Thursday, April 25Royal Holloway's offical student publication, est. 1986

Tag: lifestyle

“It’s those at the top who will pull you up”
27Oct By No Comments
Lifestyle

“It’s those at the top who will pull you up”

So we come to uni with a plan, to find a plan, or perhaps to drink our lives away on VKs for three years? Ben Coomber came to RoHo to give a speech about our dreams and ambitions. The ethic of Coomber’s talk was to set yourself manageable goals. For “if they aren’t laughing at your dream, your dream isn’t big enough.” It is safe to say that we are all at a self-conscious stage of our lives, but on the cusp of turning that around and opening ourselves up to vulnerability. Whilst at high school and sixth form we were victims of social media and the ‘haters,’ afraid to say what we really wanted to achieve in life and who we wanted to be in case that did not fit the accepted stereotype that was prescribed to us.   Coomber, a performance nutritionist, educator, speaker and writer ...
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28Jan By No Comments
Lifestyle

Stress Busting: A Winters Walk Around Virginia Waters Lake

As 2015 hits and the number of deadlines and workload increases, it’s vital to get away from it all. Leaving yourself stranded on a seemingly lonesome, and stressful, island is the last thing you want to be doing at this time of year. It is scientifically proven that fresh air helps to revitalise your mind, helping it to achieve maximum efficiency for working and studying. So I decided to try this out with a little walk around Virginia Waters Lake, which is just one stop away from Egham strain station. The occasional patter from a jogger or a dog walker is all that can be heard at first; the silence of the place somewhat deafening. The sun sets over a horizon of trees, and the odd photography enthusiast or regular Instagram addict can be seen trying to get artsy reflections in the lake....
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28Jan By No Comments
Lifestyle

Keeping New Year’s Resolutions

January. Everyone rushes to the sales and frets about the extra present that has appeared on their scales. We vow to change but by March, this is forgotten and not achieved. Never fear! Here are some tips to help you keep your resolutions. Setting Goals Flexible targets are key to achieving your aims-Be positive and challenge yourself, but don’t afraid to tweak your targets if it becomes too much. Always set realistic goals for your resolutions, changing something small can make a huge difference. For example, ‘to be stress free’ is quite possibly one of the most unrealistic targets you could set for the year. We’re students, we get stressed, it’s a natural occurrence. Why not find a way that isn’t eating/ drinking/ smoking that alleviates stress for you? A better target would be t...
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28Jan By No Comments
Lifestyle

Thigh gap or booty? The choice is yours.

Through the ages, women have had to choose a path at an inevitable life crossroad. In more classic times the choice would have been between Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe. At today’s crossroad she chooses between icons such as Keira Knightley and Adele. The question of what makes the body beautiful has shaped throughout history a careful sketch of opposing traits of feminitiy, personality and more worringly inner conflict. The path that she chooses defines how she views female beauty and will ultimately contribute to the creation of a standardised definition of beauty. Shakespeare was wrong to ask ‘to be or not to be’ but rather a more accurate (and useful) modern translation would be ‘to be thin or not to care’. I don’t think I’m making a ground breaking discovery when I say that body ...
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28Oct By No Comments
Lifestyle

Quirky Nail Art: Newspaper Nails

Tired of block colour nails? Fancy trying something quirky? If you want to try something different, I recommend the newspaper nail look. It is an interesting look, and a great way to reuse newspaper before recycling it! It is also a fun platform to start with for those who want to experiment with their nail art in future, and a good starter point because of its simplicity. For the ultimate newspaper look I recommend white nail varnish, but if you fancy something a bit different, feel free to use any nail colour of your choice. You can also use water instead of Vodka, but I find that rubbing alcohol works best for longer lasting results. What you will need: -Vodka (or any rubbing alcohol) -Base coat -White nail varnish (or any colour of your choice) -Top coat -Newspaper Steps:...
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18Aug By Laura DenhamNo Comments
Lifestyle

A Pitcher of Pimms & A Perfect Picnic

Summer may be on the way out, but there's still hopefully time to enjoy one of the homemade picnics you had been craving all the way through exam season! Here’s my recipe for easy mini quiches, and some instructions for concocting Pimm’s to get you on your way. Mini Quiches What you need: 320g ready rolled shortcrust pastry 4 eggs 25ml milk 150g grated cheese 100g spinach Handful of cooked bacon (optional) 2tbsp chopped basil Flour Olive oil Salt and Pepper 6 cup muffin tray 1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Use a pastry brush or piece of greaseproof paper to spread a little oil around the cups of the muffin tin, and set aside. 2. Scatter some flour on a cutting board or a kitchen work surface and place your unpacked roll of pastry on top. Cut out six circles of pastry ...
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18Aug By Laura DenhamNo Comments
Lifestyle

Picnic pair-off

As the warm weather approaches and we crawl out of the library to embrace the rays, it is undeniable that we are all dying to grab some Pimm’s and have a picnic. But picnicking in the wrong attire can be uncomfortable, and inhibit you from devouring all the food, so here’s some advice for the best fashionable and practical summer ensembles... No doubt you will have seen high street shops styling outfits made up of two key pieces: the top is usually an oversized crop, shirt or blazer. This is paired with matching cigarette trousers for the sports luxe look, or midi skirts, miniskirts, shorts and maxis for a more feminine feel. These two piece outfits are perfect for picnicking, as the “matchy matchy” style makes it easier for you when getting ready - you don’t need to scour your war...
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18Aug By No Comments
Lifestyle

Why Thrift Stores are your new best friend

Are you a student on a budget? Do you fancy paying £10 for 15 items? Then thrift stores are for you! I hit the East End of London to grab myself a bargain. VOGUE named it ‘the legendary cult vintage store’ and as I walked in, it wasn't hard to see why. Generally I love rummaging through charity shops for vintage gems, and thrift stores are great places to find a bunch of items at a bargain price. As opposed to paying for each item of clothing individually, at a thrift store you pay for a bag- a small one for £10 or a larger one for £20- and you fill fill fill! I bagged myself (pardon the pun) over 15 items and I certainly found a few diamonds amongst the stones! One shopper has said: ‘you never know what you may find and that’s the beauty of it.’ Thrift stores have everything from le...
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