I can simply share them with you! 

Let's get on with it then shall we?

Beauty

Perfume

I have been loving these three cuties so much this month! I got them for my birthday at the beginning of March and I think it was love at first smell. They each have a different sent and each is DIVINE!! I am telling you! If you're looking for some new sprays get these! They came together in a cute little box so there's no need to buy them separately, well I don't actually know if you can buy them separately or not. I always have one of these in my bag wherever I'm going as they are quite small and very handy if I need to spruce up or anything. So if I ever do a 'What's In My Bag' video on my YouTube channel (do subscribe!) then I can assure you at least one of them will be in there.

Night Treatment

This Treatment has basically saved my life! Well not literally, I don't think a bottle can actually save lives. Anyway! It's really good for my skin as I have quite oily skin. I have no idea how much it is I'm sorry!! My mum got it for me but it's from The Body Shop so I'm guessing it would be around £9.00. You only need a little amount so it's very long lasting. If you always wake up in the morning with a dry face then you should definitely start using some sort of night treatment. You could use this kind of night treatment which is a sort of gel based liquid, or you could use a night cream. Or, if you come across anything else then please do tell me so I can check it out!

Accessories 

Sunglasses

These are my all-time favorite sunglasses I've ever bought! And I'm not exaggerating! These sunnies are from Primark and only cost me £2 because they were on sale, bargain! There's not really a lot you can say about sunglasses, I mean, they work fine and block out the sun, I love the design especially the white brim, and they just really suit me. It also came with a little bag to put them in which also works as a glasses cleaner. As the days are getting much sunnier as we fall into spring, I will definitely be using these more often! Also, I'd just like to point out that Gigi Hadid (a famous model) has the same design on her sunglasses so...I basically have the same sunglasses has her haha.

Gigi Hadid

Handbag

I've only recently bought this bag but I've already fallen in love with it. I had been meaning to get a new bag for quite a while because I've been using the same bag every time I went go for a long time. New Look would probably be the best place (for me) to go for bags if you don't want to buy expensive branded ones. I have to say it wasn't love at first site with this bag but once I'd used it I became obsessed! It has so much storage space and it's just the right size and the colour us gorgeous! I'm so picky about bags which is why it's taken me so long to find the perfect one. 

Fashion

Crop Top

I ordered this ages ago but now it FINALLY CAME!! I'm so happy! In case you couldn't tell from the writing it is Ariana Grande merchandise. If you don't know Ariana then you're probably wondering what she has in relation to some symbols but they are in fact Japanese emoticons and Ariana is obsessed with all things Japan. She's even started learning Japanese. So, anyway, now that I've explained what it means I should talk about the actual top. Recently I've been  loving crop tops and this one is obviously one of my favs! 

T-Shirt

Another recent buy I have been loving is this top from New Look. Yeah, I buy a lot of things from new look! You may know that most of the things I like and buy are black and white so I thought that this would be a nice change. It also has a great design for Spring/Summer. I love the fact that there isn't a massive variety of colours because that just doesn't suit me. It has big blue butterflies and a few small orange ones too and also a cute little zip.

That's all I have for this month let me know if you want me to mention anything else in these monthly favorites posts. I could mention my favorite bloggers and youtubers! 

All my love

Anna xx

Finally! A New Video!

So I know I haven't uploaded a YouTube video in a while....

I've recently put up an update video just to explain everything that's been going on, I hope you'll understand. I really do want to be committed to YouTube and uploading regularly but you're not going to believe that if you think I've given up on it. But I haven't!! I promise you. I will try to upload more often now, it's just a lot of things have happened. I explain it all in the video so just go over and watch it. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSuVvuRKhOI 

Make sure to subscribe for more and don't forget to follow me on Bloglovin' :))

All my love
Anna xx

Anxiety and Panic Attacks

There are a lot of people around my age who suffer from anxiety. I am one of them. So I wanted to write about it to help those with it to get through it and for those who don't, to help them understand what it is like and what they should do or be wary about when someone has anxiety or a panic attack.

What Is Anxiety?

For me, anxiety is fearing I have done or said something wrong. That others will disapprove. Being afraid of rejection or not fitting in. Scared of speaking alone in front of others. Being shy around new people. What I'm describing is called social anxiety, which is what I have. I guess you could say there are different types of anxiety, because not everyone would have it at the same level. Some people have social anxiety, some have anxiety from phobias, some have anxiety with panic attacks some have it without, and there is also generalized anxiety which involves excessive and unrealistic worry and tension even if there is little or nothing to provoke the anxiety. I've never come across anyone with generalized anxiety so I assume it is quite rare. Most people have social anxiety (generally those around my age) and I think school is a massive cause of this. When I was younger, in primary school (or elementary school for you Americans), I never used to have anxiety or get anxious or have panic attacks. But ever since I moved up to secondary school it has been a big problem for me. This is most likely due to the amount of pressure that we face as students and also the urge to impress one another. For example, in my school we have a totally stupid 'social hierarchy' where there are the 'popular' people at the top and then more or less the rest of the year towards the bottom.  In my opinion this thing is insane and unacceptable because it brings SO much pressure on us to look our best the whole time we are at school.it's like the rule is 'if you're not in with the latest fashion or hair trend then you will be ignored' so if you don't wear cool clothes or have cool things then you might as well not be liked by anyone. Of course this isn't true. Everyone should have their own opinion and their own style and their own interests. Why should we have to follow a crowd all the time? I'm being a right hypocrite right now because I am one of those girls who will want the latest stuff and fashionable clothes! But it's all because of my anxiety and the fear of not fitting in and being liked by others. Okay, I've gone off topic a little bit having a rant about school and expectations so I think i should get back on track!

So basically that's what living with social anxiety is like; the fear of not being accepted and not living up to expectations. I think it's a good idea to talk about some of the symptoms of anxiety because you may have but just not know it. Of course, social anxiety is a disorder and it can be helped or treated so if you have any of the following symptoms you can always check with your doctor and they can tell you anything you need to know, but remember that is a choice that only you can make and you don't have to do that. 

Please note that some of these are also just everyday worries that could be due to stress or other factors.

• Difficulty concentrating 
• Feeling 'on edge' or worried/anxious
• Tiredness
• Dizziness 
• Aching muscles
• Dry mouth
• Trembling or shaking
• Sweating
• Shortness of breath
• Headache
• Feeling sick
• Feeling extremely emotional
• Hot or cold flushes 
• Senses are heightened

These can also be signs of a panic attack. In many cases, panic attacks strike out of the blue, without any warning. Often, there is no clear reason for the attack. They may even occur when you’re relaxed or asleep. But this isn't the case all the time. They may occur because of a phobia, e.g claustrophobia and being in a small space, or because you are worried of disapproval, like just before an exam of speaking in front of people, or because you have a lot on your mind and anxious about it. For those of you who don't know or who have never experienced a panic attack I will explain it for you. A panic attack is a sudden surge of overwhelming anxiety and fear. Your heart pounds and you can’t breathe. You may even feel like you’re dying or going crazy. So that last point was a bit dramatic, I know! But sometimes it's what people feel. I have had a few panic attacks but I've never felt like i was dying or going crazy, that's just what I picked up from other people, as I said not everyone has the same level of anxiety. 

My Experience

The first time I had a panic attack was about two years ago. I was on holiday with my family in France and I was in bed. I don't really remember falling sleep but all of a sudden I wake up and I  have no idea where I am. A wave of panic came over me and I was sweating and shaking and I  started crying uncontrollably. I didn't know what to do. I knew I was panicking because I kept taking in quick, short breaths but I didn't know why.  I felt really sick and the room seemed like it was spinning so I sat up on the end of my bed. It didn't last very long probably only about five minutes but I still felt scared, confused, worried and dizzy afterwards. I tried to stand up but fell into the wall, I managed to open the window and breath in some fresh air to calm me down. I stood there for about ten minutes just listening to crickets and calming myself down. I went to get a drink of water and felt calm again.

It took me a while to get back to sleep because I was so dazed about what just happened! In the morning I woke up feeling fine and just carried on with the day like it was nothing to worry about. Of course later on (like when I got back home to England) I found out it was a panic attack. 

At that time it didn't really feel like I had anxiety but that soon grew. So a word of warning, just because it doesn't feel like you have anxiety now, if you start getting any of the symptoms it could develop so you just need to be wary of your feelings.

What Should I Do If I Have A Panic Attack?

When I'm having a panic attack, I try to calm myself down, which is an obvious thing to do but when it's actually happen you don't think about it because so much is going on. I normally go outside and have a walk around, or if I'm already outside (I would probably be in a public place) then I will find somewhere quiet and out of the way and sit down and try to relax. I do this by trying to just slow down and take deep breaths to control my breathing. Drinking  water also helps A LOT because as your body goes into panic mode it uses up a lot of energy especially if you're breathing fast. 

If I'm with someone I'd prefer them to be quiet unless I ask them something. It doesn't help if someone is talking to me, or trying to distract me. It's nice to know someone is with you, but If I'm having a panic attack, I'm already hearing everything 10x louder and need to try and calm down. You also don't have a lot of energy to speak, as any energy you do have, is being used everywhere else.

What Should I Consider If Someone Has Anxiety?

Now you may not be a sufferer of anxiety yourself, but you may know someone who is. You should just keep on mind that they may not want to go on a night out and would rather stay in because it's more comfortable for them especially being in their own home around their own things. If they do have a panic attack please DO NOT panic yourself, it will only make things worse for them and you. Stay calm and just let them know you're there if they need anything and ask them if they want some water or anything else you have to drink because it can calm them down. Hugging them probably isn't a good idea because you can feel quite claustrophobic during a panic attack and it wouldn't help if they're having hot flushes. Ask them if they want to go outside for some air or to a more quiet place. Just remember the main thing to do is to stay calm.

That's all I have to talk about really but don't hesitate to ask me any questions at all even if it doesn't relate to this! Make sure to follow me on bloglovin to stay updated :)

All my love
Anna