I'm writing this whilst I should be revising for a Biology exam. I'm sure you're all thinking that I'm an idiot, but there is a reason why I'm on a break... I wanted to talk to you guys about revision today, because I think I've finally settled a decent routine for revision (at least for Bio and subjects where you can be handed 100s of things to revise in a week) that seems to be working. So, I thought I'd share some tips that have been working for me :)

Try something new
If you just keep making flashcards, don't be surprised if you get bored. Even if one method is working really well for you, make sure to try new ways of revising once in a while so you're not just staring at a never ending pile of flashcards for finals. I've really enjoyed making colorful posters and spider diagrams for Bio the past month, and have found that my grades have improved since I started doing something a bit more fun with my work.

Breaks
You need to take a break or you'll burn out. It's really that simple. If you're planning to do 2 hours of work for one subject and then some more for another, you need to have a break between the two. Otherwise you'll end up mixing business with maths or something ridiculous like that. (Word from the not so wise, don't do French and Spanish homework on the same day, you'll end up handing in your French to the Spanish teacher and vice versa. True story.) Even if it's just a five minute walk to and from the fridge to grab a snack, you need to clear your mind before diving back in.So, instead of working on things in large segments, split one hours work into two or three (or even four) segments, if possible. For example, with Biology revision, instead of writing up my notes on the whole chapter in one big go, I've been splitting everything by topic and sub-topic. It makes it easier to understand the overall concept if you can understand each little part.

Take an afternoon off
As much as I can't believe I'm saying this, a few hours off isn't that big of a deal. I'm the type of person who just ploughs through for hours on end and ends up forgetting everything I've worked on. I've started to take Thursday afternoons off, just to have a nice end to the school week and prepare myself for a weekend camped up in my room.

It's always important to remember that you relax (I know that sounds so patronizing), but honestly, I've relaxed so much and sorted myself out (kind of), and it does seem to be paying off. Different people have different methods of working, but don't be afraid to try a new way of revising, especially if you're getting bored.

What methods are you using to revise? Let me know in the comments, and maybe I can try it!

(note:t his isn't supposed to be something to depress you over the oncoming year...as much as it sounds like that)

It seems that the time from Halloween to New Years is the most eventful time of the year. The most stress, the most deadlines, the worst skin... You can't deny it. All of the Halloween candy, the hot chocolates, marshmallows, and more seem to take a toll on your skin, especially in colder countries. After a few days of what can only be described as a skin disaster, I found that these products seemed to help my face calm down. Even better, they're not all ridiculously overpriced. So you can still buy your holiday presents and keep your face looking as amazing as ever.

To make it just a little bit easier, I'll split everything up into categories :)

La Roche-Posay Effaclar, Soap&Glory Vitamin C Facial Wash, St. Ives Naturally Clear Apricot Scrub

Face Wash

Morning - Soap&Glory Vitamin C Facial Wash

I love the smell of this! I wouldn't say that it would be for 'all skin types' as stated, but it is lovely for normal/combination/oily skin. I'd avoid it if you have dry skin, just because it can be quite drying. On the whole, it is lovely for the mornings, as it wakes you up and leaves your face smooth and clean.

Evening - La Roche-Posay Effaclar

This is great after cleansing, as it puts moisture back into your skin whilst helping to fight any imperfections. It smells lovely too! La Roche-Posay as a whole seems to be an overlooked brand, but everything I've tried from them to date has been lovely.

Scrub - St. Ives Naturally Clear Apricot Scrub

This too smells divine! It is quite harsh on the skin, so I'd use it only twice or three times a week. I always go a bit red after scrubbing this away, but the large grains help keep the skin smooth and clear.

Toner and Cleanser

The Body Shop is a store that I've always been fascinated by. As a general rule of thumb, I'd say one should never buy anything from there full price, especially in the UK. If you are a fan of the store, sign up for their Love Your Body Card and practically everyday you will receive offer codes for products. It saves you a ton of money, even during their sales! For toner, I've been ploughing through their Tea Tree Cleanser for a while (it's huge!), and can very proudly say that I'm on the second bottle. I feel it helps to mattify the skin, whilst still keeping it moisturized. Also, whenever I have scarring or pigmentation, it does seem to help reduce that. I also love the camomile cleansing butter. After school, it's my makeup remover of choice, and it removes everything perfectly. Just apply a bit, massage it into the skin, and wipe it off with a wet cloth. Also, one tin lasts a really long time! I've had mine since July, and am only now almost out of it. 

Moisturizers

Day - Clean&Clear Dual Action Moisturizer 

After all the heavy night creams and things I apply before I go to bed, a light moisturizer is all that's needed in the morning. This one claims to have the power to fight spots and moisturize at the same time. Whilst I can't say whether it helped prevent spots, I can say that it is a nice, fragrance free moisturizer which would be great for sensitive skin whilst not making you gouge your eyeballs at the price (we've all been there before). 

Night - The Body Shop Tea Tree Blemish Fade Night Lotion

This really does help reduce scarring. After using it over the summer, I found that it did help to not only prevent spots, but also reduce the scarring I always seem to have afterwards. Great for those stressful times and helping to get to that makeup free skin stage. 

A little extra - The Body Shop Tea Tree Oil

Whilst this doesn't smell the best, it does definitely help keep skin moisturized and reduce spots overnight. A drop of this could be mixed into moisturizer for some extra protection, or just used underneath all of your night cream and serums to help keep skin feeling soft.

Whilst this is on the pricier end of the budget skincare range, I do feel that this is making a difference on my under eyes. Gone is the severe swelling and puffiness that I often got in the morning! I feel the effects of this if I use this at night, wash my face in the morning, wear makeup, remove that makeup and touch my under eyes almost 24 hours later. If you feel like you have some seriously tired looking eyes, spending a bit more on eye cream is a must!

Overall... 

Let me know what budget-friendly items you're using as the weather gets cooler, and what you think of these products if you try them!

Not much has actually happened over the week, the highlight was the extended essay being finally finished. I've been fighting the urge to be unproductive so I managed to find a productive outlet of procrastination (thanks to Tanya *throat clearing*).

Bibliography

Filmography

Ah yes, my area of expertise. Well okay, I haven't had much time to watch any films but there are ones I've seen before...quite a lot, to be honest. Since the to-read was based on a classic, I thought I'd keep the theme going. I love classical films too much. I mean, it's insane.
Speaking of insane...I'll suggest something in the horror/thriller genre to keep a steady flow from one section to the next. I consider classical films to be more effective in building suspense than more modern films, mainly because they don't rely on high budget special effects and CGI to give you a heart attack, but rather something that would be etched into the back of your brain for weeks.

A film I find very effective in a giving goosebumps is Robert Aldrich's 'What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?', starring two of the best actresses of the era (and nemeses): Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. The films is about two sisters, 'Baby Jane' (Davis), a former child star living now under the shadow of her crippled sister Blanche's (Crawford) stardom as they've grown up. A film where you follow a characters descent into madness is a film you really shouldn't miss.

'What Ever Happened to Baby Jane' (dir Robert Aldrich, 1962)

Jams

I like jazz, so sue me. 

I'm a huge John Coltrane fan, there's something so extraordinary about his music and the way he plays. I won't go into it too much because there will be a post coming up (hopefully) on him sometime this week. So I'll just drop by my favorite album by him, because I've been listening to it way too much these past few weeks (Jazz also fits in with the classics theme, don't question me).

Lush Life by John Coltrane is the epitome of coolness. The kind of cool that makes you want to wear sunglasses and drink coffee at 11 o'clock in the night.

The biggest mistake I have made so far in my life- and that's saying a lot because I never make good choices -was my decision to cut off caffeine. There were some issues (which I won't go into) and with some discussion with my mother, we decided the safest choice (in a trial-and-error situation) would be to cut off caffeine. Now, the issue was that my mother thought I only had one to two cups of coffee a day, whereas I had up to four or five. So you can imagine how terrible the withdrawal symptoms must have been (which again, I won't go into). So after two days, we both realized; the now healthiest option is one cup of coffee a day.
Two days of suffering really paid off and I will celebrate with one of my favorite methods to make black coffee: Cafetière À Piston (or less fancy, the french press).

Check Out

• This work-out-while-you-study guide.

Let us know what you've been up to in your weekends!

I'm the kind of person who starts reading a book, and halfway through starts rereading an old book, then goes off and buys at least 5 new books and is left in a pile of twenty thousand books with that one book still unread. Luckily, I've decided to be responsible with my finances so I'm aware of how much money I'm throwing away a week.
I had decided to clean up my room to make space for studying, and just general neatness. I was putting my books away and being a hoarder, I was keeping some to the side in case I wanted to read them again or have them near by. (We all know that is not gonna happen)
One of these books was 'The Unbearable Lightness of Being" by Milan Kundera. It's a book that runs on Nietzschean philosophy, so you need to spend the first few pages understanding eternal recurrence properly.
The story revolves around three characters:
Tomáš, a womanizing surgeon
Tereza, a quiet waitress who moves to Prague after falling madly in love with Tomáš
Sabina (my favorite), an artist and the lover of Tomáš, a true hater of kitsch (as everyone should be)
It's based around the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia and the Czech outcry against communism.
It's definitely worth a check out if you like brain-fuel.

Filmography

I remember having a conversation with my best friend about feel-good movies. It was more of a socratic argument (blame TOK not me) over her film choice for when she was feeling down. Outraged and on a busy metro with no seat, I was one-handedly debating with her over her choice of film. What she said was when she's upset she doesn't want a film she should have to pay attention to, rather have something fun and lowkey and not necessarily a good film. My counter argument was "WHY IN GODS NAME WOULD YOU NOT WANT A GOOD MOVIE TO WATCH????" (that was a quote you can ask her). In the end she won the conversation because I admitted I saw her point.

It got me thinking of bad films. Some films are so terrible that you can't help but love them. If you've heard of or seen 'The Room' you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.

Zardoz.

Zardoz is one of my favorite sci-fi films mainly because it's so horrifically cringe worthy. Directed and written and produced by John Boorman in 1974, Zardoz is about a post-apocalyptic planet earth, which has its humans divided into two groups of immortals and mortals. Cool huh? To make things even more exciting, there's a flying stone head that orders the killing of the mortal group of humans. Didn't think it could get better? Look at what Sean Connery wears:

Writing my novel, I've been listening to a lot of bossanova. For those who aren't familiar with bossanova it's a genre originating from Brazil that's faily similar to samba but most of the musical focus is on the melody. 

I actually love sandwiches. My inner t-rex may scream "STEAK" at the top of it's lungs but i really do love sandwiches more (or even steak sandwiches); especially when I make them at home.

I recently found out I have an intolerance towards avocados, which not only plunged me into a pit of depression, but also meant I needed to find a new recipe for this section. And to be fully honest, I think this recipe is much better than the original one. This is a probably one of the best roast beef sandwich recipes I found and I hope you'll all enjoy it.

• Tanya's review of the NYFW for you fashonistas (or as Joey Tribbiani puts it, "Fash...ists")
• How to turn a soft drink can into a DeLorean for the geeks in all of us 

As we are now in a proper 'back to school' mode,  I thought it would be logical to introduce you all to a website/app that I've been testing out for the past few days. You know you're an IB student when you're reviewing a planner ;) 

My Study Life is a website I stumbled upon randomly, via Tumblr, and decided to just sign up on a whim. I usually love physical planners, but sometimes, my school bag is just too heavy to handle another unnecessary book. Most people I know use their phones to track their work, but I always find that I forget when there's no constant reminder of what is due when. In comes this website, and it's app. At first, I found that putting in my schedule was tedious, but once that's done, it's ridiculously convenient and easy to use. We'll see whether I continue to use this as the year goes on, but for now, it's fun (yes, I mean that) and less stressful to have a site that stores all my timings and plans in one place. It could be argued that the iPhone has all the same features, but the iPhone just doesn't have the same aesthetics as this, with everything all in one app. I'll update you as I continue to use this throughout the year, but for now, I think it's exactly what I needed.

Now that school is back in session, I wanted to update you all on my thoughts. At first, I was obsessed with this site. It was perfect for planning ahead, and putting in all of my assignments easily. However, as usual, as the term has gotten into full swing, I've neglected my planning. It definitely shows, because I've dwindled down to a very small amount of free time. Organization, besides being one of those things I'm obsessed with, is still something I procrastinate on when preparing for school. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one though! Regardless, I'd still recommend this website. When I get used to my routine, I know that I will be using this again.

Have you used a website/app to help you plan? Let me know! I'd love to try out a few new methods of organization!

Since what I'm working on is a postmodern novel, I need some texts to analyze. As crazy as it sounds but it's required. ** The main character, Nicole, meets Bruno. They're discussing Jorge Luis Borges collection of short stories, Ficcones, when Bruno tells Nicole about his theory that the first book in "The New York Trilogy" by Paul Auster is based in the mythological setting of Jorge Luis Borges' short story, "The Lottery in Babylon". So of course coming up with this "theory" I had to read both stories. The Lottery in Babylon is quite interesting, it's run by a law where everything is run by a lottery (chance). It's all one giant extended metaphor about the uncertainty of life as we know it but it is really very interesting and actually a quick read.

(Find it here as a pdf)

A cinéphile friend and I had been discussing their scripts, whose theme reminded me of the cinematographic style of Wes Anderson (I don't know why but it did). Thinking of Wes Anderson, I started thinking about Paul Thomas Anderson. *** Thinking of Paul Thomas Anderson I remembered how he had so much attention to detail in his storylines. 

Phew, that took a while.

The point is, I suddenly became really interested in Paul Thomas Anderson's obsession with close ups and I was almost certain that I'd seen something on it before on the internet. So I had a long, long, search to try and find it (Tanya was busy otherwise it would've taken her five minutes). I eventually found it. It was a two and a half minute video mash up of all of the uses of extreme close ups in Paul Thomas Anderson's filmography and it was pretty darn aesthetically pleasing.

(here's the link on mashkulture)

It's been a long week. I just want to calm down and focus on the important things. What's the soundtrack to this weekend?

Charlie Parker's Bird of Paradise album. 

Charlie "Bird" Parker is known as one of the best jazz (alto)saxophonists in the industry. He's the king of bebop and a great 12-bar-blues writer. This is one of my favorite albums and has the ideal tempo to relax but not fall into a coma. 

Being the eccentric weirdo that I am, I get really excited and find new obsessions. I've found a new interest in coc- mocktail making. 

It's really hard to find decent mocktail recipes that aren't just fruit juices with garnish. I stumbled upon a pretty cool one that I'd thought I'd share with you, it's a non-alcoholic version of the French 75.

(recipe right here)

So, you know when you get back home from school, and all you want to do is nap? Well, that ends here (kind of)... I'm going to give you a few of my tips and tricks to making it through the after school demands. Now, I'm not one who practices what they preach, in any way, shape or form, so maybe my tips will help you, and I'll actually try them.

Tip #2 - Have a Snack!

Tip #3 - Plan

As my Business teacher says, failing to plan is planning to fail. If you know you've got homework to do, or a project due a long way away, then be sure to make sure you schedule time to do it. The last thing you want to do is have to ruin your sleep over something you could've done in an hour. There are tons of websites, like MyStudyLife (Sarah and I will be talking about it eventually) where you can plan out your schedule, to see when the best time to work would be. Alternatively, Tumblr has some wonderful blogs that provide you with some planners. I love this website's printable planners, because you can organize everything in a wonderful, neat way. Surprisingly, Tumblr has some wonderful "Studyblrs", which give you tips on revision. They definitely remind you to do your work whilst procrastinating online.

Tip #4 - Take a Break!

For those of you who don't know me, there's one thing that you must know - I am lazy. I try to make things as simple and organized as possible, so there is less likely to be a mad panic at 7am before I go to school (on a side note, yes, our school starts ridiculously early). My laptop is always off and charged the night before, ready to just grab and go, and I try to make sure that my school bag is packed at the same time. It usually doesn't happen, but fingers crossed, this year, I will be a bit more prepared. This year, I picked up the Zara Reversible Metallic Holdall in Silver, which reverses to a copper color. It also comes in Pink and Black. Hopefully it will be able to carry all my school stuff without much hassle, but I'll update you on that and see how it goes. It came with a removable pouch, which I might stuff things in on lighter days, but for now, I don't think I will use it. Here's what I'm planning to take with me to school...

Gum
Yes, gum. A word of advice - gum is the savior of high school. Share it with those you want to be friendly with. But be warned, if too many people find out you have it, all of it will be gone by the end of the day.

Pencil Case
As frequent readers will know, I am a huge stationary addict (see my school shopping tips here), so squeezing everything I'd like to take into one small pouch is nearly impossible. So, I take a pencil case for my pens, pencils and commonly used stuff, and a separate container for any pens that I might only use for writing up pretty notes during my free periods. It does make my bag heavier than what is always necessary, but it means I can be slightly more productive.

Chargers
My laptop battery has been slowly deteriorating over the past year, since I've been dragging my laptop all over the place, and over using it. A charger is my saving grace, and any time I see a plug point, I take the opportunity to charge up. Tip - try not to share Mac chargers, they seem to get destroyed in other people's hands!

Canvas Bag
Now, during the day, I have been known to whip out a canvas bag from my school bag, and dump some of the extra weight in there. Notably, on one day, I picked up a dozen books for an English class, and had to carry them around by hand for an entire day. Ever since then, I've been carrying an extra bag with me, just to be on the safe side. You never know what extra stuff you may end up with at the end of the day, so it's better to be prepared.

Do you have any special things you carry in your school bag? Share your tips and tricks with us in the comments!

Don't forget to follow us on Bloglovin!

Tanya's logic - even if your notes make no sense, at least they look good?

School shopping is one of those things you either do at the very last minute, or as soon as summer starts (or maybe, that's just me). As Sarah loves to say, I'm organized as anything. The week after school had ended, I'd already bought my school supplies, ready to head off for the Summer. My plan is always to return back for school at the last second, with all of my stuff ready to just grab and go. You don't even want to know how exhausted I was on the first day of school last year... I may or may not have taken a nap at lunch. Here's some of the stuff I'd recommend you buy before classes start.

Notebooks
As tech-oriented as we are these days, notebooks are the best way to ensure that all of your notes are organized and easy to find. Everyone has had that near panic moment where they can't find their notes for an assignment, and have to steal someone else's at the last minute. Usually, I grab one softcover notebook per subject, just because they're lighter to carrier in a school bag. I use hardcover ones for my revision notes, that I know I will keep until the exam, so they can be hauled across the globe without being destroyed in my suitcase.
Tip - if you find that you're a bit too slow to write notes in class, type them up in class, go home and write them up as you wish. You're more likely to remember things you handwrite!

Post-its
Everyone I know seems to have post-its stuck to their laptops. It's the easiest way to write down deadlines and reminders. With the bright colored notes constantly in your face, you're constantly reminded of what you need to do. The constant nagging of the neon paper could help you quit procrastinating... a girl can dream. I usually grab a variety of sizes, as they come in handy for just about everything. For one of my presentations last year, all of my notes were on post-its, just because once I had said the point, I could remove it from my main work. I'd suggest stocking up on them in bulk - once people find out you have some, they'll be gone fast!

Colors 
Sarah will be the first to admit that my Maths book looks like a toddler has doodled all over it. The only way I understand my notes is when they are sprayed with highlights, neon colors and doodles. My favorite pens are from MUJI, but I'd also recommend the Frixion erasable markers - they're ideal if you make a mistake (or 100 in your maths notes), just erase the blip and pretend it never happened. I always find that the best way for me to revise is with some aesthetically pleasing notes.

What are your tips for the first few days back? Are there any essential items you have to have before the term starts? Let us know!

Tanya and I are doing a "Back to School Special", and I'm in charge of the what not to do...have faith in Tanya on what to do, not me. Anyways, I decided that I could use that to my advantage in an area I (arguably) know a good deal about: Writing.

I'm not a "professional" writer, but I have written something over 30 screenplays (10 of which are feature length), I've written two (unfinished) novels and a few one page screenplays/short stories here and there. So I've managed to pick up a thing or two when it comes to writing; and the most important one's are what not to do.

So I wanted to be uber neat (competing with Tanya, but we all know she'll win at the end) by making a list followed by explanations (featuring some titles I'm proud of).

Whether it's an essay, short story....anything that involves writing for more than a paragraph...here's five steps to avoid doing when that cursed writers block hits:

1. Think about the title before writing - NEVER do this first. EVER. I can't stress this enough because I'm always thinking "Yes! The title! It'll help me develop a voice for this project!" It never does that. When you don't have a well developed body summary how can you pre-define the project? 

2. Spend hours and days and weeks and etc... on finding the perfect title - Again follows the same theme as the first point: if you can't find one yet don't bother. Now, if this is for an essay or something under a tight deadline which needs a title to be submitted just short-phrase (poetic license Tanya) the subject of the project. 

3. Following all the "Cure Writers Block" steps - I get writers block a lot. Too much even. I've spent a fair share of my time on all these different links and tutorials and self-help columns and writers advice on writing. Sometimes they work and sometimes they don't. The most important thing I learnt from all those links is that it is totally subjective. These are techniques that worked best for A people and those are ones for B people. Even what the writers say. In my opinion the best thing is to try and figure out when your brain would be working the most (or just enough to logically put one word after another and have a grammatically correct sentence), and go along with that. Now for the sake of argument I'll just say two methods that have worked best for me: Freewriting and writing everyday (even if it is nonsense)

4. Sleep deprivation - Don't do it. It won't help. You'll just end up getting really tired, won't be able to think clearly and that paper you had to give in on Sediment Flow Rates the next morning will get an F. Honestly, the best thing you can do is get a good nights sleep. It'll make you fresh and upbeat in the morning (the irony of a non-morning-person saying this) and you can think more clearly.

5. Forget about it for a good period of time - Yes. Forgetting your problems always helps in solving them. (I'm getting noticeably more sarcastic as this post goes on) When you can't write, the best thing to do (again, subjectivity) is to stop thinking about whatever isn't letting you think about the point of your project. Spend time thinking only about your writing. 

Good luck on your writing, try not to panic or leave anything to the last minute.

Image - courtesy of Sarah's design portfolio

This week, Sarah and I will be squeezing in a few Back to School related posts in to our schedule. With school starting back up in a few days (*cries hysterically*), we wanted to talk about our plans to ensure that our Senior Year is as stress free and painless as possible. Between the IB, University Applications and much, much more, we have a full plate for the next few months, much like many of you, so why not share our plans and advice with each other?

We're planning on writing posts on what's in our school bags, and collaborating on a what to do/ not do whilst studying. Please let us know in the comments, or via email, if you have any suggestions on what to talk about this week!