Study/Revision Tips

For many years I've never really had to do any serious revision for exams. However, recently I've had to take my second set of Yr 11 mocks and I've began to find out a range of different study tips. Therefore I thought that it would be helpful to share these tips with you so that, maybe, I can help you with getting through endless and intense revision for important exams that you might be having to take.

The first thing that I would suggest is to set yourself a designated area appropriate for studying. To make this area beneficial for work, it's a good idea to have a comfortable place to sit, depending on what kind of revision or work you're doing you may need something hard to lean on such as a table and it's also better to work in a well lit area that is fairly cool so that you are kept awake since a warm and humid atmosphere can make you sleepy.

Another way to make yourself stay energized whilst working is to eat snacks, depending on your diet and whether you're bothered about eating healthy, you can vary your choice of snack. Above is one of my favourite finger foods to eat to keep my brain awake. It's especially good to consume vitamin c which is naturally found in fruit and vegetables so therefore it's healthy and it's also known to make you feel more awake.  

Along side eating snacks, you should also stay hydrated. Water is needed to make the body function properly so without it your brain isn't going to be working at it's best when you really need it to whilst studying. In the photo above, I've included some mint green tea which I've found is amazing at waking me up when I've fallen off the track of actively working and began to feel a bit sleepy.

It's very true that revising is very mundane and tedious which is why rewarding yourself after doing each piece of work is key. Doing this helps motivate you to finish each piece as you know that there is something to look forward once you've completed it, this way it doesn't feel as long and boring as it would if you didn't. One of my favourite ways of rewarding myself is by watching a YouTube video, text someone or scroll through Twitter or Tumblr on my phone.

To keep your blood flowing through your body and to stay awake, it's a good idea to get up once in a while to go for a walk or even a light jog. This benefits your health as well and keeping you motivated to power on through your work.

A further way to prevent studying from becoming dull, depending on if you can work whilst it's playing, you can listen to music. Personally I can't always concentrate whilst listening to upbeat and loud music, and for that reason I tend to listen to quiet and mellow music with little loud singing.

An additional thing I like to do is use brightly coloured pens and highlighters. This allows me to make different sections easily noticeable and also allows revising to be much more fun. I also like to use coloured sticky notes to pinpoint different pages in books, making them easier to find. It's also a good idea to underline key phrases or quotes.

It's always handy to have an A4 note pad of some kind. They are great for taking notes in lessons and then revising them later on or to use as a place to produce pieces of revision. The main use of my notebook is to read information and put it into my own words. I've found that this type of revision works best for me so far.

My final study tip is to keep a planner. Lucky for me, my school give us a new planner at the beginning of every year for free which I find very helpful. A planner allows you to record any work you need to get done, therefore you can check and instantly find out what you need to do each night and for when. It's also the greatest feeling in the world being able to cross out a dreaded task from your planner once you've completed it. 

I hoped you enjoyed this post and be sure to lookout for another one soon! :) 

Becky x

My Current Favourites

Considering that it's not too long after christmas, and we're all beginning to get to know our new presents and deciding whether they are ones to treasure or ones to put in the back of the cupboard, I've decided to do a review on my current favourite products and items. Many of these are christmas presents, which I'm very thankful for, and others are items that I've owned for a while but only just started to love. These reviews may also give you some present ideas for family and friends in the future. 

My first favourite product is Daisy by Marc Jacobs. I've been wanting this perfume for ages and ages however I kept putting it off considering it's more of an expensive perfume and I would always end up spending my money on other things. Luckily this year I was given it as a Christmas present from my boyfriend and I'm so happy that I finally own it. It's a very spring-like scent and isn't too strong but stays on for a very long time.

My next favourite product is the Wake Me Up concealer by Rimmel. This concealer is my go to, especially when I have an annoying spot that needs covering. I bought this because I heard many good reviews on it and now I understand why. This product is perfect for those who don't have the money to splurge on expensive, high-end makeup products and for those who need something that does the job. I would definitely recommend this product. 

Another favourite of mine is Mint Green Tea by Tetley. Green tea has literally became my go to drink to wake me up after a long day at school and now replaces coffee in my life. To begin with I didn't like the taste of green tea at all and only drank it because I had heard that it was good for you, no matter if it was flavoured or not. However after forcing myself to drink it a couple of times a week, I began to like it and enjoyed making myself cosy and snuggled up with this warm beverage. I've also began to enjoy this drink so much that I now crave it during the day and become excited to go home and relax with a nice mug hot green tea (sounds crazy I know).

For the past few months I've really began to enjoy and get the hang of doing winged eyeliner and now wear it pretty much every day. My next product is the Blackbuster eyeliner pen by L'Oreal Paris. This eyeliner really helped me when first starting out with winged eyeliner and although the nib is rather thick, the pen allowed me to have control whilst attempting the task of achieving 'okay' eyeliner. I now use this pretty much every day and I'm very pleased with how long this product has lasted. I believe it was well worth the money!

During the winter, especially when outside walking or playing sports in PE, my lips become very chapped. To help prevent this I like to wear the Nivea Lip Butter. I have two varieties of this product; the vanilla & macadamia and also the raspberry rosé scent. Both of these lip butters are equally effective and very moisturising. I don't have a favourite and I love both of the scents equally.

Since Christmas was only a month ago, I decided to include this product in my favourites. During the festive period I enjoyed using the Rimmel Lasting Finish Pro nail varnish in the colour Stiletto Red. I particularly loved this colour because to me it's like an authentic red and the colour I think of when I think of the word red. Also this colour was the only festive coloured nail varnish that I own which is of a good quality and because I wore it so much throughout Christmas time, that it has grown on me and I now love this nail polish. 

My last favourite item is in fact another Christmas present that I received from my boyfriend, which is the Snowflake Cookie Yankee Candle. I had already burnt this Yankee Candle scent in the tealights form which I was also given by my mum, who also knows how much I love candles, and loved the smell of them even though it was the middle of summer. So therefore as soon as I realised what Yankee Candle scent I had received I was very excited since I already knew how much I loved it. Even though this candle is meant for Christmas time, in my opinion, I believe that it's suitable to burn all year round and is the perfect vanilla scent and makes your room smell yummy like cookies for a very long time. 

I hoped you enjoyed my favourites and be sure to stick around for more blog posts in the future! :) x