Wtf are you talking about Willis?!

Not going to lie, when I first got my dissertation title I didn’t know what it meant. Straight up I had no idea what a nitrite thin film was. So the first task of this monster of a project was the simple task of googling what the bloody thing meant! As I did more reading into what thin films were I discovered that they are all around us and are one of the leading areas of research in modern day technology.

By definition a thin film is “(of a process or device) using or involving a very thin solid or liquid film” or in electronic terms “denoting a miniature circuit or device consisting of a thin layer of metal or semiconductor on a ceramic or glass substrate”

In other words thin films of various materials are made by settling a thin layer of material over a reacting surface. Think of it as a coating over a block. A nice little coat. Depending on the material used for the thin film it changes the properties of the layer and what it can be used for.

The process by which the layer is made is a type of surface engineering and it called deposition. I will go into more what this means later on (I bet you’re very excited)

The applications of thin films is massive! They can be used in so many different ways and they are used all around us, for example a familiar application of thin films is in mirrors. These are typically made by a thin metal coating on the back of a sheet of glass to form a reflective surface, this process is called silvering. A very-thin-film coating (less than about 50 nanometers thick) is used to produce two-way mirrors.

The main reason that the demand of thin films has increased is down to their uses in optics and their use in semiconductors. Due to the fact that (obvious by the name) they are such thin coatings they are perfect to be used to coat wires which helps in nanotechnology as the goal in future electronics is to make everything smaller and more efficient. Other examples of thin film application include being used in space science, defence, aviation and several other industries!

So there you go, the first insight into what delights are coming your way! The exciting, exhilarating world of thin films. Such a small part of the big bad world of material science and yet something that is applied all around you in everyday life from looking in your bathroom mirror to coating the wires in your laptop and even being used in space. What useful little things thin films are ay?

But my mom says I'm cool...

Your last year of university. It’s a very testing time with a selection of your lasts and first, a gaggle of essays and tests constantly being throw at you and the mastering of working off 4 hours sleep a night. Oh and of course that one piece of work that is famous for bringing men to their knees in tears, your dissertation. The taboo word of the year, no one wants to speak about it but it’s the only thing people have to talk about. Lucky for me I am in this place right now, constantly in the library reading journal after journal looking for ideas of how to write this 9000 words of misery. Great.

Oh Mark you have no idea

I am currently studying my undergraduate degree in pharmaceutical chemistry and for my dissertation in the form of a literature review which is just me reading and reading and reading scientific journals, articles, books and using this information to answer my title and then in the end bring forward my own ideas for the future of my topic (I bet you’re all jealous now). Alongside the 9000 words I need to write I am going to perform a presentation on my title, make a poster and make a public dissemination piece and this is where blogger comes in. A public dissemination piece is where I need to discuss my review with members of the public (you guys! Oh hey you!) and portray it in a way that anyone can understand. So hopefully it means that anyone will be able to know what I am wittering on about even without a background in chemistry, HOW EXCITING.

Oh and just wait, you haven’t heard what my title is yet *drum roll*

Coordination compounds in low oxidation states as precursors for the deposition of stoichiometric group IV and V metal nitride thin films

*fireworks and music and cheering of pure excitement*

To wrap this lengthy babble up what I am trying to do is to make everyone interested in science by making it as easy and as interesting (hopefully) as possible. So if you want to learn about how thin films are made, wow, please keep reading!

I will post what I do in small posts, I don’t want people falling asleep on their laptops now, and try to convey it in a way everyone will understand. I will include pictures as well just to keep it fresh and who doesn’t love a good science diagram *swoon*

If anyone has already gone through the tortures of a dissertation and have any advice how not to have a breakdown and buy the entire of ASOS then please share!

Stay cool and wish me luck! 

Tom Rosenthal

Happy summer chickens! Recently I have had a lack of new music and for the days where all I want to do is chill in the sun there is nothing worse than having nothing to listen to. First world problems. Luckily I have stumbled upon the talent that is Tom Rosenthal, insert wiki information “Thomas Alan Smith "Tom" Rosenthal is an English comedian, film and television actor. He is best known for playing Marcus in Plebs and Jonny Goodman in Friday Night Dinner”.

So if you are looking for a new fresh sound give him a listen! I’ll link some of his songs below, hope you are all well my huns!

Drinks in Shoreditch

Face: Rimmel London Matte Perfect in 103 True Ivory, Rimmel London Stay Matte Transparent Powder, Soap & Glory Kick Ass Concealer, Bourjois Paris Maxi Delight Bronzer, Natural Collection Blush in Rosey Glow.

Eyes: Mac in Jest (lid), Elizabeth Arden in Lagoon (crease), Rimmel London Scandaleyes in Black, Bourjois Paris Volume 1 Seconde Mascara Waterproof.

Brows: Maybelline Brow Drama in Dark Brown.

Lips: Revlon Colour Burst in Peach Parfait.

I have lived in east London for just under a year now and one thing is certain, I absolutely love Shoreditch! I am lucky enough to live just round the corner from Brick lane so I make sure I take it for granted by going as much as I can for either a meal, the markets, rough trade or even just for a few drinks with friends.

I find this is a good look for it as it’s simple but also has a little shimmer to it so you don’t get lost in the lights of the cocktail bars. In words it looks like a lot of products were involved but when actually applying it time is definitely not an issue.  The key to this look is the brassy colour of the eyes paired with the light pink shade on the lips that can be created straight from work/university by adding a little shimmer eye shadow and a colour to the lips.

The last thing to say is if you ever find yourself in London make sure you get yourself down to Shoreditch to either Vibe Bar or 1001 for a cool atmosphere and a true feeling of east London!

Sunny Day Necessities

It’s rare to get a sunny day in the UK so when we do I feel obligated to make the most of it, i.e. spending every moment in the park. I was however blessed with having very pale, easily burned skin which means I have to take extra precautions when enjoying the suns raise as should everyone. Sun burn is not fun or pretty. Here I am going to share my sunny day necessities which I use whenever the clouds break and Mr Sun shows his face.

Clinique Super City Block in SPF 40, £17.00

This is a new product for me which I invested in because I was sick of getting a Rudolph nose every time I step outside. It’s not a cheap product but I am very happy with it as it is easily applied and soaks in really quick fast. Also the women at the Clinique stand told me it can be used as a primer which is always a bonus! I went for SPF 40 as I need it but it also comes in SPF 25 if you do not burn as easily as you do but you can never be too prepared when it comes to skin care.

Nivea Sun Moisturising Sun Lotion in SPF 30, £5.00 (half price in Tesco’s)

Nothing special here, just your regular all over the body sun cream; this can be used on your face as well but I find they cause my skin to breakout so I just stick to the City Block. It does everything it says on the bottle, protects you from the sun and as its Nivea you know you are going to get a quality product.

Nivea Sun Protect Lip Care in SPF 30, £3.50

Again this is a must for me as I have sadly suffered from burned lips in the past and trust me, it ain’t fun.  You can probably get better SPF lip balms then this but for the price it’s great just to throw into your bag before going out and it’s very easily applied. Only thing is that it does leave a white colour to your lips and it does not last that long so constant application is needed but I still wouldn’t leave the house on a sunny day without it.

My last few necessities which I take with me for a fun day in the sun is some reading material (this month’s ELLE is a treat, amazing interview with Pharrell), sunnies and of course some of that delish H20! To make mine more exciting I just added a few frozen berries I had on hand which gives it a lovely fruity hint and just helps liven up some normal tap water.

 I hope you are all enjoying the sun where you are and remember to be safe in the sun by using  SPF and keeping hydrated.

What are your sunny day musts?

WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!

Ah my god where the hell has this year gone?! I am about to finish my first year at university and I haven’t blogged since January…*insert small panic attack*. I am truly sorry for the lack of posts but I just literally have not had the time recently between starting a new job and my exams I barely have time to sleep. But there is a light on the horizon and that is that my last exam is on Monday then I am free as a bird yeeeeey and I plan to get back into a swing of blogging things. I also plan to do more varied subjects because as you know variety is the spice of life and that. I don’t want to give away too many plans just yet so just sit tight and everything should unfold soon!

If anyone out there is in the same boat as me and are dying exams then I feel ya sista (and brothers) but hold on tight as it’s all nearly done! So yeah, this is just a quickie to tell you guys that I am still alive and kicking and I will be back to proper blogging as soon as my exams are finished.

Love you all mwah mwah!

Uni Days

Merry Tuesday kittens! Whoever designed my timetable for university this term is a definite hater in that I have 9am starts every day, booooooooooo. Any reader who is at university or has been will be feeling my pain right now and how much of a struggle in is to get in every day AND to make yourself look presentable to the world. Ah maaa gaaaahd it’s hard! To survive this I have made a morning routine which can be done in 30-40 minutes (depends on how fast you can move in the mornings) so you can have those extra few minutes in bed.

1)      GET OUT OF BED! Hardest step of all

2)      Drag your ass to the kitchen to get yourself a coffee/tea which ever you prefer

3)      Wash your face using a simple cleanser, preferable an energising one as you are probably still asleep

4)      Moisturise, I use Nivea Soft as its light to use and acts as a lovely base to your make up

5)      This leads me on to make up, keep it simple! I normally just use a slick of foundation (depending on how my skin is), wee bit of concealer, powder, mascara (normally use quite a lot to make me look more awake), eyebrows and blush then you’re done!

6)      Hair, my favourite thing to do is just to tie a section of it up and leave the rest down. It’s so quick to do and yet looks so cute and pretty

7)      Dress, think about what you’re going to wear as you’re getting out of bed and making your coffee/tea to speed this process up

8)      Brush teeth, spray on perfume, grab bag making sure everything you need is there then boom you’re out the door!

Don’t worry if you’re mornings are a mad rush everyone’s is, just follow these steps as loosely as you want and it’ll help you not to lose your head. For a little more help on a quick make up look the beautiful Tanya Burr has done a simple school make up look which I think is so good to use so I will leave a link for that down below for you to have a look.

Last thing I want to say is good luck! I am not a morning person and I know it’s hard to get up early but just think, when you get home you can nap! Naps always help.

Diamond Boxes

A while back I did a post about cheap storage devices I used for when I first got to university and I didn’t really have the money to buy anything else, I will leave the link here for it. For Christmas though I was spoilt of my momma who bought me some beautiful jewellery boxes as she found me keeping my jewellery in a tin not very lady like and since I am now 20 I should really be using something nicer.

I got two boxes, one a smaller mirrored box with a lid and matching mirrored set of draws with I love so much! One of the best things about them is that the inside of the box and each draw is felt so it gives some protection to the things that are inside. I use the box for my bigger necklaces, they fit in a treat and it’s big enough so that they don’t get all twisted in each other which is one of the biggest pains in the world when you are in a rush! I then have put my rings, earrings and bracelets in each of the draws of the one. For my earrings (the top draw) I placed a smaller box in as well (which I think I got a bracelet in but I can’t really remember) to hold my studs and smaller in earrings in so they don’t go roaming around the draw.

Another amazing thing about these boxes is that since they are just mirrored and not coloured they can fit in to pretty much any room with any decorations. I didn’t ask how much they were as it’s a bit rude to ask how much presents are but I did find out they are from the TU line in Sainsbury’s which I was surprised about as they are so pretty and I have never really had a look at the line. So if you are looking for some jewellery boxes or just a pretty box to put some nic-nacs in then get yourself down to your nearest Sainsbury’s! 

Disco Bus

2013 brought the signature nail (this just means one nail is painted a different colour to the rest) and I have a feeling it’s here to stay. Not going to lie, it is a favourite of mine as it is so simple and easy to do yet add something a little different to your regular nail varnish design. The easiest way to do it if you don’t fancy having different coloured nails is just to add a glitter top coat to one of the nails which I have done here, it doesn’t look it as this is a quite heavy top coat but believe me it is!

For the base coat I used Rimmel London I Love Lasting Finish in 030 Double Decker Bus which I got for my birthday and for the glitter top coat I went to an oldie, Models Own in Southern Lights. Both of these are drug store brands so are easy to get your hands on and are relatively cheap. So if you haven’t already give this a go to give your nails a little more jazz than normal, the nail you choose to stand out if up to you and so are the colour combinations.

Music wise this week I have been OBSESSED (capitals are necessary) with alt-j An Awesome Wave, this album was hyped big time about this time last year and I have just got around listening to it and can’t stop. If you are fans of dance/electro/indie music then give it ago; my favourites are Breezeblocks, Taro and Fitzpleasure. 

I am looking for new music so please recommend below! 

Book Club: Divergent

“Here’s to books, the cheapest vacation you can buy.”

—	Charlaine Harris

As part of my new year’s resolutions is to read more…well I’ll be honest here I just need to start reading! My sister is a little book worm and has always tried to push books on to me to read so I have decided to actually read them, how thoughtful of me. As motivation for me to keep this up I am going to (try my very best) do a book review once a month on this blog reviewing a book I have and one which I think you will like as well.

The first book I am going to review in 2014 is *drumroll* Divergent by Veronica Roth, OH MY GOD THIS BOOK IS AMAZING! I’ll admit it isn’t the highest quality book on the brain stimulating side but it got me finding it hard to put it down and if that isn’t a sign of a book then I don’t know what is. If you liked the Hunger Games books then you will love this, it is the first of a trilogy and is going to be made into a film this year which I cannot wait for! I’ll leave a link for the trailer down below if you want to take a wee look at that.

Not giving too much away, Divergent is about 16 year old Beatrice who lives in a futuristic world which is split into 4 factions. When you turn 16 you have to choose which faction you want to spend the rest of your life in, you can either stay in your faction or move to a different or join factionless which are a population who either make it into a faction or choose to live there. The story starts with Beatrice making her decision with the help of a simulation test which is supposed to give you a clear idea of which faction you live in but things don’t go too smoothing for dear Beatrice…

Over Christmas I read both Divergent and the second in the trilogy Insurgent which is equally as good so go read it! If you do read it or you have already read it please tell me below what you thought of it. We can make this a little community book club thing…good descriptions there Hann.

Divergent Trailer, out April 14th (UK)

What books have you been reading and loving recently?

January Blues

Hold on to your hats cats here comes the first beauty post of the year; put your hand up if you just imagined a bunch of cats wearing hats *raises hand* I am going to start with one of my ultimate beauty faves, a good old nail varnish that I got off my darling mother for Christmas. I don’t own my Jessica nail varnishes but as they are my mums favourite she’s always getting me them, I ‘m not complaining though! The cover is amazing, no more than 2 coats are needed, the colours are beautiful and they last really well; I would put them up with Nails Inc. and OPI for quality.  

The colour I am wearing at the moment is called Jessica Estate and is a dark metallic blue/grey/dark green in some lights; it kind of reminds me of petrol. I love colours like this because they change colour depending on what lighting you’re in and it just keeps things exciting...yes my life is that exciting. It’s also good for my fellow pale gals as it doesn’t make your hands even paler like wearing black does but it still means we can wear a dark shade with pride. Safe to say this is my colour of the moment, thanks mam!

As it would have been rude I didn’t ask the price of the nail varnish as it was a present but I have left the link to the website so you can have a little look for yourself. I don’t think Jessica is stocked in many drugstores but I know they do in Sally’s and are available in most beauty salons (if you do find it in a drugstore please tell me!)

What’s your nail varnish favourite at the moment? 

Also as a little musical extra, a band which went to high school with have just released their first music video and it’s amazing and I highly recommend a listen! I have seen them perform live and they are extraordinary so please help support them; they are going to big so get in there before anyone else.  

LISBON - BLUELOVE

Frozen Banana Treats

The thing I find the hardest about eating healthy is taming my sweet tooth, it rules and is impossible to control. I have now found a nice little treat which is sweet and healthy, frozen banana bits. Simple and yet delicious! Firstly you choose your bananas, ones which are ripe are the best to use but the size doesn’t matter as you are going to cut them in to slices any way. A normal butter knife is fine to use to cut the bananas into slices (the size of the slices is up to you) then places the slices into a sandwich bag; try to make sure the slices are not attached as they will freeze together. Place the bags into a freezer and leave for a few hours till frozen; once frozen they can be enjoyed on there’s own as a snack, with cream or ice cream as a dessert or if put into a blender as part of a smoothie.

This is a treat I am going to use (especially in the summer) instead of reaching for ice creams as a healthy treat so tame my sweet tooth.

What healthy treats do you enjoy? 

New Years Resolutions Kind Of...

Happy holidays kittens! I hope you have had an amazing time and are excited for a fabulous new year. I know I fallen behind the blog bandwagon but since I have just started the biggest transition of my life I haven’t really had time to do any blogging which makes me very sad. However change is coming!

I am the only person in my family who really like new years and embrace it; I love it because (even though we all fail by February) it gives us a chance to change the things we don’t like or correct the aspects of our lives that we don’t think are going the way they should. 2013 has been the best year of my life so far and I intend to make 2014 even better by trying out a better version of Hann.

I promise in the New Year to blog more consistently and keep you guys up to date on what adventures I am up to. Also I am going to make this blog more of a lifestyle, fashion, music and beauty place rather than mostly beauty because, especially music, makes up a lot of my life and I want to share it more with you! To start this I am going to leave at the bottom my current life playlist which is just the songs I have on repeat right now, please tell me what you think and what you have been listening to!

Another thing I want to do it read more as right now I don’t read at all, to encourage that as well I am going to start reviewing at least one book a month like a book club but with less Jane Austen and more tea.  All the teas!

That’s all for now angels, what are you planning for New Years?  Have you got any new year’s resolutions?

Have a fabulous and safe New Years

Love Hann xx

Loopy For Hoops

Accessorize

Topshop

If you asked me a year ago what I thought about big gold hoop earrings I would have probably said they were charvy and disgusting but oh how time changes things! I am absolutely in love with hoops earring right now, I don’t know what it is but they are all I am wearing at the moment and I have found myself eyeing up a pair of heart shaped gold hoops in urban outfitters last week. 16 year old Hann would be outraged. I don’t know if it’s the 90’s feel about them or that upon wearing them it gives a strong enough look that no other jewellery is needed but I am obsessed by them.

These are my two favourite pairs of the moment and I am planning to buy more soon. If you want some of your own I recommend going to Topshop, Urban Outfitters and River Island as they have a fabulous collection of these loopy beauties.

How do you feel about big hooped earrings?

Love Hann xx

The East End Thrift Shop

London is expensive you say? Lies I say! Just round the corner from Mile End tube station is the East End Thrift store; which isn’t really a shop but more a garage which hangs clothes outside but whatever. In this ponderous Aladdin’s cave holds a marvellous collection of second hand coats, jumpers, shorts, dresses and everything you can think of at low prices! Not only that but what makes them unique is there fill a bag for £10 or £20 offer where you get a carrier bag and can fit as much in as you can then only pay the corresponding price for it (the £20 bags are bigger etc.)

When I went I was able to get all of the above in a £10 making each item on £2.50 each; these items include a cardigan, 2 big Christmas jumpers and a massive cosy winter coat. Amazing right?! Personally, the best things they do are jumpers and coats but go along and see what you can find! I will leave their Facebook link down below so you can find it yourself and its open every Saturday and Sunday. If you go along please give me a link to show me what you manage to get, I love being nosey.

https://www.facebook.com/eastendvintageclothing

Where is your favourite place to shop in London?

Love Hann xx

Halloween Day Of The Dead Makeup

I am going to put my hands up and admit I am the worse person in the world for costumes; I am truly awful in the fact that I just am too lazy to get anything together and Halloween this year was no different. In my last minute panic I just decided to go for a makeup look instead and to my amazement it actually worked! I paired up a “day of the dead skull” with a simple black dress and flower head band which I had anyway and them boom! There’s a costume! I am anything but a makeup artist so there are probably a million better ways to do this look but I managed to do it just using makeup I already had making it an inexpensive, easy option.

Safe to say it took a lot of black eyeliner for the spider web detail, flower affect around the eyes and for the lips, I used a black kohl pencil (I used Rimmel London Soft Kohl) as the base as I found it easy to use then put black liquid eye liner on top to define it (I used a mix of a MUA eyeliner and my EyeKo London Pencil). For the eyes themselves and my nose I used a chunky eye shadow pencil (Collection 2000 Work the Colour) as it was so easy and quick to use to fill it all in and I did put a little mascara on (Rimmel Scandaleyes) but with the black background it’s not necessary really. I didn’t have any coloured face paint on me so for the base of my face I just went for the lightest foundation I had (L’Oreal Code Lumiere BB Cream) and I found it worked just fine; for the colour around the eyes I used a bright pink lipstick I had (Maxfactor in English Rose) but if you have coloured eyeliner that would work well as well. For my hair I just backcombed the living daylights out of it (sorry hair) and put way too much hair spray on it just to get the dead zombie look.

 So there you go, if you are as bad at costumes as I am just go for a bold make up look as it can be really cheap and easy to do! I found millions of brilliant tutorials on YouTube to help me so if you want to just type in the look you are going for and you will be able to find something easy.

What did you dress up as for Halloween? Please link me too some pictures!

Love spooky Hann xxx

DIY Pretty Work Folders

Before

After

As most students are I am determined to save as many pennies as I can and one way to do that is my making things yourself. One way I did this was by buying cheap ring binders/folders from a stationary shop for only £1.99 each then decorating them yourself! This is also better in the sense that you have more freedom over how you want your folders to look; for me I just wanted decorations down the side as that was what I was going to see when they were stored away. I decided to decorate mine just with stickers which I bought from Paperchase; they have a fabulous selection and can come as cheap as only £1.00 a packet (also don’t forget to get the 10% student discount!) I went for small woodland creatures for my coloured folders and glow in the dark space stickers for my black ones, cool I know right? Each packet covered two spines of a folder so all together each folder only cost my £2.49 which to me is a nice bargain and also to me they look awesome so I am a happy girl.

What DIY tricks do you have to save money?

Love Hann xxx