Onwards & upwards.

I'm not going to be blogging here every single day, but a lot of people have asked me to keep them updated with what i'm getting up to and this is probably the easiest (and cheapest) way to do that.
After my mini meltdown yesterday, there wasn't really a way for anything to get worse.
(I lie, I could've lost my luggage and money and basically had nothing). So when I woke up on my second day I had a bit of a more positive outlook on my time here. I'm missing my family a hell of a lot, and after a few phone calls with each of them this morning (last night for them), I got myself up and dressed and went outside. It was a bit overcast yesterday, so when I went out on today to see blue sky and sunshine, it automatically made me feel a lot better. It still feels bizarre than i'm wandering around in shorts and sunglasses in February, however.
I've still to visit the Vodafone shop again as my mobile data isn't working, which is why I need to keep going to University to use their WIFI. I still need to buy a WIFI router for my room, and pillows. Last night I used a pillowcase stuffed with my clothes. I also need to figure out how to work the air con in my room. Last night it came on at 3am and as I only have a bedsheets (they don't really have duvet's here) I was bloody freezing, so I need a blanket. I also need to call Halifax to transfer my money here which is a complete and total pain in the arse. You know the FRIENDS episode where Chandler listens to a tape during the night to help him stop smoking? "You are a strong independent woman...", I keep replaying that to myself in my head.

My new University!

Tonight i'm meeting up with a couple of girls from my University back in Leeds, and I can't wait to have a real conversation with someone and have someone to socialise with.
Tomorrow a girl i've been chatting with on Facebook from France is moving into my building, so that's another opportunity to meet someone else. Then on Tuesday I have my orientation.
I just feel like after a rather depressing post yesterday, I needed to let everyone know back home that i'm doing okay now. The homesickness is still here, but I suppose that will fade with time.
I'm starting to feel like i'm a mix between Samwise Gamgee and Bilbo Baggins.

Why be in piss-wet through freezing Leeds when you can be in sunny, beautiful Melbourne?
I'm starting to get excited again about all of the opportunities I will have here. Once i'm in my new room next week and i've unpacked properly I feel like everything will start to fall into place.
𝕒𝕟𝕟𝕒𝕓𝕖𝕝

Rambling Post #8: Australia, initial thoughts.

Well, it happened. Here I am. Land of the man eating spiders and chlamydia-ridden Koalas.
(If parts of this post don't make sense, then it's because i'm writing it at 6:30pm that should be 7:30am and I am in fact extremely jet lagged)
There are a few reasons why I write a blog. One of them being I like having a space where I can rant about things and just be as honest as I want to be. Well this is going to be one of those posts.
If people read this they'd probably think i'm spoiled and ungrateful and taking this opportunity for granted, which I 100% am not, it's just moving to a different continent has completely drained me, physically and emotionally.
It all started with my transfer from the airport. I thought I had it all booked and sorted (the University i'm studying at here offers free transfers to accommodation), but when I turned up to tell the guy I was here, he told me he expected me yesterday and didn't have enough room on the bus. I completely forgot to take into account the time difference like an absolute pleb. I then had to get a $60 taxi to my accommodation, and as this was the first task of my adventure, I started to feel like a complete failure.
When I eventually got to my apartment, I was taken to my room which was around the back and in a separate building to most of the other apartments. I was doing study abroad so I could meet lots more people not so I could be out of the way. Admittedly this upset me, and the homesickness began to kick in, and kick some more. For the first time in my life I felt completely alone. My phone wasn't yet set up for the country I was in so that was out of use and I had no wifi and most of all I didn't know anyone. I let myself have a little cry then decided I needed to do something about it. I hopped on the bus into Melbourne City (I haven't got a picture of it yet but it looks AMAZING), to try and sort out my bank and phone contract. But yet again, Annabel did a boo boo. I forgot my passport (UK driving licenses aren't valid here). So I decided to kill time and walk rather than bus to my accommodation. On the way I went into my University;s cafeteria to use the WIFI, which made me break down with emotion yet again. After some very encouraging words from a very good pal of mine, I got up and went to speak to my landlord about swapping rooms so I could be in the main building. He said 'yep, not a problem' (if you've seen H20: Just Add Water, he totally reminds me of Cleo's Dad). So next week i'll be switching rooms.
1 problem fixed.
I picked up my passport and went down to the bank to open up a bank account.
2 problems fixed.
I also nipped into the Vodafone shop to get a contract for my phone.
3 problems fixed.
The only problems remaining are that I don't really know anyone yet, and i'm struggling to transfer my Halifax money into my Aussie bank account.
I appreciate that this is a long and whiney post about something so exciting, but there are good and bad parts to everything and I feel like if I don't write about the bad parts, then I won't get the most our of the good parts.
The way I look at it at the moment is; it's only day 1, and I knew it wasn't going to be the happiest of days. Things can only look up from now on.
𝕒𝕟𝕟𝕒𝕓𝕖𝕝
ps. I also don't have pillows on my bed.

On my way.

So here I go. Off on an adventure, completely by myself. I'm like Bilbo Baggins. If you went back 5 years and told 16 year old me that i'd be doing this, there's absolutely no way i'd believe you. I'm currently sat on my Emirates flight on the way to Dubai. Looking at the map, i'm just flying out of Europe as I write this.
Without a doubt the most difficult part of this whole thing was saying goodbye to my family. It's the first and only time I kind of wished we weren't so close, then it would have been so much easier. But we're so incredibly close knit and i'm going to miss them all so so much, especially my sister, Emma (sorry Mum & Dad).
As soon as I stepped onto the plane, I wasn't upset anymore, I was just flabbergasted at how swish the plane was! Friends and family had told me about the A380's but they didn't do them justice. There's little twinkly lights on the ceiling like stars and when I sat down the air hostess (pause for Busted outburst) was handing out warm lemon-scented flannels on a silver tray using silver tongs. I can't cope with the poshness! And don't get me started on the TV. I've already watched 2 Star Wars films, i'll probably start a 3rd soon.
For once, the plane food was LOVELY. Chicken, cheesey mash, gravy and vegetables. With a tuna salad starter, a chocolate pudding dessert and a baby pack of Tic Tac's for afterwards.
Next to the TV there are multiple types of plug sockets and USB ports to charge phones and things with. Then there's the whole reason i'm able to write this blog post - free wifi! It feels so strange to be messaging my family and browsing Facebook whilst up in the air.
I'd love to go upstairs and see what the business class looks like but i'll like a bit of a peasant up there.
I also got a free pillow and blanket. So I am nice and cosy.
If the woman in front of me would stop kicking up a fuss and the man next to me would stop snoring then I am in for a very pleasant flight.
The next time I write i'll hopefully be in my new home.
𝕒𝕟𝕟𝕒𝕓𝕖𝕝

Choosing the right foundation.

That noticed that it's been a while since I did a beauty related post, and when it comes to make up, one of the biggest problems I face (scuse the pun) is getting the right foundation. It's either too thick/too dark/too pale/not enough coverage/doesn't last/too oily..... There are a lot of factors in choosing one that's right for you.

So I thought i'd just write some quick reviews on foundations I have tried in the past in case it helps any of you guys out!

1. Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse

When I was in high school I wore Maybelline's Matte Mousse every single day. I loved the stuff. I found a shade that matched my skin perfectly and as this was the period where I had only just started to wear make up, it didn't feel too heavy on my skin or make me look too 'caked up'. If you're after a light foundation just to even out your skin tone then this is perfect.

2. MAC Studio Fix Fluid
If this foundation was a person, I would worship the ground it walked on. I seriously can not rave about this foundation enough. Depending on how much you put on, you can choose the amount of coverage you'd like, for instance through the day i put on a small amount to just even out my skin, then when I go out I like a bit more coverage. I love this when I go out because if you're like me and dance a lot when you go out, this doesn't show up how shiny you are - and you don't need powder on top!

3. No7 Stay Perfect Foundation

I didn't use this one for that long, so as you can guess it didn't make a lasting impression. It pretty much just had the same problem most foundations do - didn't last very long. I went for the colour match service that they were doing in Boots as I was really struggling to find a foundation that matched my skin. Fortunately, the one they picked out for me (Calico, and also the palest), matched quite well. I was just disappointed with how long it lasted on my face.

(Photo unavailable - I stupidly binned this one a few weeks ago!)

4. Rimmel Wake Me Up Anti-Fatigue Foundation
I like to use this foundation as an emergency one when I run out of my MAC. It gives perfectly good coverage and applies fairly evenly. There are only 2 things that make me reach for my MAC foundation more than this one. The first being that this one doesn't last very long. I'd find that after a few hours most of the foundation will have worn off. The second is due to it being quite a shiny and oily foundation, powder is needed on top.

5. NARS Sheer Glow Foundation

Honestly, I was pretty disappointed with this foundation. It could have been a case of not being suited for my skin type, but I really didn't like anything about it, which is annoying - especially for the price you pay! I've heard a lot of people rave on about this one but I seriously couldn't attach to it. The shade I chose was too pale and I found it started to wear off my face after less than an hour. Honestly for this one i'd advise you not to waste your money!

I feel your pain ladies (or men!). Choosing the right foundation can be a nightmare until you find 'the one', so I hope this has helped!
𝕒𝕟𝕟𝕒𝕓𝕖𝕝

Rambling Post #7: My brain is on overdrive.

It's exactly 2 weeks today that I pack up and leave everyone and everything to go live at the other side of the world and do what is probably the scariest and most daring thing I have ever done in my 21 years. In the past week, it has slowly started to dawn on me that this is actually happening. Before the new year it was just something that will eventually happen to me next year, and it felt like it was ages away. But 2016 is already flying by and in 14 days I will be calling another country home.

I used to hate going to town by myself or sitting alone in a public place (which incidentally is what i'm doing now). So to go from being such a socially awkward, shy and comfort-zone friendly teenager to an actual proper grown up adult moving to a different continent by herself I think shows how much i've changed in the past few years.

So as it crept into February, anxiety started to creep in. I don't really suffer from anxiety, don't get me wrong there are a lot of things that make me feel nervous and unsure but the only thing that really gives me panic attacks are confined spaces (yay for a 22 hour flight). As a result, a million questions keep whizzing through my mind.

What if I don't make friends? What if there's a spider in my loo and I don't know how to get rid of it? What if I get the wrong flight and end up in Zimbabwe? What if I miss everyone so much I don't enjoy myself? What if the Australians think my accent is weird? What if the Australians just think i'm weird? What if they don't let me in the country because there's a slight bit of mud on my shoes? What if I get eaten by a Kangaroo? What if I don't get the hang of cooking and die of starvation? What if the people that live in my building are weird?

And every time I just need to stop myself and think;

What if I meet the most amazing friends? What if I don't encounter any deadly creatures? (Unlikely) What if I come back with a tan? What if I have the most amazing time and absolutely love the whole thing?

I think the main thing I need to keep telling myself is yeah, it's probably going to be upsetting at first and you're going to miss everyone. But then you'll settle in and you'll make friends and you'll go on days to the beach and you'll experience new things and you'll be enjoying this new culture so much that before you know it June will be over and you'll be back in the miserable weather of Britain.

As usual with these rambling posts, there's not really anything people reading it can take from it, I just like to vent sometimes and this is the best way I know how!
𝕒𝕟𝕟𝕒𝕓𝕖𝕝