the sloth who almost stole christmas

these last few weeks we've been working on our specialist graphic projects module at uni and it's literally a module that i've been looking forward to for almost a year now after viewing the second and third year work ready for submission at the end of my first year of university. from the beginning of second year i knew i wanted to write my own story, and whilst thinking up christmas card ideas in october i stumbled upon a story idea revolving around santa and a sloth and the potential demise of christmas day if the present delivery were to be put into the hands of a sloth, and from that the sloth who almost stole christmas was born! your typical story of santa's engine breaking down, however this time in the rainforest with only a sloth to help him with his duties.

i initially thought that my story idea being so cliché and perhaps boring would go against me, however while working with the text and imagery i realised that it benefited me somewhat as it required me to be much more imaginative when considering my imagery and really got me involved with potential sub-stories and character development, and at the end of it i must say i'm pretty chuffed with what i've managed to pull together!

 

i've had so much fun developing the story, characters, spreads and typography that i'll be continuing this project through into my next university module so i'll have an entire book to a) send off for macmillan, and b) have as a fantastic portfolio piece. i can't quite believe how much fun i've had working throughout this module and now definitely know that a place somewhere within children's publishing is where i would hopefully like to end up someday. watch this space over the next couple of months for the entire book!

you can view my work on my online portfolio here.

 

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primark | p.s. love beauty range

 primark waterproof mascara: £2 / primark eyeliner pen: £1.50

before:

after:

first things first: please do excuse the awkward teen phase my right brow seems to be currently going through, i'm hoping it'll grow out of it sooner rather than later!

when i first heard about primark's new p.s. love beauty range last week i was really excited to make my way to my local store to have a mooch around what was on offer, however it quickly hit me that their range may not have complied with my beliefs on cruelty free cosmetics. knowing that they'd recently pulled the angora products from their clothing, i decided to get in touch with primark to ask if they upheld the same morals in regards to their new beauty range. here's the email i sent them:

"Hello,

I'm contacting you to ask about your new P.S. Love beauty range and whether you test the final products or ingredients on animals, or if you pay somebody else to do so on your behalf. I was delighted to hear at the back end of last year that you were putting an end to selling angora products, and would love to hear that you hold the same values about cruelty free products throughout your new make up range, too. If the products are indeed cruelty free, Ill be very excited to get my hands on some of them."

i had a response within 2 days of sending the question, and here's how they replied:

"Primark and our own label manufacturers do not commission animal testing on any Primark own brand products or ingredients. Our own brand cosmetics and toiletry product ranges have not been tested on animals by Primark or by our own brand manufacturers.

Primark are against animal testing"

after receiving this response, i was happy in the knowledge that primark themselves don't test any finished products or their ingredients on animals, and don't pay other companies to do so on their behalf either, so i headed to my local shop and picked up a mascara and eyeliner to try out. 

so first up, the mascara. i'm going to start by simply stating that i was blown away by the quality of this product for the £2 price tag! as you can see in the image, the brush is quite large, round and has plastic bristles, which was instantly a winner for me because i find that chunky brushes work the best for my lashes. on your first application, the brush gives your lashes length and definition with a touch of volume, however if you're like me and like a thicker lash, another coat does the job nicely and i find that this mascara definitely rivals my pixi large lash mascara which is 6x the price of this at £12! the product is also said to be waterproof, and although i can't vouch for it 100% as i've only had the product around a week, i did sleep in it one night (naughty me, i know!) and woke up with it still in place, however it had begun to flake a little bit, but at £2 you really can't complain! i'll definitely be adding this to my favourites list and perhaps repurchasing if i can't bring myself to pay £10+ for another mascara. 

onto the eyeliner, this didn't impress me as much as the mascara. it has a nice thin nib so it's easy to perfect a sharp cat flick, however the colour isn't quite as black as i like my eyeliner to be. i also find that it wears away fairly easily throughout the day so you definitely need to top up if you were wanting to go from day to night with the same makeup. i definitely won't be putting down my supercat liner for this, however i do think for £1.50 i'll throw it in my bag and use it for touch ups throughout the day/night. although it's not a fantastic product, it's definitely not bad, and i'd say it's your run of the mill felt tip liner.

all in all, big well done primark! i managed to keep myself from buying any lip products as i have too many, however i'm definitely now tempted to dip my toe in a little more and try some more of primark's beauty range! have you tried any of their new products yet? if so, i'd love to hear what you think of them!

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sunday synopsis

good evening, everyone! it's a late one today as i've spent my day putting some final touches to my current uni module which i'm being assessed on on thursday, and for once, i'm completely relaxed and calm about it all - there's a first time for everything, right? 

my entire week's been pretty relaxed, actually. i've spent my time between uni and home getting feedback on my work, developing it and then heading to town for a naughty starbucks and shopping sessions with my friend, josh. i've been very naughty this week, treating myself to lush goodies and yet another elf haul amongst the usual weekly night out that i always find myself looking forward to after a week of working my ass off, and i've decided it's time to rein it in and start to look after my pennies a little more as i'm heading off to new york with uni at the end of march! although i'm beyond excited for it, the thought of travelling for so long, the busy crowds and the fact that when i get back it's the run up to the final term this year, is all starting to freak me out a little! time is passing so incredibly quickly nowadays and it's terrifying as i imagine life never really slows down (or at least according to some theory i once read, anyway!) sometimes i just want to curl up and scream because it's all so overwhelming, but kind of in a good way; life's fast paced nowadays, but i'm really enjoying it.

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punching in a dream

 dress: motel

necklace: handmade

belt: asos

socks: h&m

boots: missguided

motel is a brand that i find myself constantly browsing the website of, but never actually buying anything from, and it all boils down to the fact that their full price items are just so bloody expensive, even with the constant 20% discount that they offer! the last time i bought a motel dress was back in the summer when they had a sale on, so i decided to have a nosey through their january sale to see if anything took my fancy and this little number caught my eye.

this dress was £20 in the sale, and after adding my additional 20% student discount onto the price, i walked away with it having only paid £16 which is a reasonable price for any dress, let alone one that had been previously priced at £45! the standard delivery service was superb and i had my dress within 2 days of ordering, so definitely no complaints on service from my end!

the dress is a tad on the large side, however i was so eager to throw it on that i didn't have the patience to send it back in exchange for a smaller size so threw a belt around the waist to pull it together a little and i think it did the trick. definitely a new wardrobe favourite!

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e.l.f. | matte finisher nail polish

 e.l.f. matte finisher nail polish: £2.50

before:

after:

when the matte nail polish craze hit a few months ago, it was something i definitely wanted to jump straight onto the bandwagon with, however i just couldn't bring myself to part with the money to buy my favourite nail polish shades in a matte version as well as a normal, glossy one. before hope was lost, e.l.f. jumped in (once again) to save the day with their more than afforable products, offering this matte finisher for just £2.50. as they'd recently sent out a £10 off voucher and i was placing an order anyway, i decided to throw this into my basket too to see how it fared.

at first i was a little dubious - i just didn't understand how a top coat could mattify the glossy finish of the previous polish? however a few seconds after applying the top coat, i could see the colour starting to 'dry up', and after a couple of minutes i had perfect matte nails! i can't say it's a brilliant top coat for preventing your nails from chipping as i noticed my nails chipped just as quickly as they normally do (but this is something i can never seem to combat, regardless of what brand of nail polish i'm wearing,) but if you're looking for a cheap matte nails option that means you don't have to purchase several matte shades, i would definitely recommend this, particularly if you're happy to top up your nail colour regularly. i find that for the best overall finish it's good to apply a thick couple of layers of your normal nail polish underneath the top coat, because when applied over a thin layer it can wear away the colour underneath, leaving you with patchy, wishy washy looking nails.

overall i'm really impressed with this product, and for £2.50 i'll be tempted to add plenty more of these to my next e.l.f. basket; matte black nails are now my go to option when i'm feeling a little lazy! have you used any other matte top coats and would recommend them? i'd love to hear about some other (preferably cruelty free!) alternatives!

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sunday synopsis

this week started off fabulously as i found out that i had a week longer on my current module than i thought i had, which meant for lots more experimentation with my story, characters and spreads and i'm now finally at a point in my module where i feel that my work is cohesive and somewhat successful. i've also realised that throughout this module i've been the happiest and least stressed of any other module i've ever had to work through, and i'm finally thinking "man, i know what i want to be doing." work doesn't really feel like work and i love it that way and am already filled to the brim with thoughts and themes for more work that i can begin to fully explore over the summer. the prospect of summer is exciting because it means lots of time for pure self indulgence in exploring all the aspects of work that i want to, and also because of the placement i'll undertaking! i mentioned last week that i'd bagged myself a two week placement this summer but was reluctant to announce where as i wasn't sure if i should or not, but i can now happily inform you all that i'll be working within the hallmark creative studio amongst all the friendly faces! and here we go again, the silly smiles are back.

the week ended as fabulously as it begun as i spent friday evening with a bunch of friends and saturday day with my bff (what a term, eh) and i couldn't have asked to have spent the weekend with a better bunch of people. man, as fabulous as the future could turn out to be, i'll miss my friends when i leave uni.

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charity shop smock

 dress: charity shop

faux fur coat: matalan

necklace: ebay (old)

shoes: primark

the charity shop strikes again, this time with it offering me this gorgeous floral smock dress. as you'd expect, it was dirt cheap and i took it home for just £3 knowing it'd be a fab transitional wardrobe piece, seeing me through spring and autumn with a leather jacket or blazer, through winter with my huge faux fur coat and through summer dressed down with some lace up boots and round sunglasses. in fact, i'm actually quite excited to style it when summer does eventually arrive! the shoes were also a steal being just £6 in the primark sale just before christmas. i just don't think that my love for charity shops and primark will ever cease!

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a sloth's guide to valentine's day

single this valentine's day? never fear, vodka is there to help you forget! and then when you do remember, donuts are there to comfort you. now, who actually needs a valentine?

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this or that: felt tip eyeliners

soap & glory supercat eyeliner: £6 / collection extreme 24h felt tip liner: £2.99

for months i was mad on collection's felt tip liner, until the inevitable happened and one day the tears came and i looked in the mirror to be greeted by something reminiscent of alice cooper. in other words, not good - panda eyes isn't generally what i aim for! i decided to up my budget a little and opted for soap and glory's supercat liner.

generally, the products are fairly similar; super black, easy to apply and precise, making them, in my opinion, fantastic eyeliners. as you can see in the pictures, the collection liner is slightly thicker than the soap and glory one, and over time seems to lose its shape and become a little less rigid, making it harder to achieve the perfectly defined flick. i've found that the soap and glory liner has managed to retain its shape, meaning in this department it trumps the collection option. in terms of it being waterproof, i've noticed that it's considerably better than the collection liner, however it's still not perfect. the collection liner literally smudges at any sign of moisture; cried a little from laughing? prepare to have your flick transfer onto your eyelid. the soap and glory option seems to only budge if you have yourself a proper cry, so if you can make it through the day without shedding a tear, you (and your liner) will be fine!

for the sake of an additional three quid, i think i'll be sticking to the supercat liner until i can find another cruelty free option that offers a waterproof promise. i don't want to speak badly of the collection liner because it's a fantastic product for the price tag, but being a person who sheds tears at the mere sight of puppies, i need something with a little more staying power that will see me through the day without leaving me looking dishevelled.

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sunday synopsis

this week's been bittersweet to say the least. i find it incredible how so much can be going right for a person, but one little thing can come along and try its best to diminish your happiness/success etc. but hey, i guess it's all character building or some other malarkey. moving along, on thursday evening i had a brief moment of craziness, running around my house squealing as i received an email from a studio i'd applied to for potential work experience, and much to my delight i've been offered a placement! so come the second week of june i'll be heading off to bradford to live in a house for a couple of weeks with a few other creatives while spending my time learning how creative studios actually work. i'm finding it really hard at the minute to contain my excitement and find myself beaming ridiculously when talking or thinking about it, occasionally followed by squeals and rolling around in sheer delight. i just can't put into words how excited i am to get stuck in and enjoy working on projects that suit my ambitions while learning from such a talented and successful bunch of people. words fail me, they really do. i am so beyond pleased.

2014 has gotten off to a fantastic start and i can't quite believe my luck. well, part luck, part dedication and graft, but i'm doing well at uni, the support given by the tutors is fantastic and i'm loving how second year's panning out now i'm beginning to have the chance to explore my interests and be reaping the benefits of working on projects that i can really put my heart into. i feel like i've gotten to a point where i can finally say i'm happy with myself. i've realised that i'm not unintelligent, i'm not useless or worthless and that with hard work and passion i can probably get what i want out of life. it's so liberating to finally like and be supportive of myself after spending so long doubting any talent or worth i had, and to realise that my worth is something i'm in charge of, not something that i have to put in someone else's hands. i don't know, bad things have happened and will continue to happen, but i feel like i've kind of woken up and climbed out of my little hole of self loathing and it all feels nice. heck, i just feel a lot more nowadays and i'm so much more susceptible to pretty much everything. it feels good, really good. i'm pretty bloody happy nowadays.

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nine in the afternoon

hat: h&m

top: topshop (old)

pinafore: primark

necklace: topshop (old)

boots: primark

every now and again i take outfit photos and hate absolutely everything about them; why is my face so flat? i'm sure my chin has more definition that that? am i really that shapeless? the lighting just isn't right today!; and i'm sure it's probably something a lot of you other bloggers have to regularly deal with! i swallowed my pride however and got on with things, and although i have less photos to show than i usually would, i do at least have something!

this primark pinny has been spotted on most bloggers, but after months of resisting it, i could no longer when i spotted it in the sale for a mere fiver. i picked up a 10 on a whim hoping it would fit, and much to my surprise it's rather spacey! perhaps it's intended to be oversized, but i'm kind of wishing i'd have now gone for an 8 so it'd be a little more fitted and flattering because i feel that my waist and any kind of shape is totally lost underneath it! teamed up with rose gold jewellery and this old topshop crop of mine (that i was about to take to a charity shop along with some other clothes!) i find that i just really don't mind the loss of shape because the colours seem to work so well together.

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my etsy shop / a sloth's guide to illustration

i recently added my 'a sloth's guide to illustration' zine to my etsy shop, so if you'd like a copy of your own you can do so by visiting the listing here!

as ever you can expect silly humour, hand gen type and a lot of sloths, but if you'd like to know more about the zine there's a full product description available on the etsy listing.

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the body shop | grapeseed glossing serum

the body shop grapeseed glossing serum: £7

since choosing to go cruelty free back in october, i've been continually on the lookout for some products that would treat my hair as well as aussie's products had been doing for the last few years. while browsing the body shop one day i stumbled upon this glossing serum, and what sold it to me initially was its smell - it's so fresh and fruity! the serum is clear and almost gel like, and when you rub it into your hands it feels extremely greasy.

i'd previously used coconut glossing sprays on my hair and found it was easy to tread the line between reviving your hair and just greasing it up, so at first i was wary of how much to apply. i began by using two pumps, rubbing it into my hands and evenly distributing it throughout the mid and ends of my hair, and much to my delight my hair felt instantly refreshed, clean and not greasy - woohoo! i did feel that there was a lot of excess product on my hand after using it, so from then on i opted to use only one pump of product and found that that still was more than enough. obviously if you have thick or long hair you may need to use more, but unfortunately i'm not blessed with either of those things!

i now use this product twice a day, once before styling, and then again right before bed. because i wash my hair every 2 - 3 days, on the days in between washing my ends become really dry and somewhat frizzy, but one pump of this tames it instantly and, with a bit of dry shampoo at the roots, helps to give off the impression that my hair's been washed because my ends appear nourished and shiny. the product claims to also help protect split ends, however i haven't been using this product long enough to speak about its long term benefits, i just know that on a day to day basis it's an absolute god send for keeping my hair under control and manageable.

admittedly this isn't a cheap product, but if you're signed up to the body shop's mailing list they seem to be constantly sending out one offer or another, so catch them at the right time and you could get anywhere up to a 50% discount, meaning this product would set you back by £3.50 which is an absolute steal for the quality of it. heck, if i was in dire need of another of these and there were no offers on, i wouldn't begrudge paying the £7 price tag because i know it'd be worth it. i get the sense that the bottle will last me ages because i use so little every day, but i guess that'll be something to reflect on in the future.

both me and my hair are extremely pleased with this product, and if you suffer from dry, frizzy ends, i'd definitely recommend giving this product a go, even if you just nip in store and try a little bit through your ends! i'll now happily add this to my repurchase list.

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sunday synopsis

no selfies were taken this week (shock horror,) so here's a snap of me and my good friend cleveland enjoying a bit of voddy on friday night. the last week's been pretty chilled and somewhat enjoyable, we've been eased into our specialist module and i've been exploring some of my story's characters and developing them a little which means the week's been pretty much stress free. i am now however 1 week into a 4 week module and i know from now on the pressure's going to be on to get things done, and done to a standard that i'm happy with!

in other news, this week i found out that our tutors sent off a selection of second and third year work to mima, a local art and design museum, and was informed that they liked my approach to involving children with their new jewellery collection and may be in touch with potential future work! it was such a relief to hear that the client liked my work after receiving a grade for the module that i wasn't happy with, and it once again helped me to feel comfortable in the knowledge that grades aren't everything when it comes to creative work. the only scary thing about it all is if they do get in touch with me, i'm going to have a lot on my plate these coming months!

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