Halloween is almost here and the nights have started drawing in, which can be a cold and depressing time for many people. The usual light nights are gone, it's freezing outside, yet Christmas still feels miles away. Rather than letting the terrible weather defeat me, I thought I'd try a few different ways of embracing this festive season and adding some spooky touches to my day, and of course I wanted to share them with you guys, so make sure you keep reading!


Carving a Pumpkin
Although you might think that this is an activity for children to do, it's actually really enjoyable for anyone, and me and Aiden had fun carving our own spooky pumpkin. We went for a more traditional, scary design, which was inspired by Pinterest, and it was actually harder than I imagined. This definitely kept us entertained for a couple of hours and was a fun, festive way to spend the evening. If you wanted to add to the autumnal vibes, why not even visit a pumpkin patch to choose one? Everyone on Instagram appears to be doing this and it looks very cute, so why not give it a go?

Going For an Icy Evening Walk
There's no better way to get that haunting feel than by going on an evening walk around this time of year. As the clocks have gone back now and the evenings are drawing in, it's started going dark while I'm still in university, and so what better time to go for an evening walk than on my way home? The old-fashioned university campus looks beautiful once it's lit up, but it's definitely still kinda creepy!


Watching a Halloween or Horror Film
If you really want to get cosy and feel in the festive spirit then there's nothing better than snuggling up for a movie night. If you're brave enough to watch a horror film then this will definitely scare you and add to that Halloween thrill, but for me I'd much prefer a lighthearted Halloween film that adds to the atmosphere without keeping me up all night!

Treating Yourself To Some Chocolates
Halloween is a time when your cupboards are stocked with countless sweets and chocolates ready for the imminent trick-or-treaters. However, if you're like me and at university, thus there'll be no visitors knocking on the door for sweets, it's the perfect time to treat yourself instead. That's how it works, right? With a cup of tea in hand and a few chocolates, you really will feel cosy and comfortable whilst it's freezing outside.

I hope you enjoyed this little post about a couple of the ways I've been embracing the Halloween spirit this year and feeling cosy as Autumn is well and truly upon us. Thank you very much for reading, and remember that I'm now posting 3 times a week, with my next post going up on Thursday, so I'll see you then!

Love from Daisy x

For A Level students across the country, it's around the time of year where everyone is narrowing down their choices and frantically visiting universities in search of 'the one', hoping that somewhere will be the perfect fit. However, for many it's easy to visit a couple of places and apply there out of convenience, or just choose a university that you've heard is good, rather than actually considering what is best for you. In this post, I thought I'd talk you through various tips in choosing the perfect university for you, which is something I definitely could've done with last year, as it would've saved me making a wrong decision and changing my mind about a month before results day! Keep reading if you want to know all that I recommend for choosing universities and finding the one that is right for you.

This time last year, I'd finished my UCAS application for university, and the ones I'd chosen were Cambridge, Durham, UCL, St Andrews and Leeds. You might be slightly confused by this, considering I got 3 A*s at A Level (hence I got the grades for these unis) yet ended up at The University of Manchester - not one of my original choices! After having an interview at Cambridge and then not receiving an offer, my heart was set on attending Durham, with UCL as my insurance. However, it was only in summer that I really started to consider my options and realised that I didn't want to be that far away from home, and I hadn't even been to visit Durham despite loving it on paper. It was at this point that I started considering other universities, and in my mind more and more negatives were flagged up with my current choices, whereas somewhere like Manchester was a perfect fit. Here's all of the things that I considered:

• Manchester is a lot closer to home than any of my other choices, and for me this brought a lot of ease. It's far away enough to give me that fresh-start, new city feel, but is close enough that I know I'm not far from home and my family can easily visit
• There are a lot more opportunities for jobs and work experience within Manchester, compared to a much more insular place like Durham, which would help with industry connections and opportunities for the future
• Although I loved the sound of Durham's English literature degree, upon reading Manchester's specification I realised that it was actually very suited to me, and I also loved the flexibility in modules
• The college I was allocated to in Durham was catered, whereas I really wanted to learn how to properly cook for myself and do my own food shopping, and this would likely be cheaper for me aswell, and there was also a risk of not liking the canteen food
• As I opted for private accommodation, I had freedom in choosing where I lived, whereas in Durham I was allocated to a college that really wasn't up my street, and I couldn't see myself living there, plus there was no flexibility in this as I had to stay there

To stay or to go - that is the main question. For many students, one of the primary concerns will be whether you're staying close to home or moving further afield, and there's definitely no right or wrong answer. Moving away has the advantage of having a new city to explore with many opportunities to take hold off, however this can be a big jump and may leave you feeling out of your depth, especially if you struggle from homesickness.

On the other hand, staying close to home is ideal for familiarity and staying within your local area, and it's also a lot more affordable to live at home and commute than to pay rent for student accommodation. However, this may be boring and feel more limited, especially if you're watching all of your college friends across the country having the time of their life in a new city.

Whether you decided to stay close or travel far, the decision is entirely what you're comfortable with. Just don't trick yourself into thinking that something will be good for you if it's the wrong choice. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to live far away and travel a lot in the future, but I'm just not at the right point in my life for that yet. For me, The University of Manchester was the perfect mix of both options - far away enough to give me a sense of independence and new city life, yet close enough to home that my family can easily visit and I don't feel miles away from familiarity.



However, it gets more complex than that. It's not enough to say 'this university does my course, so I'll go here', as it's important that it's actually what you want. Sure English is English no matter where you go, but each university will have a different specification and unique way of teaching, so the syllabus or learning style of one might not suit you or be of interest. That's why I'd highly recommend looking into more detail about your course and what it actually is you'll be studying, as this will help you make a more informed decision.

Then there are also other variations, such as doing a joint honours degree. If you're struggling to narrow down your subject choices, such as if you're a fan of both Spanish and Business Studies, then you could always consider doing both as a joint honours degree, thus keeping your options open. Again, you'd have to check that this is something considered by the university.


When choosing universities, you should strike a perfect balance of realistic and ambitious. Ambitious in a sense that you should strive for the best possible results and aim for a prestigious university that reflects your hard work, yet still being realistic by choosing something that is within reach and that you're capable of.

For example, if you're a straight A/B student at A Level, then you should be looking at universities that require these grades, perhaps pushing yourself to one that might even ask for an A*. However, don't big up or undermine your abilities and be silly in your choices - it's important to weigh up what you're actually capable of.

However, remember that no matter where you're going, academics aren't the only factor you should base it on. From my A Level results, it would've been incredibly easy just to go somewhere like Durham, which is the top university in the country for my subject. However, my English language teacher told me that in reality, no matter what university I went to I'd put in the work to hopefully do well, so all of the other factors are just as important.


It's also important to check out what else the university has on offer, as this may be make or break. If you're an active person then somewhere with a gym, sports facilities and a swimming pool may be essential, whereas if you're into dance then you might want to look for somewhere with studios nearby. University isn't just work 24-7, you need to find somewhere that offers enjoyment and recreational activities for you too.

Also consider the student life and atmosphere if this is something that appeals to you, as you might prefer a city that's known for its nightlife and student events, or maybe you'd prefer somewhere enriched in culture and history. It's all about figuring out what you want from a university and tailoring your choices to that.


Hand in hand with this is the food - is your accommodation catered or self-catered? This can be an important factor for many, depending on whether you want your food sorted for you without having to worry about it, or having more freedom and flexibility in your meals. Some halls of residence are regimented in this so it's worth looking into it. When I applied to Durham, I didn't have this choice and ended up being allocated to a catered college, when in actuality I'd much prefer the freedom of being able to cook myself, so I'd definitely check this before it's too late.


At the end of the day, it doesn't matter which university is the best in the world with a gorgeous local area and 5* accommodation - it matters where you're happy. It's a lot of money and time to be wasted, so you should follow your heart and choose the place that really is perfect for you.

Extra things that'll help you decide:
- Online research - look at the league tables, and read more about the university online, as this will help to make a more informed choice
- Visit the university - you may love the university on paper, but in person it might not be your cup of tea, so visiting is incredibly important. If you can then get down to an open day, but if not at least have a little browse and walk around yourself to get a feel for it. I visited Manchester a few times before Results Day and instantly fell in love with it
- Ask others for advice - it's worth asking if you know anyone who's been to the uni, lives in the area, or even a teacher who's had past students apply there, as this will help to give you a realistic view of what to expect

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I hope that these tips were helpful and have assisted you in choosing your universities. I'd recommend trying to keep your options open if you're uncertain, and definitely visit if you get the chance to. If you're applying to university this year then let me know where you're going down in the comments, as I'd love to hear. Thanks for reading and I'll see you soon with another new blog post on Tuesday!

Love from Daisy x

I'm the type of person who never treats myself to something even remotely expensive, ever, but for a long time now I knew that I was in need of a new laptop. My old one, which I'd had since 2012, started being incredibly slow and was playing up, as well as being really clunky with a practically nonexistent battery life that made working on-the-go virtually impossible. After struggling through GCSEs and A Levels with it, constantly worrying that it was going to die on me and thus I'd lose all of my revision, I started university both in fear that it'd give up on me with no warning and desiring a new one. After saving up and also having some help from my mum, which I really appreciate, I decided to go out on a whim and purchase it, and I have to say that I'm more than pleased with it. Albeit a slightly different post, I thought I'd talk to you a bit more about my new laptop and why it was the perfect one for me.

Although they always say don't judge a book by its cover, looks are the perfect place to start with this laptop. The HP Pavilion 14-ce0597sa is the epitome of me in a laptop - it's white and rose gold! Yes, this may be slightly superficial or unnecessary, but if I was going to be spending a lot of money on a laptop then I wanted one that I loved, and appearance definitely played a factor in that. You have to admit, it really is dreamy isn't it, being a gorgeous item that pretty much coordinates with all of my uni room, and is a lot nicer looking than my old, now dirtied and worn laptop.


Another main factor that made me want to get this laptop was for the portability, which was a huge issue with my old one. Not only did it weigh a ton (and I seriously mean that, it's a lot heavier than other laptops), but it also had a battery life that didn't really exceed an hour and a half, meaning I was pretty much limited when working away from home to somewhere that had an accessible plug socket and wasn't too far as carrying my laptop was a burden. My new laptop promises a lot longer battery life, being up to 11 hours, meaning I no longer feel like I'm attached to wires, and it's also incredibly lighter and easier to carry around with me, which is perfect as I do quite a lot of work in my free time from the college library.

Other things that I've really fallen in love with about this laptop are:
* Having Windows 10 - my old laptop wouldn't update past Windows 8 and so I was stuck using that, which began to feel quite outdated and hard to use, but having Windows 10 really is a dream
* High speed - gone are the days of waiting ages for Microsoft Word to load, or programs glitching loads whilst I'm trying to use them, and I couldn't be happier
* Ease of typing - don't get me wrong, my old laptop was fairly easy to type on, but this laptop brings in a whole new sense of effortless as it's incredibly quick and smooth to type



Already, after only having this laptop for a couple of weeks, it's made a huge difference in my day-to-day life. For one, I can type up my notes in lectures instead of writing them by hand and then typing them up at a later date, which saves so much time and also, since I'm much quicker at typing than I am writing, I can get more notes down. It's also meant that I'm not restricted to where I can work and can do uni work from a much comfier and convenient location opposed to always having to seek out plug sockets or the old library computers. It's also so much easier to blog with, and having a new laptop has really motivated me to put more effort into my blog, hence why I'm now uploading three times a week - every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday!

I hope you liked this blog post, despite it being different to what I'd normally upload, and if you're looking to buy a new laptop then I'd highly recommend the HP Pavilion 14-ce0597sa, as it fits all of my needs! If you don't already know, I've started blogging three times a week, so you can catch a new post every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday evening here on Daisies and Delights, so make sure you check back then!

Love from Daisy x

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First up is my bedside table, which is actually the reason this post has been so delayed, as it's a more recent addition to my room. For the first few weeks of living in my new room, I realised that I was missing a lamp and somewhere to put my drink of a night without fear of knocking it - very simple I know but also essential. This bedside table, which matches the drawers you will see later, is incredibly handy for having my daily essentials in, and also housing my bedside lamp which is perfect for an evening when I want it to be a bit dimmer and cosy.

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One of the luxuries of my university room is having a double bed - something which is new to me as I've always had a single bed growing up. Not only is this extremely comfortable and spacious, but it's also practical for if a friend, family member or my boyfriend was to spend the night. I aimed to keep the bedding and pillows neutral, opting for white and grey, although accenting this with gorgeous marble bedding that I found in Primark, which was also on sale. To tie it all together, I found this rose-gold sequin cushion in B&M which is a perfect pop of colour to the otherwise monochromatic bed, as well as replicating the marble and rose-gold theme throughout my room.

On the backboard of my bed, I decided to add some fairy lights to add a cosy and homely feel, as well as a few added decorations. Since candles aren't allowed, I instead opted for this grey flickering LED candle, which was a bargain for £3 from Asda. In the other corner is a little plant (I decided on artificial ones since I don't trust myself enough to keep houseplants alive) and a little teddy that my boyfriend got me ages ago. In the middle is a huge photo frame filled with a collection of photos of some of the most special and important people in my life, being a constant reminder of home.



The handy thing about my bed is that it has compartments inside, once the mattress is lifted up, meaning I can use it to store quite a few things that I don't need access to all the time, which is currently home to my winter coats (although they'll be coming out very shortly!) There's also a drawer under my bed which I use for towels, flannels and any spare toiletries which aren't in my bathroom.

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Next up is my bookshelves, which still have quite a few open spaces on them (although this will definitely change soon, as I'm an English literature student with a passion for reading!). On the top shelf is a biscuit tin, perfect for late night snacks, and another fake plant which reintroduces the rose gold running throughout, as well as a white lantern and some college folders. The bottom shelf contains my hand mirror, Jeffy (my beloved childhood teddy bear - he was an essential guest in my uni room!), a good luck card from Aiden, and lots of novels, both from my course and others that I want to read in my own time, propped up with a cute bulldog bookend that was a steal from Poundland. The fairy lights that I added between the two shelves definitely ties it all together, again adding to the cosiness of the room.

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In the corner of my room is a small set of drawers, which I added for some extra space to store clothes (which moving has made me realise I own way too many of!), as well as perfectly matching the neutral colour scheme. The TV propped up on here is mainly for watching films of an evening, since I don't tend to watch it otherwise, and this also provides the perfect space to display two of my favourite perfumes - My Burberry Blush, and Daisy Dreams by Marc Jacobs.

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Although a lot of university rooms having dingy little windows with not a lot of light, I was lucky enough to have a huge window, which really brightens up the room. I decided to utilise the deep windowsills by adding a cushion and fluffy blanket to create a little window seat, which is the perfect spot to read a book or just chill and watch the world go by. On the other side, I propped up a pegboard that I found in Primark, and decided to write the quote 'throw kindness around like confetti' - something which I definitely want to live by, as well as displaying this gorgeous fake aloe vera plant in a marble pot, which was an item that perhaps inspired the rest of my uni decor.

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Now onto the desk, and perhaps my favourite part of the room. The main feature of this section is the metal grid noticeboard which I made, which I absolutely adore. I really wanted to have some inspirtation quotes and photos here, and the grid ties it all together. I was actually thinking about doing a blog post tutorial of how I made this, if it was something you'd like to see. Since my uni room already had a grid on the wall above the desk, I filled some of the extra space with this silver decorative 'D' that I bought from a stall in the Arndale for £2, as well as some tickets from when I watched Eden and Thriller Live. Also on the wall is a rose gold clock which was a necessity and also adds to the rose gold theme running throughout.


On my actual desk is a desk lamp that I brought from home, a diffuser which ensures my room stays smelling fresh, and lots of stationery and makeup bits. I know this may be slightly cluttered for some people's tastes, but I personally like the display of having a few things laid out, and it really adds a nice vibe to my room.

Also, underneath my desk, I have a marble washing hamper and a grey box just to store some of my extra stationery, including spare notebooks, paper and folders that I'll need later on in the year. This is a convenient place for both of these things, just ensuring that they're kept out of the way.

It feels like forever since I last wrote a product review for my blog, but I'm back today with a new one. Mascara is one of my absolute essential makeup items and I'll often find one that I like and stick with it until it dries up, rather than having a few on the go all at once. The L'Oreal Miss Baby Roll Mega Volume Mascara has been a favourite of mine since I bought it in the summer, and dare I even say one of the best ones I've ever tried. If you'd like to hear more about this insane mascara, which has revolutionised my lashes, then keep reading!

Being a combination of an English literature student and a self-confessed book nerd, it's no surprise that my TBR (to-be-read) list is overflowing with titles. There are so many books that I'm eager to read but simply don't have the time to, whether that's due to being busy or prioritising my university core texts. I could honestly make a TBR list of about 100 books but that certainly wouldn't be interesting for you guys to read, so I thought I'd narrow it down to my top picks which I'll hopefully have time to sink my teeth into soon!

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Perhaps one of the most famous novels from the 19th century yet one that I haven't read, which is surprising as I really loved Wuthering Heights and Pride and Prejudice, which are from the same period and share some of the Gothic and romantic elements respectively. I've had this sat on my shelf for quite some time now, but I've found that the elegant writing yet small-scale action of the Bronte sisters and Austen's novels make them quite slow to read, so I've still not had the chance to start this yet.

The Waves by Virginia Woolf
I fell in love with Woolf's writing style and experimental form after reading 'A Room of One's Own' and instantly knew that I wanted to read more of her work. The Waves, which is perhaps deemed as one of her more daring novels, takes the form of six soliloquies each by a different character. Although the summary of this novel instantly grabbed me and I really wanted to read it, I haven't found the time since purchasing it to do so, but hopefully I'll get to it soon.

1894 by George Orwell
I've always had a love of dystopian novels, especially in my days of obsessing over young adult literature, and although I never thought that 1984 would be up my street, I'm really eager to give it a go. This novel is definitely well renowned and it's another one that I'm ashamed to have not read, but hopefully that'll soon be corrected. It was actually Jack Edward who recommended this book, and so I trust in his opinion that I'll enjoy it.

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
It's probably at this point of the blog post that you've realised just how little classic literature I've read - well that's what I'm aiming to improve! This is another dystopian novel with class elements that really plays to my interests, and the recommendation actually came from one of my friends doing it for their A Level coursework about a year ago, as well as constantly being told that I'd enjoy the TV show, making it yet another one that I need to get around to reading.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
I feel like I've read a fair bit of Gothic literature and science fiction in my time, and done a lot of research on it for coursework, but one title that is missing from the mix is Frankenstein. I was lucky enough to be gifted this by my university upon enrolling, and I can't think of a better incentive to get reading it, since I know it'll be one that I'll breeze through and genuinely enjoy.

My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier is my favourite book that I've read in quite some time, dare I even say forever, loving both the beautiful writing and the intertwined mystery and crime style with romance. I was immediately eager to read something else by Daphne du Maurier and picked up My Cousin Rachel from Waterstones in hope that it'd be just as good. Although I haven't started it yet, I know that it has a lot of similar themes and concepts as Rebecca, and it's a novel that I really can't wait to jump into.

So these are just a few of the many books on my TBR list, although it might be quite a while before I can lift any of these off my bookshelf as I've got a lot of reading for university in the meantime. However, I hope you enjoyed hearing what novels I want to read, and I'd love to know if you have any more recommendations for me down in the comments. Thanks for reading this blog post and I'll see you soon with another one!

Love from Daisy x