Exams are quickly approaching, meaning it's time for everyone to start preparing. Revision is one of the things that you will have to do at some point, yet you're often in the dark when it comes to choosing what way to go about it and how often to study. Many people suggest tips and different methods, but are they any good and an efficient use of your precious revision time? When it comes to important tests such as your GCSE's and A Levels, it's crucial to make the most out of your revision, which is why I thought I'd share my ideas on how to make revision effective yet not be too boring.


Gather Resources and References
When revising, it's important to surround yourself with as many sources of information as possible, yet you don't want to overload yourself with unnecessary facts and things that you know you won't need. The most important places to look is in any school books and folders, as well as revision guides, as these will contain the majority of the content you need to know, suited to your exam board. If there's anything you're lacking in or don't understand, websites like BBC Bitesize are useful.

Write Lots of Notes
It's pointless just reading through your books a few times, as you won't fully absorb the information and will therefore struggle to recall key facts. Whether you want to write out everything in your own words or keep your notes concise and straight to the point, that's entirely up to you. My only advice is don't spend too long on this step, as this will only make you familiar with the content and won't consolidate it.

Ways That Work For You
There are so many revision aids and ways to further your knowledge in a topic, so you need to find out which you prefer and what works for you. I like to make posters using bright colours for key points, as I find these much more interesting to look at than bland notes. I also use flashcards, as these are easy to use and you can look at them when you've got a few minutes spare in the day. Other good techniques that I use are working with friends, listening to podcasts, doing past papers, watching related videos and coming up with rhymes and acronyms.

Get Others To Test You
This is a great way to see where you have gaps in your knowledge and therefore what you need to spend more time going over. Get a willing family member or friend to read through your notes and ask you questions about them. If you don't have anyone to help you, there is always the option of testing yourself. There are many apps that will ask you questions around the topic or you could even make your own questions and see if you can remember the answers.

Take Breaks Often
Your brain won't be able to absorb all of the information at once and will soon become overpowered by the amount of things it needs to remember. You are also likely to get tired and bored after working for a while, so make sure you take breaks often. Studies have actually proved that consistent short breaks are more effective than working for a long time. This can also act as a reward for working really hard and make you feel fresh and motivated when coming back to your work.

Share With Others
It's possible that you know information that your friends don't and vice versa, so make sure you get together and help each other! This is not only a fun way to revise, but you will also be able to learn new things and get help with topics that you don't understand. If you aren't able to do this, The Student Room has a lot of message boards where you are able to talk to other people studying the same things and get help and advice.

I hope these revision techniques are helpful and I wish you good luck with any tests that you are studying for. Remember that you are capable of doing well and will gain amazing results if you put in hard work. My only other tip is to not overwork yourself, as there is only so much one person can do and you deserve to have a fun time as well. Thank you for reading and I'll see you soon!

Love from Daisy x
In a couple of days time, I will be celebrating a year of running the blog Daisies and Delights! It's hard to believe that in such a short space of time, I could accomplish many things and sustain a new passion. Blogging fast became my favourite way to spend my time and has changed my life in a positive way. I've met new people, improved my writing, worked on photography and developed a love for beauty and fashion. I thought I would mark this occasion by sharing a few of my blogging achievements from the previous year.


Styleicona Opportunities
In September, I was given the wonderful opportunity of trialling a new fashion app, entitled Styleicona. The lovely people working towards it allowed me to download it early in exchange for a review of the app. This was incredibly kind of them and I honestly loved every part of using the app. Furthermore, they decided to feature my review of their app in their online magazine, which was a huge surprise and thrilled me. This opened my blog up to a much larger audience and I'm extremely grateful of all the opportunities it brought me. I want to thank everyone in the Styleicona team, particularly Katrin and Sheren. They were both really supportive, lovely people that I enjoyed working with. You can see my review here.

100 Followers
Although 100 followers may sound small to some, it was a milestone that I would never forget. Upon starting my blog, I simply wanted to share my thoughts, so I never imagined gaining this amount of followers. I work extremely hard on all aspects of my blog and dedicate a lot of time to it, so it was rewarding to see that people were reading it and actually enjoying my posts. Each and every one of my followers have supported me in one way or another, so I'm incredibly thankful for that! If you want to follow me, you can do so here.

Blogger Interviews
A few months after I created my blog, I decided to interview other bloggers, particularly those interested in beauty and fashion. Although the posts were quite simple, they were unlike many things out there and were received incredibly well by my readers. Not only did they allow me to get an insight into the blogging world and what other people are like, I also interacted with new people and made friends with people that shared the same interest, blogging. This is something that I definitely want to continue in the future, so you'll have to look out for some more interviews!

Awards
I was taken by complete surprise when I saw that I'd been nominated for the 'Versatile Blogger Award' back in August. Georgia, who is now one of my closest blogging friends, was kind enough to nominate me and considered my blog to be good enough for this award, which I was amazed by. I have also uploaded 2 blog posts about the 'Liebster Award' which I had been nominated for and viewed as a great achievement. Since writing them, I've actually been nominated a further 10 times and gained votes for various other awards, which I never imagined possible. Thank you to everyone who nominated me for these, as I am honestly really thankful.

Making New Friends
It's no secret that the blogging community is incredibly kind and supportive. Since I made Daisies and Delights, I have had some lovely messages from fellow bloggers and made a lot of new friends. Whether it's on Twitter, in the comments or through email, I have interacted with many of my readers and quite often we've instantly became friends. I never thought it would be possible to know so many kind and appreciative people, some of whom are living on the other side of the world! I'm incredibly glad to have all of these new friends and I can't wait to talk to many more of you in the future.

These are just a few of the highlights from the past year, but there have been many other things that have strengthened my love for blogging. I want to say thank you to all of you for being with me throughout this journey, whether you joined on the day of my post or are new to my blog. I love you all so much and can't wait to see what the next year of blogging has in store for us!

Love from Daisy x
After wanting to try out a product from Sleek for a long time, I was thrilled to receive their Face Form Contour Kit. In the blogging world, Sleek are most renowned for their great quality cheek products, so I was eager to trial this item. Since I've been using it for a few months now, I thought I'd share my opinions on it with you, in the form of a quick little product review.


These cheek products come in the classic Sleek packaging, which consists of matte black plastic. Although this looks quite classy, it rapidly collects dirt and isn't the easiest to keep clean. This is narrow and extremely sturdy, small enough to be portable yet still supplying a good sized mirror.

Inside, you get three cheek products, a coral pink shimmery blush, a pale beige highlighter and a warm toned matte brown bronzer. Each of these have a creamy consistency and they apply really well, which is great considering they're only from the drugstore. I honestly think the quality is really good, so I thought I'd tell you about each individual product included.

The bronzer in this palette is completely matte, which is good as you can't go too overboard with it and look exessively shimmery. The shade of it is suited to my skin tone and looks natural without being muddy or too heavy. I don't usually contour my cheeks, but I have enjoyed using this lightly on my skin to add warmth and bronze up my face. The colour payoff is great and it is easily blended, making this a really nice product that I've enjoyed using.

I had extremely high hopes for the blusher, as it was what I'd heard the most about before getting this product. It looks beautiful and the gold shimmer makes it really photogenic, both in the pan and on the skin. Honestly, I wasn't completely blown away by this product and felt that there was some room for improvement, but I still like it a lot. It doesn't have the best payoff and looks really shimmery on the skin, much like a highlighter. However, I feel that it can be built up quite a lot to give a subtle yet still nice flush.

The highlighter has to be my favourite part of this product and I have been using this all the time lately. It gives a noticeable sheen on the tops of your cheekbones without looking too shimmery. Although you can't really see it when applying, it looks lovely on the skin, especially when the light hits it. I've loved pairing this with a matte blusher to add a bit of shimmer and more dimension to my face.

Overall, I think this is a great product to try, especially if you're new to makeup and looking for something to start off with. At only £9.95, this product is a bargain and one that I resort to almost every day, despite their being one or two negatives. I really love the final look after using this product, as your skin looks flawless yet still natural.

I hope you liked this product review and you'll have to let me know if you want any more in the future. Thank you for reading and I'll see you on Sunday with another post!

Love from Daisy x
Hello! If you liked my first 'Ask Daisy' post, which I uploaded in January, then you'll be pleased to hear that this is the second instalment. Not only did it receive great feedback and a lot of views, I was also really happy with how it turned out and wanted to do another one for you. I gathered questions from Twitter, my emails and the comments to bring you this post, so I hope you like it!


Can I be interviewed for your blog series?
Sure! I won't just pick anyone though, it has to be a blog that I really like and I feel deserves it. If you want to be involved and possibly featured on my blog, send me an email which you can find on my contact page. Just a hint, I'm more likely to post our interview if you put some personality into the answers and have fun with it; I want to be entertained not hear the same answers again and again.

What makeup items do you recommend I buy for a little amount of money?
I actually wrote a post about my 10 favourite beauty items that you can buy for under £5, which you can read here. Out of all of them, however, I would highly recommend the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer (£4.19) and the Maybelline Great Lash Mascara (£5), as they're both firm favourites of mine.

Do you think you'll stay as a beauty blogger or expand in the future?
As much as I enjoy writing about makeup and sharing it with my readers, there are so many things that I want to write about and don't want to be restricted to just beauty. In the future, I'd love to write more about fashion, my life, books and plenty of other things, but that doesn't mean that I'll stop the type of posts I'm doing now.

What is one piece of advice you have for upcoming bloggers?
If you're starting a blog or have recently made one, my biggest piece of advice is to be yourself and do what makes you happy. When people first visit your blog, they will fall in love with the person who you are, not who you try and become by changing your personality. Likewise, don't force yourself to write about something that doesn't interest you because your readers want it or because it's a popular topic. You're the one who has to put in all of the hard work preparing blog posts, so make them about something you like.

What book are you currently reading?
As I'm writing this, the book I'm reading is The Keepers' Daughter by Gill Arbuthnott. Although I'm not very far into it, I'm finding the story very interesting and alike something that I'd write myself. 'Orphaned as a baby, Nyssa can only dream about who she is and where she comes from, but with the arrival of dark strangers, her past is revealed. Nyssa has a hidden tattoo that bears one half of a secret message. Now her future depends on finding the other half, written on a twin she's never known'. I'd really urge you to try out this book, as I'm loving it so far!

Have you been sticking to your New Year's Resolutions?
If you haven't already seen the resolutions I made at the end of December, you can find the beauty ones here and the blogging ones here. Out of the beauty ones, I have noticed two that I have been doing particularly well at so far. The first one is sticking to a skincare routine, which I've found gets easier after a few days and my skin has really benefited from it. The other is that I've varied my eye makeup more often, venturing into my Naked 3 palette often instead of just wearing brown eyeshadow. As for the blogging resolutions, I have used more social media and interacted with lots of other bloggers in the past 2 months!

So they are all my frequently asked questions, which I hope is useful for you. If there any that you feel I've missed out or there's something else that you want to know, let me know and I'll be sure to tell you. Thanks for reading and have a nice day!

Love from Daisy x
After the huge success of my review of Girl Online by Zoe Sugg, I thought it was about time that I brought you a similar post, this time about The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. It is a mystery/thriller novel that features many myths and theories that really opened my eyes. I was completely absorbed by this book when reading it, so I thought you might like to hear a bit about it.

I was first acquainted with the Robert Langdon series when I watched Angels and Demons in my RE class. I thoroughly enjoyed the film and couldn't stop going on about it for weeks. As I'm a huge bookworm, I knew that I wanted to read all of the books in the series. I received The Da Vinci Code for Christmas and was thrilled that I could yet again immerse myself in the mysteries and legends within. I didn't know what to expect at first, as this book is generally aimed at adults, but it was a great book that I really want to share with you!

fantastic fiction.co.uk

"Harvard professor Robert Langdon receives an urgent late-night phone call while on business in Paris: the elderly curator of the Louvre, Jacques Sauniere, had been brutally murdered inside the museum. Alongside the body, police have found a series of baffling codes. As Langdon and a gifted French cryptologist, Sophie Neveu, begin to sort through the bizarre riddles, they are stunned to find a trail that leads to the works of Leonardo Da Vinci - and suggests the answer to a mystery that stretches deep into the vault of history.

Langdon suspects the late curator was involved in the Priory of Sion - a centuries-old secret society - and has sacrificed his life to protect the Priory's most sacred trust: the location of a vastly important religious relic hidden for centuries. But it now appears that Opus Dei, a clandestine sect that has long plotted to seize the Priory's secret, has made its move. Unless Langdon and Neveu can decipher the labyrinthine code and quickly assemble the pieces of the puzzle, the Priory's secret - and a devastating historical truth - will be lost forever... "

This book is honestly one of the best that I've read in quite some time, as I found it interesting, suspenseful and impossible to put down. There are so many mysteries that are to be solved, theories that you can have your opinion on and characters that you can sympathise with or upright dislike. Each chapter brings a piece of information which is completely unpredictable yet logical and a whole new view on the previous events.

The Da Vinci Code is quite a complex book, with a lot of foreshadowing, hidden meanings and situations that make you think really hard. There are lots of plot twists, double meanings and contradictions, all of which make the book really interesting and grasp you. This book is also filled with information and is actually quite educational, in the form of a thrilling novel. I honestly can't imagine the amount of research Dan Brown must have done to make the book possible.

One of the things I like about this book is that there isn't an extensive amount of characters involved, as there is only a few main ones that we get to know really well. Often in books so complex, there are lots of new characters which make it too confusing, but that doesn't happen with The Da Vinci Code. The majority of the book is spent following Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveu's quest, as well as seeing things from Silas, Bezu Fache and Bishop Aringarosa's point of view.

Quite an important topic in this book is religion, which is heavily featured in certain aspects and sections. However, I wouldn't let this put you off, as there are many more things to love about the book. Legends, such as the Knights Templar and the Holy Grail, are key stories that are crucial to the novel, both of which are fully explained for people unaware of them. After reading this book, I also learnt a lot about Leonardo Da Vinci, the divine proportion and the sacred feminine, all of which are really interesting and insightful.

Overall, The Da Vinci Code is an amazing book that I think everyone should read at some point in their life. Whether you're looking for a mystery, thriller or a conspiracy fiction, this book will satisfy your needs and leave you shocked. In my opinion, it was an unforgettable novel and hopefully the sequels will be just as good! I hope you liked this blog post, thank you for reading!

Love from Daisy x
I get asked quite a lot what products I recommend from the drugstore and what cheap makeup items are worth trialling. Today, I thought I'd compile a list of 10 products, all being under £5, that I would recommend and I really enjoy using on a regular basis. I hope you like it and that this is helpful!
Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer
This product isn't new to my blog, as I've sang its praises on a number of occasions. It's a cult classic concealer that has great coverage, blends evenly and stays put for ages. Not only is this good enough to be my favourite concealer, it has an amazing price of £4.19.

MUA Eyeshadow Palette
I own two of these palettes and have been surprised with the amazing quality of them. The eyeshadows have nice pigmentation, aren't chalky at all and look really beautiful on the lid. Some people even go as far as to compare them to high end eyeshadows, yet these are a lot cheaper at £4.

Maybelline Colour Tattoo
This lovely cream to gel eyeshadow pot is almost over the budget, at £4.99, yet are extremely worth trying out. I find these eyeshadows to be really bold, yet can also be blended out for a subtler effect. They're also quite versatile, as they can be used as an eyeshadow base, on their own, in the crease or even as a gel eyeliner.

MUA Eyeliner
If you want a pencil eyeliner that is cheap, MUA have a great selection. They come in a huge range of colours that apply extremely well and are soft, meaning you can easily blend them out. This product also comes with a mini pencil sharpener, which is great considering they are only £1.

Collection Fat Lash Mascara
I used to use this mascara on a regular basis, as it's of a good quality and lives up to its name. After applying it, my lashes were considerably longer and more voluminous, but this can also be minimised if you want a natural look. I'd urge you to try this, especially since it's only £2.50.

Maybelline Great Lash Mascara
This is one of my favourite mascaras, being exactly on our £5 budget. Personally, I think this product is better for achieving subtler looks, yet can still be used to create bigger lashes. I particularly like the tiny wand, which allows for more precision and accuracy, coating each individual eyelash with the jet black mascara.

MUA Blusher
I've only recently started using this blusher, but I'm pleasantly surprised by its quality and it's quickly becoming a favourite of mine. It's matte, so it looks quite natural when applied, yet still has a great amount of pigmentation and blends really nicely to achieve a gorgeous flush. The colour range is good and I've found this to last for a while after being applied.

Sleek Contour Kit
This palette is an essential that I've found myself reaching for a lot lately. It contains a matte bronzer, gorgeous pink blush with gold shimmer and an iridescent highlighter, all of which have a great formulation. This means that the products are creamy yet still pigmented and don't fade away during the day. This palette makes your skin look beautiful and flawless for the cheap price of £4.99. (Note- this product was on sale when I checked the price; it is currently available for £9.99)

MUA Lipstick
Yet another product from MUA is being featured in this post, which is due to them being great quality for the price. The lipsticks are extremely bold and long lasting, staying put for a while after applying. They are very matte and come in a selection of colours, which is great for a product that only costs £1.

Miss Sporty Cocktail Lipgloss
I used to love this lipgloss quite a lot and I still enjoy wearing it from time to time. Although the colour doesn't really show up, this makes a perfect clear lipgloss that makes your lips look glossy and plump. It isn't sticky or slimy, a common fault in products as cheap as this one.

I hope you liked seeing my recommendations from the drugstore and maybe you'll try some of them out, as they're all incredibly cheap. My next post will be going up on Wednesday and is a book review, so I'll see you then!

Love from Daisy x
Quite recently, I reviewed the Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette and I was thrilled with the positive feedback from my readers. I thoroughly enjoyed writing the post and going into more depth and detail than I usually would. Today, I thought I'd bring you another review, this time the product being MUA's Heaven and Earth Palette. I hope you like it!

The 12 eyeshadows in this palette are packaged similar to all other MUA products, which is in a black and transparent plastic case. In my opinion, this is quite sturdy and I especially love how you can see the eyeshadows before opening the palette. The only issue is that there isn't a mirror, so this palette wouldn't be the best for applying makeup on-the-go. It also comes with a duel-ended sponge applicator, which I don't often use but is quite good for packing eyeshadow onto the lid.

This palette features 12 neutral eyeshadows, all of which are really beautiful. If you've read some of my posts before, you'll know that I'm a huge fan of these colour eyeshadows, so I couldn't wait to try this palette. All of the shadows are shimmery and have great pigmentation. I've also found that they last really well on top of a primer. Here is what I thought of each individual eyeshadow:

Aurora - a pale, shimmer beige that has a creamy formulation. This blends really well and would look pretty highlighting the brow bone and inner corners.
Amazonian Bronze - a shimmery reddish bronze that has warm undertones. It looks a lot darker in the pan than on the lid, but is still a gorgeous colour.
Babylon - a warm-toned coppery gold which is very shimmery. It is smooth and applies really well, but is again a lot different to how it looks in the pan.
Myan Dust - a pale peach with warm undertones. This is quite powdery compared to the other eyeshadows and isn't as pigmented, so I'll probably only use it as a highlighter.
Valley - a burnt plummy red that has warm undertones and not as much shimmer. This colour is creamy and would look lovely in the crease, especially against brown eyes.
Golden Sand - a warm, golden orange that has a metallic finish. This eyeshadow is very bold and is extremely pigmented. This would be a lovely eyeshadow to wear all over the lid on its own.
Rift - a medium brown with slight warm undertones and minimal shimmer. This is really creamy but isn't as pigmented as the others, so it'd have to be built up. I think this would look lovely in the crease.
Amber Dune - a golden brown colour which is very similar to rift in texture and application. It is a lot warmer than it looks in the pan and would be beautiful in the crease.
Catacomb - a metallic pale pink that is extremely pigmented and would be beautiful as a base colour. Again, it is a lot warmer than it looks in the pan.
Tectonite - a dark, plummy brown a slight shimmer to it. This is quite sheer but can be built up and would look lovely against green eyes.
Canyon - a deep reddy brown that is quite shimmery and has a creamy texture. This applies really well and can be blended. I think this would look especially nice paired with Amazonian Bronze or Rift.12
Bedrock - a deep, burgundy that has red shimmers running through it. This is quite similar to Blackheart from the Naked 3 palette, but isn't as pigmented or as dark.

Overall, I think this is a really nice palette and is something that neutral lovers like myself will get a lot of wear out of. All of the eyeshadows look beautiful on the eye but there is a bit of fallout after they've been applied. One of the crucial things missing from this palette is that there aren't any mattes, meaning it was difficult to find eyeshadows that would look good in the crease. However, I did point out a few above that weren't as shimmery and could be used. Apart from that, I really like this palette!

I hope you liked this review and make sure you let me know if there are any other products that you'd like to see a review of in the future. What did you think of this palette? Let me know down in the comments. Have a nice day and I'll see you soon with another post!

Love from Daisy x
I can't believe it's February already, which means it's time for another monthly favourites. January went extremely quick, but there's still a few products that I've been loving recently. Some have been completely new to me and others are rediscoveries, but I hope you enjoy this post nonetheless!


The first product that I've really enjoyed using this month is Soap and Glory's Sexy Mother Pucker Gloss Stick in the shade Raplumzel. I said in my New Year's Resolutions post that I wanted to wear berry lips more often and this is a great product to ease you into that. This lip crayon is extremely glossy and rehydrating, meaning only one layer will give a sheer coat of colour and it can be built up to be a lot bolder. The colour is gorgeous and this product has definitely been a favourite of mine throughout January.

The next product that I've been loving has been Avon's Infinitize Mascara, which I have in brown. I've really enjoyed using brown mascaras in the past and this was no exception. The wand is huge and a bizarre shape, but this means you can easily create quite a voluminous look. I've also found this mascara can be quite versatile, as I have no problem making a more natural look with it. Overall, this is a great mascara that looks gorgeous and lasts all day.

Throughout January, I've been wearing more eyeshadow than usual, my favourite palette being the Naked 3 from Urban Decay. I received this for Christmas and have been absolutely in love with it ever since. All of the eyeshadows are insanely pigmented and have a soft, creamy formulation, which makes them easy to apply. All of the colours are beautiful and versatile, making this a palette that I've been using all the time. If you'd like to know more about it, you can check out my review here.

A product on the cheaper side of the spectrum is the MUA Blusher in Lolly, which only cost £1. Like all other MUA products, this one has great pigmentation, meaning you can wear just a light dusting to give the effect of a natural flush, or build it up for a bold blush. This product is a peachy pink blush that is completely matte, which is gives a natural appearance on the skin. For the price, I'd really recommend you try one of these blushers.

Since, I read a lot, I thought I'd throw in a book favourite as well this moth, which is The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. I was eager to read this for a long time, so I started it promptly after receiving it for Christmas. I don't want to say too much about the plot, as I'll be putting up a review sometime soon, but it's a thrilling mystery based around the Holy Grail, The Knights Templar and Leonardo Da Vinci. This is an amazing read that I would definitely recommend to any teenagers or adults.

That's all for my January favourites! I hope you liked seeing the things that I've loved throughout the month and I'd love to hear what you've been enjoying as well. Thank you for reading and I'll see you on Wednesday with a product review!

Love from Daisy x