40. Song of the Month- February

Hello everyone! I hope you've all had a fab weekend. I've decided to start a new feature on here. Last month, I shared a song that I was listening a lot to during revision (see the post titled "A little gift for you all") and that gave me the idea to make it into a regular thing.

This month's song is Play by Katy B feat. Sampha taken from her new album, Little Red which went to Number 1 in the charts today! :D I downloaded it last night after watching the TV advert so many times and was not disappointed. It is definitely going to be one of the best albums of 2014. I like Play particularly because both vocalists are in harmony. Aaliyah and Emotions are my other personal favourites from the album as they showcase Katy's voice.

I remember when Katy's debut single, On a Mission came out back in 2010 when I started sixth form so her second album has been long overdue. Have any of you listened to Little Red, if so what is your favourite track? Have a great week and until next time, take care.
Love, 
Mancunian Sheep x

39. From Offensive Umbrellas to Sniffing Butter

Hello everyone, I hope you're all safe in this horrendous weather. I'm surprised that the battering of Britain hasn't been categorised as a hurricane. I would call it Hurricane Deidre or Hurricane Blanche if it snows, after the Corrie characters. On a serious note I really do hope you and your homes are in one piece still. In my previous post, I shared some cheeky purchases with you and instead of learning from my wild and rebellious ways and saving for a car, I've gone and done some more shopping. Here's a video filmed on my new Nikon P520 featuring even more naughty purchases, enjoy!

Until next time, take care.
Love,
Mancunian Sheep x

38. Presents All Round!

Hello everyone! I hope you're all well and have survived this awful weather. It's been one big storm since November. One of our garden fence panels was knocked over by the gales which is a bit annoying.
I've had a fairly busy fortnight since I last updated you all with everything. University is nowhere near as hectic as it was last semester so far. I'm only in for 3 days a week and spend the other 2 researching for my dissertation/ pondering life's mysteries (well my life's anyway). Last week, I met up with my dissertation supervisor and he seemed impressed with my plan and the reading I'd done so far so it's reassuring to know that I'm on the right path. In terms of lectures, I'm enjoying immunology and evolution and some of it is quite similar to stuff we have done before such as the innate immune system and the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. My plants module takes me back to the glorious days of GCSE Geography because we are learning a lot about agriculture. That's fine by me as one of my dreams is to become a shepherd. Talking of sheep, I was watching Eastenders on Friday night with my Mum and I spotted one of my flock! There was a scene when Carol went up to check for David and Arg Miles was lying down on the pillow. I asked Arg Miles about it and he said he'd got the train down to London to film one day when I was busy revising! 

Two of my good friends at university turned 20 during the last fortnight so I got them both a little something. I thought I'd share with you what I bought them if you were looking for inspiration for people with similar interests. One of them loves doodling in lectures and is very good at art so I bought him a Wreck This Journal which I thought could also be used as a stress buster just in case this semester turns out be chaotic like the previous one. I also bought him some chocolates from Thorntons because who doesn't love chocolate?!

My other friend is a huge Downton Abbey fan and I was really struggling with what to get her but thank God for M&S! When I don't know what to get for someone as gift, I usually check the M&S, Accessorize, Boots, Cath Kidston, Next, Asos and Topshop websites and Amazon of course! They are my favourite retailers and this method hardly ever lets me down. Anyway, M&S do a lovely range of Downton Abbey products so I have provided the link below:
http://www.marksandspencer.com/Downton-Abbey-Brands-Z-Beauty/b/2999969031
I ended up buying the Dowton Abbey cosmetic bag and lip balms and a cute tea for one set from Kirsty Allsopp's range because she is great on Location Location Location :P

I was a bit naughty and ended up buying myself a few things too. A few months ago, I told my Mum that if I came home with a new pair of shoes or a bag to make me return them but alas, she didn't. I can justify my purchases because one of them I really needed and the other, well, I couldn't resist! Since losing some weight, I'd been looking for a good quality belt but everywhere sells the really narrow waist belts or just weird ones but Next saved the day. I picked this little beauty up for £5, what a bargain!
 http://www.next.co.uk/g56276s2#650823g56
I always struggle to find shoes at this time of the year during the weird winter-spring transition because aside from the storms, we have really mixed weather. It feels too cold and can be too wet to be wearing canvas pumps but then again, big winter boots start to feel a bit heavy at times when we have the odd sunny day. I'd been looking for Chelsea boots everywhere that day but the ones in Topshop seemed to tight to slip on and that didn't change regardless of a 6 or a 7. The ones in New Look had too much of a high heel and I don't remember seeing any in H&M. There were a lot of ankle boots in Next, Topshop and River Island which had cut out detail which I hate because then your feet would just get wet. You may as well walk around in sandals! Eventually after 2 hours (luckily I was on my own so didn't drag any of my poor friends around with me), I purchased these Next Black Ankle Workboots. They do have a heel which does not compromise how comfortable these are. I've worn them every day since I bought them last Monday and not a blister in sight. I was in university from 9am-4pm on Friday and still managed to walk in them despite the fact that I hardly ever wear heels.

As promised, it's time for my update on my Clinique skin care regime. It has been exactly 2 weeks since I started (see my previous post Investing in my Skin for more info) and my Mum and I have both noticed a difference in my skin. My forehead especially, has cleared up really well. Don't think I've been this blemish free since pre-puberty. My nose has significantly fewer blackheads. I think I've only had one teeny tiny breakout in the form of a spot on my forehead but even that faded after a couple of treatments. There's been no new big breakouts on my neck and chin and it's clearing up the old ones well. I have attached some photos so you can judge for yourself. What amazes me is that even after I've done step 1 (cleansing foam) and then do step 2 (clarifying lotion), my cotton wool ball that I use to apply the lotion is fairly grubby which is scary.The clarifying lotion is quite strong and does sting when you apply it to red spots. I recommend not using it where your face is blemish free already because it ended up giving my cheeks a rough texture. I shall update you all in a fortnight.

Have any of you done a Wreck This Journal or are writing your dissertation/thesis currently? If so, what is your title? Has anyone else been a bit naughty and treated themselves for getting through January? As ever, feel free to comment below! Until next time, take care.

Love,

Mancunian Sheep x

37. Spontaneous Vlogging!

Hello everyone, I hope you're all well. Now in a previous post I mentioned that I would be starting a YouTube vlog in summer but as always, I always want everything done yesterday. I've taken the plunge and have just uploaded my first video which you can find here:

I know the quality isn't great but I just could not wait until summer when I will be buying a DSLR. Hope you all enjoy watching. Until next time, take care.

Love,
Mancunian Sheep x

36. Top 10 Biology facts!

Hello everyone, as I am in my second year at university studying Biology, I thought I would share some interesting facts that I've learnt with you all.

1. Humans have ten times more bacteria than cells in their body. Our microbiota carry out many important functions such as producing anti-microbials to deter pathogens and secreting enzymes to help us digest food.

2. Many common illnesses such as Type 1 Diabetes and Rheumatoid Arthritis are autoimmune diseases which is when our body rejects our own cells and attacks them.

3. Female kangaroos, koalas and other marsupials have two vaginas.

4. Earthworms have five heart like structures called aortic arches.

5. Some species of fish can change sex. Clownfish are protandrous i.e. change from male to female and blue headed wrasse are protogynous i.e. change from female to male.

6. Toxoplasma gondii is a unicellular parasite with devastating consequences. In America, it was spread by cat faeces contaminating the water supply causing humans to develop severe psychosis and display suicidal thoughts.

7. The biomass of viruses in water alone is larger than the total mass of elephants globally.

8. Oxytocin is a hormone which when inhaled may make us more trusting of others. They even sell it as a spray in the USA! It also plays a role in uterine muscle contraction during childbirth, establishing maternal behaviour and stimulating milk production in new mothers.

9. The world's largest flower is Rafflesia arnoldii and it smells like a rotting carcass.

10. Studies in fruit flies have shown improvements in long term memory formation after a period of "fly rest" which goes to show that 8 hours every night are crucial and all nighters don't work.

I hope you've all learnt something new. 
Until next time, take care.

Love,

Mancunian Sheep x

35. Mancunian Lamb

Hello everyone! Hope you're all well. I'm extremely well thank you for asking because yesterday my hero Andy Murray replied to my tweet in a Q and A session. I'm so grateful that he replied and surprisingly, I didn't cry haha! It's brilliant when Andy tweets and I can't believe some of the tabloids thought he was getting married this summer. They don't understand the concept of sarcasm.

Anyway, in my previous post I mentioned that I would be doing a couple of different posts on here and this is the first one. The title of the post may seem like this is a recipe for lamb or that I am pregnant- I can confirm that this post will be neither of those things. I'm sure a fair few of you are familiar with Throwback Thursday/ Flashback Friday and as it is Thursday today (well I suppose it depends when you're reading this but when I posted this it was a Thursday or Friday if you're Australian), I decided to do a mega Throwback Thursday on here. As an only child, it seems like my parents spent a fair bit of their spare time taking photos of me on EVERY occasion they possibly could so here is a bit of a visual timeline showing the transition from Mancunian Lamb to Mancunian Sheep. Most of the photos don't have other people in them except my Mum because I didn't want to spend ages contacting all my friends and family to ask for permission. Enjoy.

Probably the earliest/one of the earliest photos of me that I
could find. It's the Mancunian Lamb woo!

I love this picture because judging by the flowers and our
outfits it was taken on a summer night and my Mum looks pretty
in pink and we both look happy and it is great. The rose looks
lovely also. It was my 1st birthday.

This has to be my  favourite childhood photo. Look how happy I am! I have always
been a keen gardener and when I was younger used to have my
own little plot in the garden where I grew carrots, beans
 and sunflowers :D Reckon my favourite colour was green from an early age

I really like this photo, it might be because our outfits
 co-ordinate so well. I'm probably about 3 years old here. 

GOLD- ALWAYS BELIEVE IN YOUR SOUL! (Sorry, just couldn't help myself).
Here I am on Eid when I was 5. Bet the neighbours got sick of my parents 
taking photos of me so that's why they wanted to move (the for sale sign)

This was taken on one of the Eids when I was 6 years old.
After our big Eid meal, my parents, their best friend (may he rest
in peace and be granted a place in heaven) and I all
 went for a walk to see the swans and ducks.

Here I am at the Blue Planet aquarium in Chester aged 7.
I love the tunnel with moving floor with
sharks swimming above and I remember touching the
stingrays too.

Thoroughly enjoying myself at my 14th. That was probably
the best year of my life so far just because we had so much
fun in Years 9 and 10, it was a successful year too
and we had the house done.

Here I am at my 16th birthday meal. That was a great evening
 with ~15 of my closest friends from
 secondary school and our neighbours too. 

Hope you've liked taking this trip down memory lane with me. Until next time, take care.

Love,

Mancunian Sheep x

34. Investing in my skin.

Hello everyone! I hope you're well. In my previous post, I mentioned that I was taking the plunge and adopting a proper skin care routine. I chose Clinique because I remember going shopping with a friend several years ago and what a massive difference the products made to her skin. I also like the fact that Clinique products are free of harsh fragrances and that they are tested on a large sample size. Sometimes you see sample sizes of under 100 on TV adverts for brands like L'Oreal, it makes me laugh that they put stuff like "79% of 91 people tested agreed". I think it's wrong to even allow products to reach our shelves with such a small minority of the target market tested. Anyway, I went to my local Boots and was asked to fill out a 5 minute survey at the Clinique counter which you can also do on the Clinique website if you prefer shopping online. My main concerns about my skin are acne and the redness it causes, blackheads, large pores and dark circles beneath my eyes. I'm quite lucky in that I've never had spots on my cheeks and my problem areas are my forehead and chin. My T-zone is quite oily too in the morning but becomes quite dry during the day. Below are some photos that will hopefully be the "before" ones because I'm hoping my new routine will put an end to my skin problems.

The Clinique skin care routine consists of three steps:

1. Cleanse
2. Exfoliate
3. Moisturise

The anti-blemish routine was recommended to me and below are photos of the items I purchased. The consultant told me that I may initially break out with more spots in the first few days after starting the routine but after using the items both last night and this morning, nothing terrible has happened yet. The cleansing foam priced at £15.50, left my face feeling thoroughly clean and this morning I woke up without the usual oily T-zone. The clarifying lotion which was £17.00 is a liquid exfoliator so is great for removing dead skin cells and will hopefully reduce the blackheads on my nose. When I applied it on my face using a cotton wool ball, I was astonished to find how grubby my face was and saw visible black specs on the cotton wool. The clearing moisturiser which cost £18.50 is hopefully going to prevent my skin from becoming too dry but as it is oil free, it won't result in any more spots like my previous moisturisers have. However, my favourite product by far is the all about eyes cream priced at £25.00. The consultant at Clinique told me that the skin around the eyes is twice as thin as the rest of the face and that we should really look after it. You only need a tiny amount but it really does hydrate your skin and leaves it feeling so much smoother. I've noticed a few fine lines below my eyes so hopefully with time, it will take of those too. 

My face is the least of my skin care worries because I suffer from bacne or back acne which is pretty bad but I won't share any photos of my back because that would be a bit weird. There are blemishes all over my back and on my shoulders and collarbone too. I did ask the lady at Clinique if they did any stuff for bacne but I think they concentrate on facial skincare products so I went to the Origins counter after my friend recommended them to me. Now I know the Skin Diver shower gel which cost £16.00 says "Origins for men" and I am not a man and that it does look quite grim especially as it is black. It smells really good and you wouldn't even think it a product for males. The lady at the Origins counter also recommended the blemish treatment pads priced at £23.00 which can be used anywhere so even on the face. You receive 60 pads so they should last 1-2 months depending on whether you use them once or twice a day. It is best to use them immediately after having a bath/shower. As I said, my bacne is really bad so I think it will take a bit longer for any noticeable difference but they haven't caused me to break out in any big painful red spots so it's looking good.

I have a follow up check at Clinique in a fortnight so fingers crossed that my face and neck will be looking much clearer by then. I will update you all with the progress my new skin treatments are making in my weekly posts. Keep a look out for some different but interesting posts in upcoming weeks, I won't say too much as I don't want to spoil the surprise. Also, I will be posting on here every weekend to let you all know what the Mancunian Sheep has been up to each week. Until next time, take care.

Love,

Mancunian Sheep x