Helena Busia

In a relationship I once had, I was told by my then partner, in his complete innocence, that "I looked exactly the same without make-up on than I did with it".  My response to that pearl of wisdom, was that I clearly wasn't doing a bloody good enough job then. Without a good dose of foundation to bring my ghostly pale skin to life, I look like I have just returned from the depths of Hades. I need a good stroke of bronzer to make me look like less of a walking egg. And without eyeliner? Well... Let's just say I could be mistaken for someone of Asian descent.  Everyone has some sort of an opinion on make up. Whether it be a catty remark on the "fleekiness" of someone's eyebrows, to the fact that someone applies their make-up incorrectly. Whilst we are all entitled to our expert opinions, more often than not, my response to this is: Who the fuck cares? If you want to cake your face with six inches of foundation. You do you. If you w...

                              The Struggles of Sixth Form 1. "I'll do it tomorrow" Year 12 began in a rosy haze of optimism. A year and a bit later, that shining promise you made to yourself of meeting deadlines and getting A's in all your subjects has now burnt to dust. Thus leaving you continually asking yourself "When did I ever think I enjoyed these subjects?!" 2. "I have nothing to wear" Oh the days of uniform. How we longed to break free of the blazer. Now I am longing to come to school in my trackies. Business dress?! Perhaps not. No matter how full my wardrobe is, I will have, at the very least, three clothing-related meltdowns a week, and end up wearing the same old safe outfits I always wear. (Oversized jumpers and Jeans? I think so.) 3. Work, work, work, work, work I'm not quite sure if I can remember the time when I lived anything that actually resembled a life....

Kindness is a word that is often banded about in descriptions of people. It is understood by even the smallest of people; we are taught to "be kind" from the moment we are able to understand the words being spoken to us. I feel that a lot of our day to day lives can be weighed down by the grim monotony that comes with living, and the only way to break this, is through kindness, to ourselves, and to others. Now, I'm not trying to come across as a wishy-washy rose-tinted-spectacle-wearing hippie, but sometimes the only person to bring yourself out of the dark is yourself. To practice your own self-care. In short, to be kind to yourself. I have spent many a day laid in my bed moping. I'm sure we can all think of a time when we have done this. Left our hair unwashed, our teeth thick with grime, failing to see a point as to why you should look after yourself anymore. I am not a trained therapist. I offer no concise advice which is proven to work, but I have been there, and...