year 3, term 3 essentials

This term was purely exam focussed - we were reliably informed that our exams would be pitched at the level of final year (even though we were currently penultimate year students!) so cue a lot of stress and hard work. I'd been working hard from the beginning of the year though so I just kept that up and by the time exams arrived, I didn't feel as nervous as I had been in previous years. However, this year has made me realise that I perhaps worked a bit too hard. If it's paid off, I've vowed to take final year a lot easier!

Anyway, my essentials:

Clairefontaine A5 Notebook - this notebook is a fairly recent addition but it saw an awful lot of use this term. It is lightweight but also has 192 pages of fountain pen friendly paper. I'll talk about it in more detail in due course :)

Hobonichi Techo - Again, lightweight, small and fountain pen friendly. This featured permanently in my placement bag that I tote around with me on the wards, in clinics and theatre.

Post-it notes - Exam time means that the right hand side of my desk is filled with a vertical line of post-it notes that feature things to look up, things to do and food shopping lists. Now that exams are done, there is only a lone post-it note with a short to-do list.

Lamy Safari - My go-to pen for when I know I'll be taking copious notes. The dark lilac saw a lot of use this term!

Mizon All in One Snail Repair Cream - Snail cream?! Sounds disgusting and as someone who isn't particularly fond of them, it took me a while before taking the plunge to try this cream out. It really does live up to the hype though - my skin is looking so much brighter and feels so much smoother after just two months' of use! No break outs either (my skin loves breaking out when using new products) and it has helped my skin recover quicker from those exam stress blemishes too.

Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Clinical Clearing Gel - Again, those pesky exam stress breakouts. Though not the best thing to be putting on your skin, I used it from time to time when I had a particularly angry blemish coming up.

Diprobase Cream - Being on the wards --> alcohol gel use between seeing patients --> dry hands --> cracked hands --> sad Angela. Diprobase has been a life safer for my dry hands and at just under £3 a tube, it is much better value than any other high-street brand cream. If only the packaging was a bit more appealing, eh?!

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So there you have it, year 3, term 3's essentials. As results day draws nearer (27th!), I can feel the anxiety build but also know that it is fruitless to worry as what's done is done... Right?!