I wasn't quite sure what blog post to prepare for you guys today, but since college and A-levels have been taking over my life lately I thought it'd be apt to do a post related to that somehow. Since I enjoy watching 'get ready with me' style youtube videos and so I thought I'd translate this into a blog post, so if you'd like to see how I get ready of a morning then keep reading!

6:30am - First Alarm
I know this probably seems ridiculously early, considering I don't actually get up for another hour (although this depends on my day, as I may get up a bit later if I have a free period first and I'm desperately in need of the extra time in bed). However, I'm the type of person who prefers to have the effect of a 'lie-in' and be able to snooze my alarm a few times, rather than jumping straight out of bed in the morning. If I'm wide awake then I might spend this time checking my phone, but more often than not it's just spent lying in bed and enjoying the fact that I don't have to get up straight away.

7:20am - Get Up and Wash Face
As soon as I get up I make an effort to wash my face, which instantly wakes me up and makes me feel more revitalised and fresh in the morning. As someone who probably doesn't get enough sleep, this definitely helps me to feel more awake and ready for the day, having a burst of energy. It's also important for keeping my skin as clean as possible to try and prevent getting any more spots, making this an essential part of my routine.

7:25am - Style My Hair
My hair is usually really easy to do, as I'll often style it in a way that looks nice but doesn't require too much effort. If my hair is freshly washed, I'll quite often opt for it down with some form of twist or plait to add a bit of interest, but if it's second-day hair or I want it out of the way then some form of bun, ponytail or plaits is usually the way forward. I probably wear my hair up more than down, as it's just more convenient to have it out of the way while I'm working, hence why I probably take a bit longer than I should do with my hair of a morning.

7:40am - Do My Makeup
I don't spend a great deal of time on my makeup on a regular day, just applying enough so that I look presentable and my tiredness is concealed, but I never usually leave the time to do fancy eyeshadow looks or put a lot of effort in. Although it takes me longer than it should, as I often get distracted by listening to my music, my essentials are foundation, concealer, bronzer, eyebrows, mascara, and if I have a bit of extra time then some blusher and a lipgloss for a natural yet pretty look. If anyone would like to see what my everyday makeup essentials are then I'd happily share them in a future post, since I've definitely found some holy grails that I stick with on a daily basis.

8:00am - Brush My Teeth
It's a necessary part of my morning routine, albeit not the most interesting, but I always make sure to thoroughly brush my teeth, especially after wearing retainers through the night. It's during this time that I'll properly check my phone for the first time, having a browse through my emails and scroll through my Twitter and Instagram feeds.

8:05am - Choose Outfit and Get Dressed
I often try and have my outfit picked out the night before to save time in the morning, but sometimes the weather may be different to what I expected or I just have a change of heart. This is perhaps my favourite part of my morning routine, as I really enjoy putting together different outfits and combinations of clothing for college, finding new ways to style things. Since it's getting into spring now, it's finally time to start breaking out the more summery skirts and dresses, which are staples of mine for everyday wear.

8:15am - Jewellery and Perfume
These are just a few of the finishing touches to getting ready that I often forget, so I make sure that it's a regular part of my daily routine. Things like wearing perfume and some jewellery can make a huge difference to your overall look, despite being such small details, and so it's definitely important to remember. It's also at this point that I put on my lanyard, which is essential to wear to college.

8:20am - Pack My College Bag
This is another thing that I try to do the night before college, but sometimes there'll be a few things that I've forgotten to add or to take out from the previous day. My bag is notoriously heavy as I often have 2/3 ring binders alongside notebooks and any books for English lit, as well as my pencil case and other essentials. For this reason, I try to go through my bag and take out anything that I won't need to keep it as light as possible, although it's inevitably going to weigh a ton.

8:25am - Grab Breakfast and a Drink
Since I don't have time to make breakfast while at home, I'll usually grab something that I can eat while walking to college. This is usually some form of protein bar, brioche or cereal bar, depending what we have in. Although protein bars may not seem like the most appealing option, they are actually really delicious! I also make sure that I fill up my water bottle to save me from having to buy one every day, and this means that I can stay hydrated whilst in college.

8:30am - Ready to Leave the House
Luckily I live incredibly close to my college, so I can start walking around half past 8 and still arrive in time for my first lesson at 9am. So that officially marks the end of my college morning routine, which pretty much stays the same every day.

I hope you enjoyed this blog post and hearing my everyday routine! I'm sorry I've been kinda absent with my blog lately, but A Levels are 2 months away and so I haven't got much time to invest in my blog. However just bear with me as once my exams are over and summer starts, I'll have plenty of time to invest in blogging again! Thanks for reading and I'll see you again next Sunday with a new post!

Love from Daisy x
Top Six Apps That All Bloggers Need

I use my phone a lot to help with blogging since it's what I use to take and edit my photos, as well as store random notes that may act as inspiration for a blog post. However, there are also many apps that I use to manage and coordinate my blog, and that are crucial to my blogging process. Since I'm sure not everyone will have heard of these or use them, I thought it might be useful to share with you in today's blog post!

The Blogger app - albeit not the best in terms of limited functions, however this app is still a necessity for any blogger to have. If you want to edit a post on the go or have a moment of inspiration while you're out, you can easily draft it on this app and it'll be ready and waiting for you when you return to your laptop later. However, I do recommend having Blogger bookmarked on Safari on your phone aswell, as this is much more convenient for checking your statistics and comments.

Google Analytics - I'm not the biggest analytics buff if I'm honest, but it's still useful to have the app to check your blog statistics and any changes in readership. I know some people are incredibly invested in this but my most-used feature is definitely the geographical demographics, as it's so interesting seeing what countries have viewed my blog.

Magic Hour - ever wonder how people take photos that are radiant and illuminated, without having ugly shadows or the blaring sun blinding you? The key is taking them at magic hour - when the sun isn't yet in the sky but it's light (aka dusk or dawn). This time of day is constantly shifting but this app tells you when it currently is, meaning you can plan to take all of your blog photos in this window to ensure they're bright and devoid of any harsh shadows.

Bloglovin - although many people use Bloglovin solely as a follower platform, the app is perfect for reading blogs on-the-go. I'm constantly scrolling down my feed and reading new posts, either from bloggers that I follow or those recommended, and it's an ideal place to collate all of your favourite blogs and keep up-to-date with them, as well as saving posts for later.

VSCO - this is the app that revolutionised blog photography (and photography in general tbh) for me, so it definitely deserved a mention. There are many photo editing apps on the market, however I've yet to come across one that is as intuitive and customisable as VSCO, and it also comes equipped with lots of preset filters that really enhance your photos and give them almost a glimmer. The mass editing feature is also super helpful for the times when you have 300 images from a shoot and want to preview them all edited. There's just something about photos edited in VSCO that give off a more composed, professional vibe and this'll forever be my holy grail for photography

UNUM - if you're someone who takes great pride in creating a cohesive Instagram feed, then this app is definitely up your street. It allows you to preview photos in a grid so that you can see how they'd look alongside your existing Instagram posts, as well as moving them around and hiding ones so you can tailor it. Although for some this may be a tad obsessive, for others it's key to creating the perfect Instagram grid.

Thank you very much for reading this blog post and I hope it was useful! I'd love to know if there are any apps that I've missed off this list, so make sure you leave a comment down below with what apps you couldn't live without for blogging. I'll see you on Sunday with another new blog post so goodbye for now!

Love from Daisy x