NCS-Week 1

Hi, I apologize for the fact that I have not posted in 2 weeks, but as most of you know I have been taking part in NCS, you read my post about it here. Because of the lack of WiFi and the fact that our week was packed with activities I never got the chance to post, and when I got home for the weekend I was extremely tired and wanted to just catch up on sleep and YouTube. I will have a post about the last week I spent at Durham university but today I will be posting about my first week of NCS. It was one of the most challenging but fun weeks of my life. I discovered I had a fear of heights and tried to challenge that and I also made some incredible friends along the way. So I'm just going to tell you what I did throughout the week. None of these photos were taken by me because only one person in our group was allowed to take photos during the activities.

Tuesday 7th July
The day that we got the coach up to Kingswood in Hexham, I was feeling quite nervous to begin with because a lot of the people in my team knew each other already and I felt a bit left out and to begin with we weren't really that close. Once we got to Kingswood which was an hour away we got our rooms and sorted out everything in there. Then we had our first activity, the first thing that we did was Hopes and Fears which was where we just talked to our group about our worries about that week. We then went on to our proper first activity which was Night Line. A blindfolded obstacle course, my friend Taela held my hand through all of it because I couldn't hear what any one was saying, I got really muddy but it was really fun. We then had dinner, the food wasn't too bad and after that did fencing, which I wasn't that great at. Our last activity of the day was meant to be Problem Solving, but our instructor was just telling us all riddles, because we found that to be a lot more fun.

Wednesday 8th July
The beds were not very comfortable and we had to wake up at 7:00 am in order to get breakfast at 7:45, so that was a struggle especially on the first morning. Our first activity on Wednesday was Rock Climbing, I have no upper body strength so I was really bad at that, but I did have a go. We then had review which we just discussed how we were feeling. Shelter building was after that but the weather was getting worse, however we didn't let that get us down. We also had our first Archery Lesson that day, I am also not very good at that but I had ago. After Dinner we had one of my favourite Activities which was the 3G Swing, which is a massive swing, we didn't go right to the top like the others, because I got really worried, but it was such an adrenaline kick. By this time our team was really starting to gel, and I started getting close to Bethany, through an inside joke which spiralled out of control.

Thursday 9th July
The weather was getting better and we had another review session to begin with, we then did Jacobs ladder, which I hurt my leg on and got a massive bruise. However it was really fun. Afterwards we had another archery lesson thing, I started to improve but i'm still not great. We then had knife skills, and abseiling, which I got to the top and couldn't abseil down so I went back down the stairs. We also did  Zorbing on this day, that was really fun, although all of the boys thought it would be funny to try their best to knock into me as hard as they could.

Friday 10th July
On the Friday we had high equilibrium on our list, however I didn't do that, it was way too high. We had environmental art, fire lighting. We then had leap of faith, which my friend Amir challenged me to get quarter of the way up, but with some encouragement from my team I got half way up before I started to panic. During that day we also had Zip lining, we had to get to the top of the same tower as abseiling, and I was really panicking, but the instructor and my friend Bethany helped me get through it and I had the most fun ever. Apparently I never stopped smiling when I was on it. We then had team challenge which was an obstacle course we had to complete, it definitely wasn't easy but we had fun trying.

Saturday 11th July
Our first activity was rock climbing on the big abseiling tower, I was really bad at this but kept trying my best to get as high as possible. We then made bottle rockets for our last activity at kingswood. We were all quite sad to leave, especially me. Because although I was really challenged, I had so much fun. I had also gotten really close to the people in my group and we were getting along really well, I knew at that point that these weren't just friends for NCS, they were friends for life.

So I hope you've enjoyed the little run down of my first week of NCS, it honestly has been one of the best experiences of my life and if you get the chance to do it, you should grab it with both hands. I have learnt so much about myself, and I became so much more comfortable with being myself around others, and not worrying about what they think of me. Because actually I am quite a loud person, but in order for me to be myself, I have to be around people who I feel 100% comfortable with, like my team for NCS. Hopefully this post wasn't too boring, and I will be posting a lot more now fingers crossed. Enjoy some of the photos I am leaving below.

Until Next Time, Katie

Top 5 Drugstore Pink Lipsticks

Hey, so some of you may have read my Top 5 Drugstore Nude Lipsticks Post, and I thought I would do a similar thing but with bright pinks. For the summer I love wearing brighter lipticks as it can really change a simple makeup look. I hope you enjoy the post.

 Rimmel Kate Moss 06

I love the packaging of this lisptick it is really sleek. I also love the scent of these lipsticks they are sort of sweet vanillary(If that makes sense). These lipsticks are really creamy and apply nicely to the lips. The colour it gives off is really bright and well pigmented as sort of pinky coral colour. I think this shade is great for summer and spring when you cant to be a bit more daring.

Avon Ultra Color Rich Brilliance Lipstick- Pink Paparazzi 

This lipstick has such a long name haha. I think the packaging is beautiful and I love how the actual lipstick has a sort of pattern on it, it reminds me a bit of the Burberry Lipsticks. This is definitely a more creamy sheer lipstick, with a Barbie pink sort of shade. I think it's perfect if you want to try a bolder lip, but don't want it to be too bold. It also has a bit of shimmer in it, which you can see in the photo, but I think these creates quite a nice look on the lips. 

MUA Lipstick- Shade 3

Like most of the MUA lipsticks this  lipstick is really creamy, however do not last long on the lips. I love the packaging of the MUA lipsticks, and I love the shade of it, as it is sort of a darker bright pink. I love the way it looks and feels on the lips as well, it is a great shade for the summer. 

L'Oreal Caresse- Rose Mademoiselle

This lipstick is the lightest out of the 5 and also the sheerest. I am in love with the packaging of these lipsticks, they seem like they could be high end. The shade is a sort of blue toned pink, which sometimes I can find quite hard to wear, but I have been getting used to it. I love the fact that it is quite sheer because it is perfect for the summer. This is the least bright out of the 5 and probably the easiest to wear on a day-to-day basis.

Makeup Revolution Super WOW-  Hanging on The Telephone

I mentioned these lip crayons in my Makeup Revolution Haul and I have fell in love with all of them. I love how easy they are to apply and also the pigmentation of all of the colours. My only problems are that they are really matte and can sometimes sit quite uncomfortably on the lips, so I make sure I use a lip balm before applying these so that my lips don't dry out. I love this shade as it is a really bright Fuschia Pink which is quite a daring colour. But they hardly move on your lips during the day.

I hope you have enjoyed reading this post, as I mentioned in my last post I will be starting NCS next week and I will have no internet where I am going, so there will be no posts during the week. 

What is your favourite summer lipstick?

Until Next time, Katie x

NCS

Hey, so I know I said I would be posting a lot more because exams have finished, but I have been really busy with my school musical and I've had a bit of a writer's block. Anyway I thought today I would tell you a  bit about NCS, I start my programme with NCS next week, and I wanted to let you know what it is about and what it involves so that maybe next year you can say Yes To NCS. You can find the website at www.ncsyes.co.uk

So NCS stands for National Citizen Service, which is a programme for 15-17 year olds ran in England and Northern Ireland. It takes place in the spring and autumn, but the most popular time is in the summer. You may have heard certain Youtuber's talk about it because they are ambassadors, and that's where I heard of it first, but then my School also talked about it and I thought it was an experience that I didn't want to miss.

I think the most daunting thing for me about signing up to NCS is that none of my close friends were doing it as well, most the people I knew were doing it with at least someone they knew. However NCS is about making new friends, and in your team there will be some people you don't know, but you can write down the names of friends you would like to be with in the signing up process. I went to different meetups and met a lot of my team members there, it really boosted my confidence. I met my team and team leader a few weeks ago, we did some sort of ice breaker activities and we got along really well, but if you don't feel comfortable in your team you can easily be moved. Our team started up a Facebook group chat, and some of us have met up to just hang out and get to know each other a bit better before we actually go on the programme. This really helped as I feel a lot more comfortable with talking to my team. 

So on to the actual Programme....

1st Week

The first week we spend at an outdoor activity centre. There we will do activities like Rock Climbing, Hiking, Canoing and just facing our fears in general. This is a great time to get to know your team mates and just have fun.

2nd Week

The second week we will spend at a local university, we will learn how to cook, budget, create a great CV. Also we can explore more skills that we might have a passion for.

3rd Week

The third week we stay at home, but meet up with our NCS team and come up with a Social Action Project which will benefit our communities, we have to plan and fundraise to support something that we are passionate about in the community. 

Graduation

After we have completed NCS we have a great big party to celebrate with all of the new friends that we have made and wiill hopefully stay in contact with. 

So I guess that's it, all you need to know about NCS. I come home for every Sunday and Monday between the weeks of NCS and I think I will be doing some sort of Blog Diary of what happens in each week. So please let me know if that will interest you.

I said Yes to NCS, are you going to?

Until Next Time, Katie x