My First Exhibition | Zafira
‘LOST IN TRADITON.’
Hey!
So a few days ago, I had my work exhibited for the very first time! As part of a group exhibition by me and my MA group, we showed off some work we did as part of an assignment last term under the theme ‘Collisions’.
I wasn’t planning on doing a blog post on this hence the non-blogger-last-minute-pictures but I thought it would be fun to explain more about the meaning and context behind my work and even a little bit about my working progress.
RESEARCH
A lot of research went into this. It’s the first time I’ve completely finished a photography project, well when I say finished I mean have at least 90% satisfaction with the final product.
It all started off with family pictures from the 70-90s. I spend so much time flicking through family albums, I knew I had to use them in my project in someway or other.
The photographs that stood out most were definitely the portraits, especially the ones taken in studios. It’s crazy how my family used to go to a studio and get these regal, professional shots taken of them against the most extravagant backgrounds. My favourite had to be this one of my dad’s aunt and uncle which you’ll see eventually inspired the entire colour scheme of my project.
I also found myself delving quite deeply into theoretical concepts in photography, it might have been because I was taking a critical studies class at the time but I have always loved reading about anthropological concepts.
The main concept I focused on was Edward Soja’s theory of photographic space and its relation to this idea of the ‘other’. I was looking at the impact of the colonial gaze as well as Edward Said’s take on orientalism. I recommend looking into all these concepts because they give you such an clear understanding on how the West impacted colonised people, their countries and even their way of life post-colonisation.
(the faces are blurred out for privacy reasons and it’s watermarked because it’s from my dad’s very extensive family archive)
TEST SHOOTS
So I did quite a few test shoots for this, you might have seen a few of this pictures over on my Instagram but it was so much fun dressing up and shooting myself in different styles.
Ultimately, I knew I wanted to portray a balance between my two cultures; my Western life here in the UK but then also my roots back in Bangladesh and then also tie back in orientalism and it’s impact on my generation of Bangladeshis.
In these photographs you can see one very ‘modern’ style of South Asian style but then the other is a very traditional look. I knew after shooting these 2 different sets, that for my final, I’d want to represent both somehow.
My set up started off with my mum’s old sarees, I love a good classic katan saree. They’ve always felt so decadent to me. I loved the creases and the folds and the way that mirrored the folds in the clothing I was wearing. I liked how these turned out but it didn’t feel exciting enough to me.
pre-final-set
These are my pre-final-set of images I guess you’d call them? Well those personally, gave me the ick towards myself as a photographer because of how hazy and foggy and messy they look but they were so pivotal in the creation of my final set so I had to include these in here. I was playing around with lens filters and different editing styles and it did not work out how I wanted to but at least now I had a clear image of what I wanted for my final set.
I wanted to go back to that family portrait and figure out how I could recreate the colours because that’s one thing that made me fall in love with it and the backdrop too. However. getting a backdrop anywhere close to the one in the original picture would have broke my bank account. I looked at other options too like printing a photograph of Bangladesh onto material and then using that but that too was just way out of my budget.
I was like okay, where can I get a large amount of fabric for cheap? And then it came to me, a bedsheet. I got this during the boxing day sales on Amazon for £7 and it’s amazing. It’s quite a matte material which was a gem not only photographing but even when it came to printing later on.
final project.
I ended refining my pre-final-set and made the quality much more clean and refined. I decided to focus on paan and the whole paan eating process as in a few of the pictures, you’ll see my skirt is actually printed in gold paan leaves. (my skirt is handmade!!!)
It fit into the whole “Lost in Tradition’ title because paan is something I eat a little too regularly after I’ve finished a meal. It’s a tradition I’ve carried on even though I’ve grown up around such a Western environment. I was playing around with the nut cracker in the pre-final set and it was pretty interesting having that contrast between the metal and the bright colours.
I shot this in my kitchen for optimal natural lighting in the 1 hour of bright light we get during the winter in the UK and it worked out so well. I found shooting slightly underexposed but with a medium or large raw file really malleable in my editing process. Yes, there was a some of noise because of this but it added some amazing texture and film like feel to the pictures.
If you press the ‘click here’ button on the image above, you can see all the photographs :)
Overall, I think I’m happy with how they turned out. The printing process was so cool too, I got my prints done at Come Through Lab in Ancoats and they did such a great job.
A big big thank you to everyone who came and saw my work whilst it was being exhibited. I don’t think I’ve ever truly felt like a real photographer until I saw other people looking at my work up on the walls.
Here’s me looking like a baby in front of my work.
I’ll be releasing some prints within the next week so keep an eye out over on Instagram if you want to get your hands on some!
Thanks for reading,
I Went To London Fashion Week! (kind of) | Zafira
Hey!
So, if you’ve been keeping up with my Instagram this past week you will know that I went to London Fashion Week! Well, I didn’t exactly go. It was more of a stand outside the event spaces in the rain and hope some well dressed people go in and out so you can take some pretty pictures of their outfits kinda thing.
Even though I was stood in the rain for two days, the entire experience was so incredibly good. I loved seeing everyone all dressed up and the range of people that were there. It was definitely an experience that I’d remember forever.
I took a lot of photographs so feel free to have a little browse :)
Thanks for checking these out, I’ll be posting my film shots in my February on Film sometime in the next few days so make sure you follow me over on my socials to know when it’s up!
The Hair Accessory Edit | Zafira
Hey!
It’s 2003, my mum is getting me ready for my first day of nursery. She’s searching through my musical bright pink jewellery box and pulls out about 6 different bright coloured hair accessories to put into my fresh bowl cut trimmed by my Grandma. I look in the mirror before I leave and what do I see? Nothing but a style icon in front of me.
That’s the moment my hair accessory obsession stemmed.
Over a decade later (yikes) and my love for all things I can somehow put onto my head of thick black hair is ever growing and as big as ever. I cannot and will not leave the house with a good hair accessory.
A lot of what I’ve been wearing recently and a lot of what’s featured in this post is actually from Primark. They have a vast range of not only hair accessories but accessories in general for such an affordable price. It’s become my favourite place to shop for little bits and bobs.
Here are a handful of my favourite hair accessories:
TULLE SCRUNCHIES
A scrunchie is a timeless hair piece. They’ve been around longer than I have, probably longer than my parents have and after all this time, they’re still one of the most popular hair accessories.
On one of my many strolls through Primark, I came upon these beautiful tulle scrunchies. I love tulle so much, I think it’s quite feminine and delicate and these scrunchies are the perfect way to add those qualities to your look.
HAIR CLIPS
I have no idea how I cut down my vast collection of clips into only 2 pairs but these are probably my most worn hair accessories ever.
My first pair came in a pack of 4 from Primark and are such a simple yet necessary accessory in my day to day life. Ever since I got my hair cut a few months ago (this is still very much a sensitive topic) and got a slight fringe put in, I am always looking for ways to clip it back in a non 3 year old looking way and these are perfect. I like how subtle these are too.
My second pair I got a while ago from Monki. They’re a pair of crocodile clips with pretty diamonds on. The only reason I bought these was to actually match my earrings in the picture. They go together so well even though my earrings are from Lovisa. They add the perfect dash of bling to any look and match literally every item in my wardrobe.
HAIRBANDS
This might be my favourite section of this post…
I think a headband is one of the easiest hair accessories to style and pair with outfits and also is the best way to keep your hair out of your face without having to tie your hair up.
Headbands are very similar to scrunchies, in the sense that when you buy one, you just can’t stop.
The first blue floral headband I’ve had for nearly 10 years now. I can’t even tell you where it’s from but my favourite way to wear it is with some pretty blue eye shadow and this Ralph Lauren blouse from Topshop.
My second fave headband is from Primark and I got this in the sale for £1 and I think it might be the best £1 I’ve ever spent. I wear this at home all the time. When I’m doing a face mask, working, tidying, it’s one of those fabric ones without the actual hard band in the middle so it’s comfortable to wear. I also love using this headband to add a little something to plainer outfits too such as with a black turtleneck and jeans.
My last headband is also from Primark and I love wearing this to weddings because it goes with my Asian clothes so so so well. I wore it last summer for my uncle’s wedding and it matched my top and skirt like a dream. It’s such an easy way to glam up any look and Primark has so many headbands like this in at the moment for ridiculously cheap.
I hope this given you a bit of inspo on how to wear/style hair accessories or maybe a little push into wearing them.
Thanks for reading!
The Up-Cycle Project: The Perfect Errand Bag, the V Neck Dress of My Dreams and a Furry Surprise | Zafira
Hey!
So, it’s been a while. It’s so been so long in fact that we’ve rejoiced a new year and are already somehow halfway through January. I hope you all had the loveliest start to your new year and are slowly but surely getting out of that post-holiday slump.
Anyway, I made a few New Years resolutions and shared them on a post over on Instagram and one of them was to stop shopping and make more of my own clothes.
This is definitely one of those things that are easier said than done because making your own clothes requires many skills and a whole lot of practice. However, much like photography, I can 10000% say that clothes are a passion of mine and in order to understand the process a bit more, I have to start right from the very beginning.
My mum is the most talented tailor to have ever graced this Earth. She’s made me the curtains in my room, quilts and a bunch of clothes so I’m taking a few tips and tricks from her and obviously, some handy dandy YouTube tutorials to educate myself on my new found hobby.
What is up-cycling you may ask? Up-cycling is where you take products and turn them into something else. I know that a lot of vintage/thrift stores do this such as Cow and Blue Rinse so I wanted to see for myself what sorts of things I could make out of neglected clothes.
V Neck Black Dress
I think we should probably start with my absolute favourite thing in my wardrobe right now which is this black v neck dress.
You’re either 1, too focused on my amazing top underneath to care or 2, asking why this boring old thing is my favourite out of all the contents of my wardrobe. This is top stunning, I dream about it every night and I will be wearing this every day for the rest of my life but I’m planning to do a whole other post about this top and some more stuff very soon!
So back to the dress, I think something like this is fundamental in a person’s wardrobe. Especially if you’re trying to be a bit more conscious about stopping shopping. A dress like this can be worn and styled in so many different ways. I get incredibly excited thinking about the endless possibilities.
I thought this would be a lot more difficult to make but it really wasn’t. I began by sketching out my V neck on the front and back. I did make the V a lot deeper in the back so measuring all of that and making sure it was somewhat even was a little bit of a challenge since numbers and I do not get along. I made the dress slightly shorter by decreasing material from what is now the straps of the dress and then finally hemmed all the raw edges.
You can see here that I’ve styled it with this top with big sleeves which is basically a piece of art (again, I’ll get into everything about this beauty in another post) but I would wear this with pretty much anything you can put on the top half of your body. A plain white tee, a turtleneck, a blouse, a white shirt, like I said, endless possibilities.
The perfect ‘i’m just heading out to run some errands’ bag.
Honestly, I’m not much of a bag person. I either carry my tote bag with my favourite painting of all time on which is ‘Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose’ by John Singer Sargent or my basic but ever so handy Kanken black backpack.
When it comes to bags, I’m more on the practical side versus it looking pretty on my shoulder. Two things I always carry around with me are my camera and a water bottle so I knew when making this bag, it would have to be a decent size and not miniature like a Jacquemus Le Chiquito Mini Bag.
This bag is definitely a little on the smaller side than what I’m used to but I can still fit all my essentials in here and I love coordinating this bag with my ever so famous and my all time favourite pink shoes.
I think you’ll be surprised to know that this bag was once a woven mini skirt. I picked up the skirt a while ago in TK Maxx for a solid £4.99. My goodness do I love TK Maxx.
the original skirt
I really do wish I took better before shots of the skirt but here’s a little shot from my story archives.
As you can see, it’s a fitted, woven mini skirt with fringe detailing at the bottom. I can’t really say I’m much of a mini skirt wearer but this was most definitely a very cute skirt.
I have a rule where I will get rid of anything I haven’t worn in over two months. Whether that’s donating it or selling it over on my Depop. However, I did not want to part ways with this gem and I am glad I kept it and made it into something I use all the time.
The making process was fairly simple. I didn’t have to sew as much since it was a skirt but I sewed the bottom where the fringe is, cut about an inch or so off the top to keep for the straps and added a zip.
A little something extra…
I wasn’t sure I wanted to put this in with this post since it isn’t an up cycle item but it’s just too cute to leave out.
the ‘i only made this so i would have something to nap on when i go out’ bag
I never thought true love was real until I made this.
I love anything soft, most people do but this, this is like next level soft. Imagine carrying around a chinchilla with you, this bag is exactly like that.
I got the material for this bag at my new favourite shop, Abakhan, and I knew after one slight stroke that this was the material I needed. It’s so so so nice.
I think the making process of this was great, I had a lot of fun making this one.
I used one of my totes as a guideline when cutting the material. I did decrease around half an inch to an inch because I didn’t want it the same size as tote but something a bit smaller. I also made it wider horizontally which is something I prefer in bags.
I wish I lived in a less wet city or else this would be my go to accessory every single day.
I’m so excited to be starting a new series and project, thanks for reading as always!
Lots of love,
Music of the Month: November | Zafira
Hey!
How is there only a month left of this year? I can’t even remember feeling like it ever began.
So, it’s December. It’s freezing, it’s pitch black when I wake up at awful times to go to uni and it’s also…deadline season. I’ve been a little preoccupied with my assignments for the past month or so which explains the lack of content over on here which is incredibly unfortunate because I was feeling like I was on a roll with these posts a few months ago. Anyway, I have to prioritise what’s important to me right now and that is uni sadly. But I have a few weeks off for Christmas to rejuvenate and get my life into order so expect some very cute things next year.
For now, let’s roll on with my favourite songs this November!
In the midst of political nightmare, numerous breakdowns, a bad haircut (might as well call me Noel Fielding at this point) and nothing but stress pilling on top of me as the days pass, this month has definitely been a highlight in terms of music.
You can check out my entire playlist for November here.
FKA TWIGS
FKA Twigs’ new album was the most beautiful thing to have ever happen to me this entire year. I remember hearing Cellophane for the first time a few months ago and knowing that whatever she had prepared after that would be insane. And it was. Magdalene has been angelic. Like you know when you see those ads of like honey or golden syrup being drizzled in slow motion? That’s Magdalene felt like.
In NME I read that Mirrored Heart ”vibrates with Twin Peaks-style synths” and as a Twin Peaks fan from the age of 12, it resonated with me so much. I love Twin Peaks and FKA Twigs so this was the best of both worlds. Mirrored Heart sounds like a deeper version of Angelo Badalamenti’s Twin Peaks theme song it’s so weird. I love the lyrics in this too.
I love all the songs on this album equally but Thousand Eyes definitely stood out the most and has probably been my most listened to song in November. It’s so sad. I think it’s about Robert Pattinson which is strange considering nearly a decade ago this boy, sorry this man, was a nation’s heart throb for sparkling in the sunlight. It’s so haunting but I could totally sit staring into space and listen to this song for hours upon hours on repeat.
2. HELENA DELAND
If you’ve read some of my other Music of the Months, you’ll know I’m a huge fan of this music based YouTube channel called La Blogotheque. I watched the most stunning performance by Helena Deland and have now officially become her no.1 fan. You can watch her La Blogotheque performance here.
My favourite two songs by her are Two Queries and There Are a Thousand. They are the dreamiest songs ever. Even in her live perfomance, I had never felt so zen. I love listening to these at night or even if I’ve had a little bit of stressful day (everyday).
3. SLO BIRD WHISTLE - APHEX TWIN (PEEL SESSION)
This song emanates chaotic energy and I love it. I have nothing else to say about this other than it’s so so so great.
4. JOY CROOKES
I’m ashamed and embarrassed to even admit that it took me this long to find Joy Crookes.
I’ve struggled finding artists that I like that having a similar background or ethnicity to me so for me to find Joy (like literal joy), who’s Bengali (and half irish) and who sings like a literal angel was truly like hitting the jackpot. Her voice reminds me a lot of Amy Winehouse which I honestly never expected.
Since I Left You has been on my mind ever since I listened to it a few weeks ago. It feels so raw and melancholic and she sings it so effortlessly. The music video is filmed beautifully too. Early, which is another fave of mine, has a totally different vibe. It’s so upbeat and catchy and I love Jafaris in this. I’ve recently started following her on Instagram too and her outfits and makeup looks are so cool.
5. SO HEAVY I FELL THROUGH THE EARTH - GRIMES
As weird as Grimes is, I completely adore her music.
So Heavy I Fell Through the Earth feels and sounds very futuristic. There two different versions of this, so there’s the algorithm mix which is the version I personally have been listening to and there’s also the art mix. They’re both pretty similar and both amazing and I can’t wait for her to release her new album next year.
6. JOSÉ GONZÁLEZ
I’ve been listening to José González for years now but there’s just something about this time of year that makes me go back to listening to him on repeat for weeks on end.
Heartbeats is in my opinion, is the perfect song for a winter’s morning. I don’t know whether it’s because the guitar strums in the beginning sound like the soundtrack to a snowy day or because I found this song during the winter a few years ago. I also really love Crosses. I think these are both very love-y songs and I love love love them.
HERE’S A FEW MORE SONGS I’M LOVING…
Thanks for reading! I can’t believe this will be my last Music of the Month this year, it’s flown by so fast.
Lots of love,
The Best Accounts on Instagram This Week | #1 | Zafira
Hi!
I guess this is my first actual content worthy post on my new site which is so exciting (for me anyway). Today I thought I’d do something I used to do a lot over on my Instagram Stories a lot a few months ago which was a weekly round up of my favourite accounts on Instagram that week. I love doing it because I think it’s great sharing accounts with people that deserve their work to be shared and it’s nice to support your fellow artists out there.
If you want me to make this a weekly thing then let me know, I’d be more than happy to!
These are my favourite accounts on Instagram this week:
Mahoor Jamal (@mahoorjamal &@mahoor_jamal)
One thing I’ve being loving seeing recently on Instagram is the way that artists incorporate culture into their work and Mahoor Jamal captures this perfectly. Coming from a South Asian background, you can see so vividly how this plays a massive part in her work but also how modern culture and trends also play a part.
There’s something so dreamy about the tones she uses in her photographs. Especially her recent work for Generation PK, they look like the South Asian equivalent of a Renaissance painting. So beautiful.
She also has a graphics/illustration account which is equally as good as her photography one!
2. @305ibes
I can’t believe it took me so long to come across this account especially considering that they’re Manchester based (just like me!) 305ibes is a curation kinda account but completely different than any other curation style account I’ve seen on Instagram or anything before. They merge two of my favourite things in the world, music and film photography. They post little slideshow type of videos featuring work by film photographers with amazing music playing in the background.
It’s so mellow and relaxing to watch. They pick the best work from film photographers all around and play the best music too. This has easily become one of my favourite Instagram accounts of all time. It’s also ran by one of my favourite photographers Matthew Tou! I’ve followed him for forever and his work is amazing, you can check out his account here.
I’m super excited to see this account grow and find more talented photographers through it!
3. Nicolas “Yuthanan” Chalmeau (@yuthanan__)
It’s so hard to find unique OOTD style pictures on Instagram in this overfilled wannabe fashion blogger world but when I found Nicolas’ account, I fell in love with every aspect of his outfit pictures. The colours, the tones, the clothes itself and most importantly, the sense of coolness he released. He may just be the most coolest person I follow.
Not only is his feed filled with aesthetically pleasing outfit pictures, but aesthetic pictures of everything and anything. There’s some pretty street shots and some pictures of items from Sillage which is a men’s clothing brand where Nicolas is a designer and director.
If you’re all about the visuals, aesthetics & fashion then this account is made for you! I know I a d o r e it.
4. Marc Hibbert (@marc_hibbert)
A few weeks ago, one of my favourite people on Instagram (@znali) posted this picture on his account that was featured on Document Journal’s Instagram and I loved everything about it. It was taken by Marc Hibbert who did a entire series in India documenting people’s relationship with the Ganges. There’s more about it over on Document Journal if you’re interested, it’s a very good read.
I’ve always loved documentary style photography and this entire set is so beautiful than anything I’ve seen on Instagram recently. They’re captured so well and have the most stunning tones.
Marc also has some cool fashion/portrait shots as well some other interesting stuff on his feed, you should definitely go check him out.
If you have any accounts you wanna share or think I should feature in my next post like this then let me know!
Thanks for reading!
Lots of love,
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AW18: Skincare & Makeup Faves | The Zafira Edit
Hi!
Ever since Uni began, my skin has become a metropolis for everything that's just not cute. Whether that's a herd of acne, horrifically clogged pores or dry alligator-like skin, you name it, my skin has been suffering from anything and everything. It's been quite the sh*t show.
To help combat all of this I've been using a range of things. I usually keep my skincare routine pretty simple and try not to change it that often because I know that since I have pretty sensitive skin, I have to be very careful with what I use. Because of this, I mostly use things that specifically say they are targeted towards dry and sensitive skin.
Like I've probably mentioned a million times now on my blog, I'm a uni student now which means one thing and one thing only. I'm broke 24/8. Skincare used to be the one of the biggest dents in my bank alongside makeup because my mindset was that if it cost more then it would probably be a lot better but I was so so so wrong. A lot of the skincare and few makeup bits I'll be mentioning in this post are all things you can find in drugstores such as Superdrug and Boots.
I love Rejjie Snow. I think he's talented and just super cute. I love everything about him so when I had heard he came out with a lip balm with a pretty great skin/body care brand I knew I had to get my hands on it. I actually ended up getting it as a gift for my birthday in June from my cousin but she ended up only giving it to me a few weeks ago lol. It's such a good lip balm. I honestly wasn't expecting anything as good as this. It's made with all natural products and it's vegan and it's the best thing you could ever put on your lips. I put this on a lot before wearing matte lipsticks and my lips don't get dry at all. I use this a lot at night too to keep my lips mosturised all night long.
I'd say the mini collection (well more like 2 items but ok) of Glam Glow products that I own are probably some of the more expensive items in my skincare routine but they are completely worth it. This is one of the quickest and most effective face masks ever. I use this nearly everyday because it really does refine your pores and make your skin look so much healthier overall. I am finally starting to look like I didn't just rise from the dead and it's truly amazing. You just pump out the smallest amount and apply all over. It's a funky purple colour but with Glam Glow, you're probably expecting the most vibrant and colourful of face masks. It applies like a normal face mask at first but after a couple of seconds it starts to bubble and turns into a frothy-like consistency. I like to use this in the shower because I just leave it on whilst washing my body and then wash it off once I'm done. It's fun, it's purple and it's a miracle. It's definitely something you should your hands on.
I've never been into products like this because I'm not a fan of super brightening and illuminating skin. I always find that I just look sweaty. I bought this in a set with the other Glam Glow product above and ended up trying it one morning before applying my makeup and it makes me look heavenly. The thing I love about it most is how mosturising it is. I have skin as dry as the Sahara desert and it still keeps it quenched all day long. It's not glittery at all but more luminous. It gives you the healthiest and most natural glow. It also smells a lot like children's antibiotic medicine which is a bit strange.
Much like the Vitamin E mist that I mention further down, I've been using Bio Oil for years now. It's so essential in my skincare routine. I mainly use this to get rid of acne scars and old eczema scars too. I think a lot of people get annoyed when using this because they don't see results straight away. You have to use it quite consistently for about a month or so and then you can really see a change. It's also a pretty good mosturiser for the body.
I was reading an article online that said that this is Bio Oil's first new product in 30 years. I saw this in Boots a week or so ago and I knew I had to pick this up. I've started to use this on my face and the gel consistency is wonderful. I don't even use the oil on my face anymore just this. It has a thicker and gel like consistency so it absorbs so much quicker into the skin and isn't as greasy. I could even get away with wearing this in the day now.
If you've been reading my blogs since the beginning then you'd know all about this baby. It's truly the love of my life. If I don't use this at the beginning of my day then I can
100%
tell that it is not going to be a good day. I use this just after washing my face in the morning as a somewhat pre-mosturiser, on my Real Techniques beauty sponge instead of using of water and then in the night after washing my face. It's one of the best things I've ever used on my face and it's one of the cheapest items in the my entire skincare routine.
Once upon a time I was in Superdrug having a little browse round when I spotted one of these So...? Body Mists. I gave it a little spritz and it smelt so so so good. I ended up buying it just so I could throw it in my bag. And in present day, I pretty much use these body mists everyday. They are so inexpensive and so handy for when you're out and about.
I am a massive face mask lover. I'm trying to get into the habit of using one at least once every week. It's the perfect way to relax and get healthier and happier skin. I've started using this sheet mask from Soap & Glory and it's a literal miracle just like it says. Since my skin is super dry, this mask combats the dryness so well and makes me look like I've bathing in mosturiser for days. It smells pretty good too just like most of the other Soap & Glory products.
I have never been a big eye shadow person but I think that was down to me wearing not a lot of colourful outfits. But now I've started incorporating a lot of colour into my wardrobe, makeup is starting to become a really fun and experimental thing rather than a daily chore. I recently bought a pair of flowy pants in this mermaid green colour and thought this was the perfect opportunity to venture out in the experimental makeup world. I also saw
and fell in love with the look. I haven't had a chance to actually wear this eye shadow yet but just swatching it and seeing how well it reflects the light makes me want to cover my entire body in it.
In my entire life, I have only used one foundation. It was the Bare Minerals Pure Brightening Serum Foundation and it worked so well that I didn't even bother trying anything else. But it started to become a bit expensive using a £28 foundation on a daily basis. I decided to venture out and went for this Maybelline Fit Me Foundation. Now I know I have dry skin but after applying all my mosturisers and oils in the morning, the last thing I want to do is apply something dewey that is going to intensify the shine from my mosturisers even more. This works perfectly. It matches my skin extremely well and has an amazing finish.
I think because I quite a few products before starting my makeup or thick products, my makeup tends to cake here and there which is not what I want
ever.
A few months ago, I decided to try out this powder from Collection and it's drastically changed my life. I've found that I don't get that annoying cake-like finish anymore and my makeup looks a lot more natural. I don't know whether it's the powder or just me finessing my makeup skills but my base makeup looks more set into the skin rather than just sat on top. I love this and it's so inexpensive!
Thanks for reading! (All the backgrounds of my photographs are pages of the latest issue of Dazed magazine)
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Music of the Month: September | Zafira
Hi!
It's been awhile since I've done one of these but I am back with the best list of songs and artists that I am enjoying this month!
Over the past few months, I haven't really been listening to a lot of new music. I don't really know why but I just wasn't into anything that had been released. It felt like I was just listening to old music that had been recycled in the worst way possible. It felt as if artists were just putting 0 effort into the songs they were releasing. But then September came around and out of nowhere, the most amazing songs and artists came spurting out of nowhere and it really was a blessing. There is nothing better than starting off the most stressful month of the year with the greatest playlist.
If you follow me on Twitter / Instagram you probably most definitely know who I'm going to talk about first. Brockhampton. They are the loves of my life and I think they're the best boyband out there right now. Everything they release is new and so exciting and I always look forward to their new releases.
It was hard to pick a favourite from the album since I love them all but these are my top 3:
1. LOOPHOLE
How and why is this only 53 seconds long.
2. TAPE
So this plus Loophole is revolutionary. They just go so well together and I love the whole calming instrumental bit (sorry for my terrible musical vocab). It's so cinematic I can imagine it so vividly in some sort of movie or film. I love love love it.
3. FABRIC
This gets me so pumped about the day. Even though the lyrics are quite deep and hard hitting, the beat and rhythm are quick paced and I feel like this would be a pretty decent song to work out to as well. It starts off quite slow but then slowly quickens. I also really love the chorus.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-0NYnb-fh0
This song was on my Spotify discover playlist a few weeks ago which I had stopped checking for a while because I'm usually left disappointed. My discover playlist is filled mainly with soppy indie music which isn't really what I'm into these days but I ended up finding this jem which I am obsessed with. It's extremely catchy. It's a song definitely meant to stay in your head and is 100% a perfect song to sing in the shower. Not to be a complete weirdo but 'daunting' is such a good word right?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOwlY9ITazA
So alt-J recently released a new version of their very loved album 'RELAXER' which is almost as good as the original. This newer version is called 'REDUXER' and features remixes and many different versions of the songs on RELAXER. This particular one features GoldLink who is so good. I love GoldLink a lot too and the mix of all of these people is such a perfect combination.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9b4UvTeQxQ
I've mentioned $uicideboy$ quite a few times in this series but how can I not? They are just too good. This song is from their newest album 'I Want to Die in New Orleans' which is overall is pretty okay but this song is by far my favourite.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uFv9Ts7Sdw
What sort of basic teenage blogger would I be if I didn't mention Lana Del Rey at least once in my posts? But I really do love her. I love her essence and her music and just everything about her. This is my most favoured from her latest releases because I love the lyrics. I also watched the music vid for this and it's so beautiful.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEiMnOr0-nM
I have never ever been disappointed by a Sticky Fingers song. This is their newest single and I wish this was released earlier because it is the perfect song for a summer's day. I love the lyrics and the nostalgic sort of feel to this song. It's just very very very good.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzbRHsyjIzk
A lot of bands and artists released new albums this month and one of these bands was the Neighbourhood. Like many people, I fell in love with them when I heard Sweater Weather which was released 5 years ago. I like many of their earlier songs but when it comes to more recent songs, I've been a bit iffy with them and I'm not a big fan of many. However 'Paradise' reminded me a lot of their older songs and I fell in love instantly. I listened to a snippet of it on Jesse Rutherford's Instagram a few weeks ago before it was released and I knew it would be one of many faves this month.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGvS285hfjA
When listening to SYML I always get a very sad and mopey vibe, like I usually just want to lie in bed and cry when listening to his stuff but this song is so different. It's so upbeat and different. I like it a lot. I really hope he releases more stuff like this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3Qzzggn--s
This song changed my life. The music video stupidly amazing but song itself is so so good. I can defo see myself slow dancing (on my own) in the dark to this. It's perfect. I love Joji.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8LIRtPnuA8
Before many of you start questioning why I put this in here, take a moment and just listen to the song. It's iconic. Life changing. A masterpiece. There's a reason I've been listening to this since I was 6 years old. It's a song I'll always have in my head and I'll be listening to this for ever. I think we must have under estimated JoJo when this came out because she taught us so much in just one song.
That's all I have for this month but if you click here then you can access my entire playlist for this month. There's so much more on there for you to listen to if you enjoyed the songs I mentioned. I don't think this will be a monthly series just because the songs on my playlist don't change drastically but I'll most likely be posting one every other month or so.
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Exploring London: Old Spitalfields Market, Kensington Gardens & Kyoto Gardens | Zafira
Hi!
A few blog posts ago, I did a post all about the National Gallery & Tate Britain as a part of my 'Exploring London' series that have been reoccurring over on here for the past 3 years. I spend the majority of my holidays in London as it is the perfect the place to explore and photograph. Throughout the years I find myself falling more and more in love with it. In today's post, I'll be talking all about Old Spitalfields Market, Kensington Gardens & Holland Park. These are three of the most beautiful and amazing places I visited whilst I was in London.
We begin this post with one of the best markets I've ever been to. If you're quite into that whole hipster-y sort of thing then this is defo the place for you. It consists of a massive range of stalls fluctuating from food, clothes and all the way to home ware. It's perfect place for lunch and just somewhere to kill a few hours.
There's a bunch of designer shops around it too so if that's your sort of thing then Old Spitalfields Market is definitely for you!
There's so many cute places to eat.
The next place I visited was Kensington Gardens. This place wasn't really on my list but since a bunch of my younger cousins came with me, I thought it would nice for them to go somewhere where they can just run and play around. I'm so so so glad me and family came here because it is literally the most perfect place to take portraits. I ended up taking so many family pictures which were the cutest but unfortunately I can't show them since I'd like to respect my family's privacy. I ended up getting some photographs of myself and funnily enough some animals? You'll see further down lol.
It was so weird even seeing this Grey Heron. I felt as if I was in the middle of nowhere shooting for Nat Geo.
This is my favourite shot!
I came to Holland Park with intention of visiting Kyoto Gardens which is inside of it. Most of these photographs are taken in Kyoto Gardens which is so beautiful. It's filled with so much culture and is the perfect place to get some concentrated and highly saturated shots since it's filled to the brim with the most vibrant colours. However, the only downside to Kyoto Gardens was that it was so small. From what people had said to me and reading the reviews on Google, I thought it would be quite big. When I got there, I was slightly disappointed by the size but this was out weighed by the beauty of it.
I recommend that if you want to go see Kyoto Gardens then you should definitely spend a couple of hours walking around Holland Park and see everything it has to offer since it is extremely pretty.
Oh yeah I forgot to mention the peacocks. They really add to the 'je ne sais quoi' of the place.
My hair was doing that whole 'Mulan' thing and I was not happy about it when it came to editing.
The rest of the photographs are from around Holland Park.
There's so many pretty flowers around Holland Park. This would also be an amazing place to take some portraits or family pics.
I'll be posting these photographs plus a lot more over on my Instagram!
Lots of love,
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Exploring London: National Gallery & Tate Britain | Zafira
Hi!
So I'm sort of back and settled into somewhat of a routine after what feels like the most eventful summer of my life which means it's time to show some pretty pics I took whilst I was out and about!
If you follow me over on my Instagram or even if you read my previous blog post, you would know I spent quite a lengthy time in London. Although my exploration days were quite limited due to having a lot of family to visit, I still made the most it and got to see nearly everything on my list.
We begin my little adventure over at the National Gallery and it was such a beautiful place to begin. I love art. I always have but unfortunately my skills within the artistic field aren't quite on Monet's level. Anyway, the National Gallery is the perfect place for an art-lover like myself and it's so stunning to walk around and spend hours admiring the paintings on the wall.
I love galleries and museums that have that sort of elegant, Palace of Versailles kind of vibe it's makes me fall in love with place instantly. The Victoria and Albert Museum (also in London) has the best 'Palace of Versailles' kind of interior and it's my all time fave place.
This pink-ish coloured dress reminds me so much of the latest Collina Strada collection.
I've always wanted something like this painted on my ceiling.
This painting stood out to me so much because my family village in Bangladesh looks the spitting image of this. It's so weird, especially because this painting is of somewhere in America in late 1800s.
She just looks like she's living her best in life in some sort of Dolce & Gabbana gown. This is exactly what I want to be doing in about 10 years.
Absolutely beautiful.
This is just outside the National Gallery.
I then headed off the Tate Britain which was just as wonderful as the National Gallery. I was in awe of the place as once again, it had that 'Palace of Versailles' kind of vibe but it also had a strange modern and minimalistic twist. It was weirdly cool. I guess it's quite hard to explain but once you look through my photographs you'll understand. As soon as you walk in you're hit with a bright, white, minimal environment but as you start walking through the place it transforms into an old and elegant place.
The most creepiest painting I've ever seen. I was immediately drawn in by this. Maybe it was the way they had lit the painting but it's so so so nightmarish. I think I had a good look at for about 2 minutes and decided to swiftly move away because I know I'd have some sort of unpleasant nightmare about it.
This is one of favourite paintings ever! I can't remember where I saw this first but I've been in love with it for years. This is 'Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose' by John Singer-Sargent. It's beautiful. I even bought it in tote bag form.
I wish I had enough patience and skill to sit and draw in a museum or gallery.
I think I was in year 7 and we'd have these English lessons every other week or so which were so chill and we'd read poetry and just talk about stuff and I remember so vividly reading the poem behind this painting. This is 'The Lady of Shalott' and the poem is bit miserable but still quite good. I used to try and draw and painting this painting so much when I was younger.
Also some of the frames around these paintings are just as stunning as the paintings themselves.
If you're wondering whether I took these on film or not then the answer is no. Preparing for uni has made my bank account a bit non existent alongside living the city life in London so shooting on film wasn't really something I could do. I took one roll of my usual Fujifilm Superia 200 and used that one 36 shot roll for the entire trip. I'll post those in a few weeks but these are all digital photographs that I've edited to make it look like they were shot on film.
I'll be posting these photographs plus a lot more over on my Instagram!
Lots of love,
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Blackpool | Zafira
Hi!
Since everyone enjoyed my Wales video so much, I thought I'd make another one with some random clips I had lying around. About a month or so ago, me and a couple of my family members headed over to Blackpool to just relax and watch the sunset. I think if you live especially in Manchester, you have this very vivid image of Blackpool because as soon as it gets a tiny bit hot, you know you would probably be going there to spend the day since it's pretty close by. When I was younger, Blackpool seemed like the coolest place ever but in more recent days, it's become a somewhat overrated and downhill place to be.
When I went to film this video, the beauty that Blackpool once had offered to me as a young child didn't appear to me straight away but something happened at sunset I was hit with all these amazing and very surprising sunlit surroundings and found that it was the perfect opportunity to film some bits.
I used the song 'The End of Love' by Florence and the Machine because it was on one of Spotify discover playlists and I'm not quite sure why but it reminded me a lot of being at the beach. I feel like it's pretty in-tune with the montage.
I hope you enjoyed it!
Lots of love,
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Wales Video FAQ | Zafira
Hi!
So if you've been following me on my social media, you'd know that a few weeks ago I made and posted a little video montage of my weekend away to Wales and ever since I've had so many questions about it so I thought I'd answer them all on here.
I've seen quite a few videos in the film and 'Super 8' style and I completely adore them. I love the grain and nostalgia feeling behind them. I wanted to replicate that with my montage of Wales because this was the very first time my entire family had gone away together and it was one of those things I know we'll look back at for the rest of our lives. It was most definitely a trip to remember. I wanted it to have that sort of home video-y feel to it but also still be something very visually appealing. I used the song 'Fear of the Water' by Syml because if you know me very well then you'd know I have this weird relation with water. I can't swim so large amounts of water are a big no no but I adore the sea and the ocean and everything that comes with it. I was listening to it on the way to Wales and it's what really spurted the idea of this video.
Okay so the most asked question is how did I get it looking like I shot on film or on a Super 8 camera? A lot of people have also asked what camera I used but my secret really is Adobe Premiere. I am a student so even affording something like Super 8 camera is ridiculous without even thinking about getting the film developed which is another huge dip in the bank so using Adobe Premiere and achieving something that looks pretty authentic was amazing. I just started off my filming with my DSLR and then imported it into Premiere, cropped it into a square shape, added a dash of grain, lowered the contrast, increased the saturation and added the film reel sound and I was good to go. You can even get away with filming with your phone and anything really, the quality of the video isn't really as important because when the overlays and grain and stuff are added on top, the overall quality lowers.
I used two videos I found on YouTube to overlay and help create a perfect and central square shape and to add effects and here they are:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZM9bcUYonY
This first one helped to create those orangey/pink hues that appeared spontaneously which is common when using film.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1rCxzJnmiM
And then the second one is what I used to get the square shape. I wasn't sure on how to get the rounded corners so that's why I stuck with the square. I didn't really like the effects on this so I used as a stencil and guide of where to place each clip and then ended up only keeping the audio from this.
I watched quite a few YouTube tutorials to help which were really handy but when it comes to doing the little things like altering colours and such it's pretty much up to your personal preferance. I added a slight yellow tint to emphasize that nostalgic feel and then a handwritten title and subtitle. I got a lot of questions about that too, some people thought it was a font but it's just my crappy handwriting lol. I used a graphics tablet which is actually my little brothers but it's become very handy for me so we'll just say it's mine. I used Photoshop and started off with a black landscape A4 sized document and wrote in yellow. I used a black background because when you usually insert titles in Premiere the background is always black anyway.
Here's the most helpful YouTube tutorial that I found:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrmmJK9QwPo
The last thing I had a loooot of questions about was where this was filmed and as you can probably tell from the title, it was filmed in Wales but more specifically in the small town on Pemaenmawr alongside Llandudno and Snowdonia. They are amazing places to photograph (click here to check out my 'Wales on Film' post) and film because it feels so calm and serene. It's so beautiful to be out in nature and be surrounded by beaches and hills and mountains which is something I tried to capture in my video.
I plan to do a lot more of these because I adore making them, it's so much fun to film and make so make sure you follow my social media to find out when and where I release my next video!
Lots of love,
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Dear 2018 | Zafira
Dear 2018,
2017 was a roller coaster of a year. I don't think I've ever been so upset but so happy but so disappointed and extremely overwhelmed all at once in my entire life. It's been a strange one but I'm very much ready for it to end.
I don't want to start this year off with a list of resolutions and things I need to fix from last year because let's be real, I'm never ever going achieve everything on my list. I'm not expecting a lot from this year, just the few important things that I feel will not only improve me as a person but my entire life in general.
I hope that you offer me a range of opportunities because I think I'm finally ready to live my life to fullest. I know this year will be challenging. It's my last year at college and I'll be sitting my exams in May (😭) and hopefully, if I get the grades I need, I'll be off to Uni in September which is insane. In my head, I still feel like I'm 10 years old but I'll be turning 18 this year and I'll be an adult. It's time to slowly grow up and let real life hit me and I'm ready for it.
I have this irrational fear of change but at the same time, I love change. I can't wait for it. I know that a lot of things will change this year, with my education, with family and much more but it's taken me a solid 17 years to accept that these changes are good. Even if they don't feel like it at the time, they'll make more sense as I grow older and learn to understand how if they didn't occur, I wouldn't be where I am right now.
I spent a lot of time in 2017 wasting away my hours, contemplating over things that didn't matter at all and a lot of staring at the ceiling and listening to Kanye's 'The Life of Pablo' all night until the early hours of dawn hit. That's all about to change, I love you Kanye but I think it's about time I sort out my sleeping schedule and spend my time on things that will have positive outcomes. I'm ready to work hard for what I want and I'm extremely determined to tick off many goals on my list this year.
I hope you are sweet to me and I hope that time spent with my family and friends this year are so heart warming that my heart over heats and feels like it's going explode every time I with them. I haven't been a very good friend or family member this year, in some ways, I feel like I've neglected everyone close to me. But, I'm working on myself and I think it's finally hit hard how much my loved ones do for me. I want to make my family and friends proud and be there for them. I want them to feel a sense of warmth and comfort when they are around me.
My camera and art supplies became a little dusty this year. I hadn't been as devoted to capturing photographs and creating art as much as I would have liked to mainly out of pure laziness. It's been harder to create art over the past couple of months, the only time I feel a little spurt of creativity is during class and I feel this overwhelming urge to doodle. I want to desperately work on this year, I want to be the artsy fartsy child I was a long time ago. I know she's hiding deep inside me somewhere. I captured a lot of memories this year on film. I'm in love with my Canon EOS 300 but I feel as if I haven't spent enough time with it in my hands. Capturing memories has been fun but I know that there's so much more out there for me to document and capture. There's so much going on in the world that so so so many people don't see. I want to change this. I want to take a series of images so eye opening that it changes the way people think and see. I'm done with all this tumblr-y stuff that people expect of me when they see my work, it's not what I want to do anymore. I want my work to have more meaning.
I want to spend more time on here. I love writing. It's something that feels so natural so to avoid it and not spend anytime doing it feels wrong and uncomfortable. It'll be hard to find the time to put in but I will find time and make this my own little cute personal space on the vast web. I've done this place up a little bit and found a name I quite like, 'Zafira Ahmed' seemed a bit too plain Jane. I really like this new name.
Charles Buckowski said "I was waiting for something extraordinary to happen, but as the years wasted on nothing ever did unless I caused it" and I intend to live by this everyday this year. In 2017, I felt bored with my life, it seemed as if the days were all blending together, there was no difference between them. I want to do exciting things, big or small. I want to be spontaneous and not live by a structured day to day schedule.
2018, please go slowly. I feel like my whole life is flashing before my eyes already when I've barely just hit 17. I want to enjoy every aspect of my life so thoroughly and vividly that the memories stay with me forever. Whether these memories are good or bad, I'm ready to experience them.
Yours sincerely,
Zafira
x
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September on Film | Zafira
Hi!
I'm back with another post in my film series! I'm quite aware it's mid October, well pretty much past mid at this point but I've been insanely busy at college but I've finally found a little bit of time to show you a couple of snaps I took during the month of September!
All I can remember from September was the stress of being back at college, writing my personal statement and catching up with all my amazing friends. It's weird how fast college has gone, this is my last year and I want to treasure every moment possible.
This is Britt, she smells nice.
I'm currently trying to jazz my room up a bit. It looks quite plain so I stuck pretty much all my film shots up on my walls and it looked quite cute. I think I'll probably end up getting some fairy lights too just to complete that ever so 'Tumblr' look.
This is Cherie and Sanjida. They make college that little bit more bearable.
Here's a snap of Cherie looking cute as per usual.
Lydia and Jazmine having waay too much fun in the art department.
Another cat one. We've become particularly close over the past few days. I often find that when I come home, he/she is waiting for me outside my window.
My mum likes buying fresh flowers every week.
I'm Asian of course my house contains at least one chili plant.
We have a little bit of a jungle theme going on in our living room, it's very nice and relaxing.
Sparkly macaroons are apparently a thing?
Me in the only shirt I seem to own. I don't even look like myself in this it's strange.
I took this on the way home from college. I spend too much of my life sat on a bus.
Since I had experimented a lot this month, a lot of my shots were pretty much under exposed but it's all good, I've got a fresh roll and I'm excited to shoot again. I think I'm going to merge October and November together so get ready for a nice chunky post!
Remember to follow me on all my social media to stay updated and to see some cool behind the scenes and extra shots!
How to Stay Organised | Zafira
Hello!
The most difficult thing I find about being at college is definitely trying to stay organised. It can get pretty messy with the work load and trying to manage some sort of system that helps you get everything done. But I'm in my second year of college and I've finally found a few tips that have really helped me stay on track!
1. Move out of your soft office.
We all love our beds. I love mine dearly and I think I spend the majority of my life in my bed. However, when you're working, the last thing you want to be is chill and sleepy. Separate your bed from your work life, it'll make your bed more of the sanctuary and place of rest that it's supposed to be rather than a place of work. It's a really hard move to make but it will definitely help you stay focused whilst working.
2. Make sure your work place is clean, minimal and tidy.
I have only just started to use my desk properly this year and I wish I would have used it sooner. I used to use it as a place to dump all my crap such as books but this year I though I'd tidy it up and make it a decent place to work. Wherever you're working should be clean and tidy, try and move things that are distracting away from your work area and keep it as minimal as possible. As they say 'tidy desk, tidy mind' and it's 100% true.
3. Pack your bag the night before.
I used to pack my bag the morning of school but ever since I've started college, I've been doing it the night before and it's saved me so so so much time in the morning. Give yourself about 15 minutes the night before school, college or uni to pack all your essentials just so you're completely ready for the day. This bag is from River Island btw and I think I've been using it for like 4 years now. I'm very surprised it's even lasted this long.
5. Plan your outfits the night before.
This is sort of on the same lines as packing your bag the night before. It will save you so much more time in the morning to fully prepare yourself for a day in hell but at least this way you'll be looking extra cute even though you're in pain. This jumper is from Bershka and is the comfiest thing I own. It isn't available anymore but you can buy a very very similar one here:
https://www.zaful.com/lantern-sleeve-mock-neck-sweater-p_379337.html
6. Keep a copy of your timetable at home & a calendar to fill in for the month.
Keeping a copy of your timetable at home is pretty useful especially when it comes to knowing what lessons you have, when work is due and what to pack for the day. On my timetable, I've colour coordinated my lessons so when I fill in my diary/planner or my to do list, I use that certain colour so I know it's associated with that certain subject. Usually I'd just make my own on Word but this time I just printed a couple off Google Images, there's a lot of different cute ones. Calendar wise, print one that has boxes for everyday of the month so you can fill in what work is due and important dates. The most satisfying thing to do at the end of the day is to put a nice big red 'x' through that day's box.
7. Get a diary/planner.
A planner or diary for the year is a necessity. Not only do they help keep you organised but they're so much fun to shop for since they come in so many different styles, designs and structures. I got mine from TK Maxx and it's A6 sized so it's so easy to take with me everyday. I fill in everything in here, whether it's homework, university associated stuff or even appointments. I love cats.
8. Make lists of everything you need to do.
My friend Cherie bought me a couple of these cute notebooks whilst she was on holiday and they've been amazingly handy. I like making lists. Whatever the situation is, I'll most likely make a list whether it's a pro or cons or a list of stuff to take on holiday or in this case, a list of work I need to do. Usually I'll make one for the week and one for the weekend. This notebook is quite handy since at the top it has little section to fill in the date so you know what you're on but just any notebook will do or you can even get yourself a to do list pad.
9. Post stick notes are your best friends.
I don't think I would have even survived my first year without these. I stick these e v e r y w h e r e. I am an organised person because of these. I use them to write down important work that's due, to highlight sections I need to revise in books, important areas in books, the list is honestly endless. They will be your saviour for the rest of your life in education.
I hope this gave you a few ideas on how to get your life somehow together, don't worry if it isn't perfectly organised, mine isn't and I can assure you that no one else's is 100% organised either 😏
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