My Study Space Essentials

Three weeks into my degree with The Open University and I am loving it. For those of you who don't know, The Open University offers a wide range of courses which you complete in the comfort of your own home. The fact that I can control when I study and where I study benefits my learning style completely. I am studying three modules this year; the arts past and present, beginner's German and English for academic purposes online. My first assignments are all due in, in the next two weeks so, I thought it would be interesting to show you where I work from - my desk.

I love working from my desk. Everything I want is at an arms length. Stationary wise, here are the pens I use most: polka dot pen from Paperchase, Bic pink, blue, green and purple ball points from Amazon and Sharpie yellow, orange, pink and blue highlighters from Staples. I am actually obsessed with these pens.

Other stationary bits I have been loving are Tipp-Ex correction fluid from Staples, flexible ruler from Wilkinsons, floral washi tape from eBay and page markers from eBay.

When it comes to notebooks, I have been using the Oxford Campus project book from WHSmith for all my main notes. The plastic dividers in this notebook are really handy to separate my work from each module. I also use these polka dot exercise books from Paperchase. One for German vocabulary, one for essay plans and one for new words and definitions. I'm finding them very useful at the moment.

Tech-wise, I have been truly and utterly fascinated by my wireless mouse. For some reason, I have been kept in the dark from wireless mice so I marched down to Morrisons and picked one up for £8. I must say, it was the best £8 I have ever spent.

I have also been enjoying organising my week thanks to my planner from WHSmith. I may even give in to the FiloFax hype one day...

Hope you've enjoyed looking at my study space faves!

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Hannah x

Seventeen Va Va Voom Mascara // Makeup Monday

Do you ever feel like trying out a new mascara? Mascara is the one makeup product I always purchase differently! I rarely buy high end mascaras as the product doesn't last that long and you're supposed to change your mascara quite regularly... (I don't... Guilty). One of my most favourite mascaras is from the brand Seventeen at Boots, so, I went to that section and picked one up. It promised a, 'false lash effect with staying power.' Sounds good to me, I thought. I bought the waterproof version as I was going on holiday the week after so I could take it with me and wear it in the warm weather.

I have been wearing this mascara for the past two months and I am not disappointed. When I first applied this product, I was shocked by how much volume it gave me. When I saw my friends, they all thought I had a pair of false eyelashes on. That's how good this is. I'd compare the effect it gives to the Benefit They're Real Mascara. It's an absolute bargain at only £6.29. It is worth every penny!


The brush is made out of tapered bristles and let me warn you, it's quite chunky. Hence where the volume comes from. If you have small eyelashes, I'd give this product a miss as it could get extremely messy. Especially, at the first couple of uses as the formula is quite wet to begin with. However, if you have medium to long lashes, go out and grab this gem of a product!!

The mascara comes in three versions, that I'm aware of, black, brown and waterproof black. It is sold in Boots and you can buy it by clicking here.

What's your current favourite mascara? Let me know in the comments below.

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Hannah x

Fresh Start @ The Open University

If you have followed me since the start of this blog, August 2013, you would have known that before it became, 'Hannah Notes,' it was originally called, 'Hannah The Fresher.' It feels so long ago, but it was only a year ago I started to study Geography at Swansea University and I hated it. When I finally dropped out in March this year, I took some time out to think about what I actually wanted to do with my life. This is a hard task for a nineteen year old girl. I still find it bizarre how we're supposed to have it all figured out when we're picking our GCSE subjects. I thought about an apprenticeship and was even offered a full time job as a shift manager, but I knew they just were not the right thing to do in my situation. I did my research, Googled a few things, searched on YouTube and decided that the right direction for me would be studying at The Open University.

For those of you who don't know what The Open University is, it's an online university where you do your course at home and have the option of full time or part time study. Now some people cannot get their head around this concept, but it's exactly the same as conventional university life, just at home and mostly online. You have set assignments which you send in every month and, even have exams, where you go to the nearest exam centre to sit your paper. There are tutorials held with your tutors and you even have meetings with your tutorial group online. You can also apply for student finance just like every other university in the UK. So, there's really not much difference is there?

One of the main reasons I chose to study at home is because I actually want to take my studies seriously and achieve the best result possible. For me, at Swansea University I felt like freshers was too much and don't get me wrong, I love a drink! I just didn't enjoy it. Everything just felt like a joke and I'm not paying that much money to get a degree I didn't even enjoy studying. Do you know what I mean? So, I chose to study a subject which I love. I'm going to chase my dreams with the help of this blog and my degree. I want to be a writer. It will happen. It'll be tough and I understand that, but I have always loved writing. Even when I was younger, I used to make a mini magazine for the family.

As of October the 4th, 2014, I am an English Literature and Creative Writing student at The Open University and I cannot wait!

Are you going to university this year? What are you studying?

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Hannah x

The Comforter by Lush

As the sun sets, and the colder months begin to make their way into our lives, we need to take care of ourselves. I'm not talking about vitamins and healthy eating here, I'm talking baths with bubbles. Lots and lots of bubbles. Ever since I was a young girl, I have always found bubble baths so relaxing. There's something special about dipping your first toe in to check the temperature and then completely submerging yourself in the tub. On a cold, wet and windy day, there's nothing more I look forward to than coming home and running a bath. Add in a hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows and maybe a few candles lit, and I am in heaven. Baths are one of my favourite things about Autumn/Winter.

When it comes to bath products, I always used to get a load over Christmas and then use them throughout the year. I never treated myself and went out to buy a nice bubble bath or anything. This was until quite recently where I was walking through the streets of Swansea and smelt that smell... You know the one.... That Lush smell. It was a cold day and the smell enticed me into the shop. Since then, I've never looked back.

I always make sure I have at least one Lush product at the house, just in case I need a bit of bath TLC. I seem to always repurchase the same product, and I don't care. I love it. It's appealing to the eye and smells so luxurious. It's also pink, which is always a plus right?! It is of course, The Comforter (buy here). As soon as you smell this beauty, you'll immediately want to buy it. Packed with a blackcurrant fragrance which results in pink bath water, what more could you want? I really do think this bubble bar is the one.

What are your favourite Lush products? 

Let me know in the comments below!

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Hannah x