Photography and FOTN | Chit Chat

Hey all! I am currently doing a photography course at uni that I’ve always wanted to do and I’m very excited about it, because, not only do I get to learn about photography, but it’s practical, we take photos with a DSLR! This is my type of dream camera, the type of camera I’d like to get most. In class, we’re using an older model Nikon but it’s still pretty good. However, I would love to get my hands on a Canon T3i or the T5i (which is just too expensive for my poor budget)!

The other day, I was going out and I actually took some selfies before I hit the road, since I had borrowed the camera for the weekend. Mind you, trying to pose and hold this 2 lb or so camera is not an easy task and I don’t think I’ll do that again haha. I was very afraid that I’d drop it or something. I put the settings on Auto and let the camera do it’s thing for once; a big no-no in class but since it’s a selfie for me, I guess I can do that right? hahaha.

I felt like dolling up that night too and I really like how my make up turned out. Sadly my hair isn’t that length any more, I went to the hair dresser’s and got it cut. It always saddens me, like isn’t my hair strong/good enough to stay this length and perhaps grow past it? But no, snip snip, we need to cut your hair is all you hear. When is a trim not a cut… ever?
Anyway, it’ll grow back, I’m just a bit fed up being at all most the same length for an entire year. I guess I need to find a more strict and better routine for my hair, so less cuts/trims are necessary.

Although this has a shadow I still like it for some reason…

5 Study tips before Exams hit! | Life

Hey all! I’m a university student, but I hardly ever talk about uni any more. Probably because I’m usually so stressed out and busy that I hardly have the time to any more. Anyway, I wanted to share a few study tips which could be very helpful before exams in December. I’m such a bad student that I haven’t even checked out the exam timetable as yet, I just don’t want to see the gloom until it’s finalised, hahah!

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1. Study Continuously.
This is obvious, but sometimes we say we’ll do that and it goes well for the first 4 weeks of classes, then all of a sudden we’re too busy and want a break to just be lazy and do nothing in our free time. In the bit of time you’re waiting for transportation or between classes, try to review your class notes. It makes for the world of difference when you do review before you get home, because we all know this equation:

Home = distractions + tiredness = no work getting done. 

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The next day you may be asked a question or even a bonus question in class and you can wow your class and your lecturer with your knowledge!

2. Set a day in every week for strictly studying. 
There’s a time and place for everything, and with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest… oh goodness. It seems like it’s never the time to study. Not to mention if you have chores to do, friends to hang out with and a job? It’s a really juggling act.
Set a particular day for ONLY studying for every week of the semester.You can really get a lot done by doing that. you don’t have to study the entire day, but take some time out for reading notes, making additions, researching and even doing small practice questions. I do this on Sundays so on Monday my brain isn’t still groggy from the weekend. You know how that is.

3. Sacrifice a little, Gain a lot.
From young my mother always taught me about sacrificing playing games, watching TV among other things to make school work my first priority. Then it seemed cruel, (still kinda does) but now I see why. You can have so much more time to just sit and read or do assignments if you’re not procrastinating on the couch watching E!, Esquire or Food Network. I’m telling you, I hardly see any TV during the semester. It’s weird at first when people have all these fun shows to tell you about, but you know what, it’ll pay off in the end. Getting rid of distractions is a very good technique for managing your study time.

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4. Take a break and Reward yourself.
Yes you deserve it! Just as important as studying, you must take breaks. If you really want/need to watch the new Scandal episode schedule your study around it, so you can take a break just to watch the show. You could also go out every now and then to reward yourself for sticking to your studying. What ever you choose just remember moderation is key, don’t go overboard, 1 YouTube video turns into an avalanche of random videos before long, just like a Facebook minute ends up being an 1 hour. ( guilty as charged)

5. Keep calm when it starts to get hectic.
It’s really hard to stay calm sometimes and you want to scream! Heck sometimes do I scream and it helps me to feel a bit better. I like to schedule things, not to be thrown random assignments popping up, so I get a bit flustered when everyone piles on the work at once. But we have to remember to keep calm, breathe and think of ways to make it work.
Prioritise your tasks not only by due date but level of difficulty, because it’s more useful to do the difficult thing first, rather than start with the easier one. That way when due dates are approaching you have only the smaller things to complete.

I try to follow most of these tips when I’m studying, especially more recently. What tips you have to be most productive when studying?

Monday Poll #293 by MBB | Chit Chat

Hey all! Every Monday Karen from Makeup & Beauty Blog does a fun post called the Monday poll where she answers about 10 random questions.  So this week I said what the hey, let’s do this!

Also I want to give a special shout out to one of my closest friends Blackman, it’s his Birthday today!! Happy Birthday! 🙂 

1. What makeup brand has the prettiest packaging?

I think Benefit has the cutest packaging of any makeup line I’ve come across. Maybe then Soap & Glory, they’re have some pretty nice stuff. 

2. Do you ever travel for business?

Nope, I don’t really have business overseas anyway. 

3. What accessories are you wearing (jewelry, hats, scarves, belts, anything else)?

My Secondary school graduation ring (Class of 2010 woot!), BCBG Affirmations bracelet (says Sweet), A silver necklace my Grandmum gave me, and a pink CZ  pendant from one of my good friends and finally dainty pavé heart studs.

4. What’s the wackiest piece of clothing you own?

I don’t think I have any really wacky clothing pieces. I would be tempted to buy some outrageous things but I always stop myself because I know I’ll think hard to wear it anywhere. 

5. How often do you do eye looks involving more than one eyeshadow?

Probably twice a month or a bit more. Depends on how I feel when I’m leaving for classes or if I’m going out to somewhere other than school.

6. Is there any kind of nail polish you won’t wear (textured, glitter, matte, other)?

Nope. I’m actually dying to try the textured polishes!

7. Who’s your favorite artist (visual, music or other)?

Right now, I’d say a tie between Katy Perry and Britney Spears. It’s always changing, but I am really feeling their most recent music.

8. What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever done?

I think the hardest thing was contesting a space on my university’s Student Guild. But it definitely was a good learning experience despite losing, as I also became a part of the committee and was made aware of a lot of the happenings at my college. 

9. Have you ever done an ombre lip?

I tried once on someone, but it was a fail because the colours just weren’t working out as nicely as I imagined. I must try it again though.

10. On a scale of 1-10, what’s your personal makeup style (1 being no-makeup makeup, 10 being full-on divalicious drag queen)?

Daily, my makeup style is a 4 but when I’m headed out, I bump up to a 8-9. I love to play around with my make up when I’m going somewhere.

What happened to the posts? | Chit Chat

Hey guys, I know I said I’d only take one week off but that wasn’t enough apparently. I’m going to admit I’ve been trying to do way too much. So when Sunday rolled around, I tried to write Monday’s post and was BLANK. Tabula rasa. I didn’t know what to write, what to take pictures of. Honestly, I think I went into vacation mode, hahaha.

I stopped for a break but instead of following up on everything I wanted to, I was overwhelmed.
Anyway enough with the excuses, I will be sure to take some photos for upcoming posts and also have some fun posts up soon. I have to kickstart back onto my schedule which I may be making some changes to. Perhaps some days you may see more than one post on one day. It may be a short post but nonetheless, I want to try to post more and eventually work my way up to posting daily.

So to new beginnings, it was a nice break. Sorry to keep you guys hanging, but thank you for staying with me!

Anniversary photos and NovelTeas experience | Chit Chat

Hey all! Two weeks ago, my boyfriend and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary. This time around we didn’t go all out as we did on the first year as we were also celebrating other things that week. (Sometimes you have to pinch the dollar and make it go around twice haha.)

This time around we decided to try a local tea shop called NovelTeas Teahouse and Bistro, found in Hastings Christ Church. I had been stalking their Facebook page for some time and was really excited to see that they offered interesting teas and food. I’m not huge on tea, BUT they had Bubble Tea, something I’ve wanted to try for very long! Their menu also had lots of sushi on it, and as Tyrell had never tried it, we decided it would be as great a time as any time some new things. I wish I had remembered to take more photos of the shop, but I trust that I’ll be going back there soon.

I called ahead to reserve our sushi, it’s recommended since it sells out so fast. Good thing too, because when we got there there were just a few left. The owner of the bistro was extremely nice and inviting towards us. We ended up getting a lot more stuff than we had intended when we set our date, but what the hey! It was good food and good service. Very reasonable prices too!

I ordered a Taro Bubble tea which was delicious and I couldn’t help but to drink it fast. It was so refreshing granted outside was a desert, the chewy bobba was a fun experience, plus it was purple! I was in heaven! I shared some with Tyrell much I could honestly see myself drinking a whole one by myself and maybe going for another.

Originally, we were going to get the Spicy Tuna Sushi, but we ended up getting the Spicy Tuna and the Spicy Salmon. Both of which were delicious and the pieces were hefty. So much that I ate about 6 pieces (1 from each) and was feeling rather full, as was Tyrell. The thing about sushi though, it’s such a rich taste (especally with soy sauce) that poor me can’t handle too much of it. This sushi was very flavourful. My favourite of the two was the spicy salmon. Something about it is just milder than the tuna to me.

Oh, we went to the beach to eat, bad idea since the flies were out in full force. So only closed box photos 😦

 We also had one of their famous brownies, and I understand why it’s so famous. It’s nice rich and there are extra chocolate chips inside. Much like I like to make mine. (Which reminds me I must try to make my brownies from scratch sometime.) I just couldn’t get a picture of the brownie. It went way too fast!

Despite having the Bubble tea and some soft drinks, we were still thirsty, outside was just so hot. So we did the bajan thing and got some snowcones. As usual I got a coconut one, and Tyrell got condensed milk put in it. But really though, I am yet to understand why these things have had such a spike in price in the last few years and the cups are the same size… Anyway, I digress, cause the taste of a snowcone is timeless and definitely good for such a hot day.

 That was all we did for this anniversary. Kind of laid-back. But we have lots for stuff for this year, birthdays, Christmas and there are a lot more anniversaries to be had ^__^ (hopefully).

Here’s a bonus pic of my FOTD from 2 Thursdays ago. If you follow me on Instagram you already saw this. I am really enjoying my Smashbox trio for everyday wear!

Girlfriend’s Expo on a PLANE! (Picture loaded)

Hey all! This year the Girlfriend’s Expo (February 2nd -3rd) was held at the Barbados Concorde Experience. It’s a beautiful setting for the the showcase, however, it is a bit too tiny for so many people. As a volunteer, it felt like if my head was spinning on Sunday around 3:00 p.m when the flood gates of people started to flow in from all over Barbados.



MUDC booth was always packed!



Just half of the majestic Concorde

Let me start over with day 1, Saturday was nice and some what breezy until the later hours or the show (around 4:00 pm) when more performances were happening on the main stage. Despite the great shows and the even better turn out, I still missed the Sir Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre, (Sherbourne Conference Centre, for those of us who don’t care about the politically-correct name).
The flow of persons around the stage was frustating, but at least the other areas of the exhibit where more easily accessible. Well except for the make up and hair booths of course.



The crowd was subject to what was happening on stage as well as the delicious treats prepared by Chef Damien (mentioned later in this post).Yum!

Yes we posed with propellers, because we’re awesome 🙂

Brydens Stokes had a mini hair store, with demonstrations, new products as well as special show prices, and of course SAMPLES! I have a bagful, as usual :). It’s not often that you get samples in Barbados, especially of hair products, so seize the opportunity while you can. Make up Doll Cosmetics, Barbados Beauty, Bio-Beauty, Colour Coded, Jolie lipsticks and Neutrogena were also in attendance. With MUDC being one of the most busy of the booths there. I tried so many times to buy one of their new lip tars, or at least see them, but they were always so full. They even sold out of the shade that I wanted, a lilac on the 1st day.

Look at the vibrance of those colours (this is Vanessa’s hand btw)

I went over to Colour Coded, where I bought a stippling brush (#955) from Bdellium tools. I’ve always wanted a brush like this, but I wasn’t sure if I would find one here. I had also read some rave reviews on Bdellium tools, and when I saw the brush I jumped. It was $22BDS,and I hope it lives up to the hype. The price actually isn’t that bad though, I may just buy another brush from them.



Excuse the quality, I took this with my tablet a few days afterwards

I went to just about every booth I could when I wasn’t busy fulfilling my volunteer duties. There was free HIV/AIDS rapid testing also. It was good to see that the Ministry of Health’s booth was so well-attended.

On the final day, I tried to just get as many samples as I could , as I am in the market for a new deep conditioner and a leave-in moisturiser. That was harder than I thought as Sunday was just about the busiest especially around the time I came in. Ashley and I got the time to take some pictures in the Mini Cooper, just for fun.

On the closing day I played with colour for my make up.

in the Mini cooper with Ashley!

I tried to take advantage of the deals they were having on some products in the Brydens Stokes “store” and bought make up remover wipes for $8 :). As well as 6 bags of pink and white marshmallows and a huge bag of blick licorice Twizzlers, which I love! You never see black liquorice here…

Closer look at my make up.. though it’s a good few hours old.

On the note of food, I loved that the volunteers were catered for by such great chefs. The food from Caribbean Villa Chefs was exceptional, despite the couple hiccups we had at first. I would definitely recommend them for those of of you planning a special event. Also there was also a number of pastry shops. “Do it Sweet Cakes & Treats” by Chef Damien Mason had amazing treats. Chocolate cake soaked in Baileys= WIN. Plus their White Cholocolate Strawberry Champagne truffles were divine! There booth was so full, I still haven’t gotten the chance to buy anything. But I at least have their business card. There was also a local wine maker who made Rum Creme in orginial and chocolate. It was so lovely, as well as another wine I tried at another booth, the name is yet to be remembered, hahaha. It was a red wine with Dulce in the title though.

Finally I toured the Concorde, very briefly. It was the last tour for the day and it was very rushed, but I still took as many pictures as possible! All in all it was a good event, definitely well attended. I would probably do it again!

Tyrell being my guide along the Concorde

It’s been grueling already… but videos are coming !

Hi everyone! (PS: I was typing this from my tablet and on 4 hours of sleep, so please excuse any typos.)
College is back in session and with a bang. I am still feeling a bit unprepared, but luckily I don’t think I’m the only one. Not only the students but the lecturers seem a bit weary and out of sorts.

The other night I had a prep for a lab I had signed up to help out with so I would learn some technique, however none of us not even the instructor knew that time and resources would come to be our enemies. So here it was 12 am and the really challenging parts hadn’t been done as yet. I don’t think I left until it was 2 am, oh for love of subject.

Searching around for reagents delegating tasks and making sure we were doing the right thing, not the mention how much stair climbing I did. I don’t think I’d had a workout like that since PE in 3rd form (14 years old). Did I mention that I had a class for 8 am class the next day? Oh my gosh was it hard to get out of bed at 6:30.

We had a good group of people with us though, stopped many from falling asleep and considering it was our first time, I think we did a good job.

I still have one last back to school video to post. The well awaited outfits for school. Mind you I’m not a diva when it comes to school, I would choose comfort over fashion most days, though I still do have my weird style to it. So for the video, I tried to strip out of my box of practical jeans and easy graphic tees for something a bit more fun and cute. If I had no labs, or wasn’t always at school for hours on end, especially in these chilly classrooms, then I’d be killing these outfits. Who knows though, I might just wear a couple when I have a light day. 🙂

Strangely enough, I have not felt like vlogging my back to school experiences. I just think it’s a bit too boring. It is final year and so far not much exciting things have happened. But we’ll see.

My August favourites is coming, I’d love to have it up before the week is out actually, so I may complete editing that today.

That’s all for now. How has your first day been? Is back to school as exciting as the ads make it? Or are you just having a settling week like I am? Feeling a bit unprepared or anxious as to what this semester will hold? Why not tell me about it in the comments!

XOXO

Lazy Sunday Chit Chat: School & Fall

Hey all! Finally got back to writing these chit chats which I missed posting. This Sunday is the final day of vacation before dreaded school starts back. I know it’s not great to have such a bad attitude about school because it will benefit me in the long-run, but really I’m just feeling sad about it starting again.

This year is my final year of university and despite having registered, I don’t feel ready to return tomorrow. I feel like a need another week to upload videos, read blogs and to go buy school supplies, which I have slacked on purchasing this summer. Very unlike me, because I love stationery and that’s what excites me most about going to school.

Regardless, I don’t feel like my summer has been wasted at all this year. I may not have gotten a paying job, but I did many things which I’m very happy about, spent time with friends and family, kept my videos and post very consistent and even had some new adventures, one which you will hopefully be seeing very soon. (Hint: it has something to do with film.) Some things this summer could have been better, but I’m hoping as the year goes by that I can improve that. 

I have big goals for this school year  which I will hopefully achieve to the best of my ability as well as quickly. Funny thing though, at the beginning of the school year I feel more inclined to make life changes or set new goals than at New Years.

Speaking of school, you may have noticed that I’m doing Back to School videos. A tad late, but nonetheless informative, so make sure to check it out. I’ll have a direct link to the related posts in the right sidebar.

Anyway, I’ve also been thinking about Fall. The season not the action haha. I know in Barbados we don’t get Fall or Autumn as some call it, just year-long sunshine or the occasional rainfall. It’s the one thing that makes me envoious of the countries with 4 seasons. I love cold weather apparel, the cute woolen UGG boots, oversized knit sweaters, and hoodies. Leggings (the one of the only times it’s acceptable to wear leggings as pants), calf-high leather boots, funky socks, super comfy pajamas, scarves and of course, beanies and barets!

This year I’m hoping to do a fall lookbook using Polyvore, taken inspiration from the MBFW Fall 2012 collections. I’ve already started compiling looks I want to recreate or add my own quirks to.
If you have any suggestions for looks, don’t hestitate to tell me. You could leave it as a comment, or email me at chrisamoryt@gmail.com.

XOXO

Lazy Sunday Chit Chat: Surprises and Disappointments

I am over the moon to say that Shanele (one of my bffs) is finally back from Cuba to spend a bit of time home before school starts back! She surprised me one evening (maybe a week or 2 ago) by showing up at my home. I was asleep and thought I was dreaming like times before hahaha. So I sat in my kitchen just staring at her and smiling. Weird right, but I really missed her and the time we would spend together and it was really difficult to come to terms with her being gone for what seemed like a lifetime.

Grand Kadooment was eventful I could say. It started off normal, got a bit dull before I left home to watch the bands and eventually it worked it’s way up to a nice climax. I must say though, some of my guys friends are some caring and heroic individuals. I was so proud of them. Before you ask what I mean by that I’ll tell you, the short story of course!

We were perched from our vantage point while some revellers passed when Blackman, Rayside and my boyfriend Tyrell, realised that there was one reveller who was passed out and had left her band to rest nearby. She was passed out from before we got there and she still hadn’t woken up by the end of the revelling. They started to become concerned about her wellbeing as it was getting later, while I (sadly) was a little more calm about the situation, thinking she would be ok.

Well that was not enough for them and they did the most honourable thing I’ve ever seen anyone do. They lifted this girl from where we were to the nearest police station, despite the scoffs and silly somments of on-lookers. I just could not believe it. They cared for a stranger that much :). From that experience I’ve learnt not to take everything too lightly, but we should look out for our fellow countrymen although sometimes even I know I stress too much. I was just so proud of them and it ended my day on a great note.

Once more this week I’ve learnt something. Sometimes you set your hopes up for things you thought people wanted and when the time comes, they really let you down, and not even in a mature way. They side step the situation and run away. It’s no fun when you’re the one left holding the junk as they scurry off. The worse part is, it wasn’t exactly your idea, but you took your time and effort to work on things which people have suggested and even if it’s not exactly the same, they don’t always appreciate it. That could have been effort spent somewhere else.  

I think others should look back and assess if they’ve done that to others because eventually, the person will get tired of the let downs and stop doing anything. Try to work on following through with plans and at least being gracious. The effort put in is often priceless and shows how much that person cares about you.

This weekend has actually been pretty good though and I’m quite happy about that. Despite the pending arrival Tropical Depression, home life has been calm and dare I say… easy? Everyone was in high-spirits on Saturday, and today I’m supposed to be going out again to meet up with Shanele, Ashley, et partners lol. That should be interesting once the weather holds up. I can’t wait!

Going to be a busy week, but I hope you enjoy your lazy Sunday and even though tomorrow is Monday try not to get the weekend blues, please?

XOXO

All in all this week has held it’s high-points and moments of utter disappointment, and that’s what’s been onmy mind this Sunday.

Lazy Sunday Chit Chat: Make up & Kadooment

Hey all! This Lazy Sunday post is pretty late. Might even be Monday by the time the video uploads. But anyway, this Sunday I woke up feeling to put some make up on, so I tried out a few looks for the fun of it.
Who’s going Kadooment tomorrow? I am!! Hope to see some of you there 🙂  and of course I’ll be vlogging most of it. Though I’m not sure sure about what I’m going to wear… hmmm

XOXO