Parsnip, Pancetta & Parmesan Tagliatelle

If I was going to make myself in the Sims 4 I would definitely have the 'Foodie' trait. I love me some gooood food. But nothing speaks to my soul more than Italian food. Pizza and pasta, they just sing to me on a deeply spiritual level like nothing else, and fill my belly with love! So here, dear readers, I am to enrich your lives with one of my all time favourite pasta dishes. A plateful of heavenly parsnip, pancetta, parmesan and tagliatelle brought to by the cooking high lord that is Jamie Oliver. This recipe is wonderfully indulgent, definitely for a night off from the diet, but it's also incredibly fast to make! 

It only really takes as long as the tagliatelle takes to cook (plus the bit of prep before hand). Yay!

Thinking back, I think this was the first meal I cooked for my boyfriend Carl out of one of my Mum's recipe books (almost 5 years ago, Christ on a bike!). I recently went hunting for the recipe online and was so happy to find it here. 

It's actually a really lovely recipe to cook for your significant other; it's just rich enough to feel like your really spoiling them. Then parsnip is a slightly unusual ingredient not often seen outside of a Sunday roast so you get some 'outside the box' points; plus the fact it's so quick leaves with you with plenty of time for other evening activities (... such as just lying horizontal on the sofa in a heavenly food coma?!?)

The recipe is SUPER easy to follow so go check out the link and give it a go! The recipe doesn't say but I found it convenient to prep your ingredients first, then start cooking your tagliatelle and while that's bubbling away get cracking with the parsnip and pancetta, it doesn't take long.
The only other comment on the recipe is that I've never managed to do with a sprig of fresh herb, only because I've never had any to hand. But I have found that a sprinkle from a jar of mixed herbs does the job just fine. Also the measurements are fairly vague on the amount of butter and parmesan to add so it's just personal preference, and how naughty your feeling that day. I've cooked this meal with generous amounts of both and with a more stingy quantity and it was still beautiful both times.
Just writing this post is making me hungry for it! *droooolll*

I'd love to know if anyone does cook up this delectable pasta dish, so leave me a comment to let me know how you get on! And I'd just like to thank the wonderful Jamie Oliver, without whom this beautiful meal would not be in my life and consequentially stopping me from dropping a jeans size!

A Birthday Wishlist

Next month is my birthday! Yaayy! Honestly, noot sure how I feel about turning 23, although I'm not allowed to voice this ageing anxiety as my boyfriend just turned 30! The death glare I get when I say;
"Omg, I can't believe I'm going to be 23!" is entirely terrifying.
I've been told plenty of times that I'm 'picky' and hard to buy for, which I didn't really think was true until I thought back to how many Christmas and Birthdays where I've had to do the fake smile at presents I unfortunately didn't like. Hmm, turns out I have a very hard to pin down taste.
I've learnt this more thoroughly over the last few months when trying to decide on home decoration & décor with my 'bae'; he say's I like neutral and boring or outright crazy. Also I have a nak for choosing the most expensive stuff ... even when it comes to plant's for the garden! Well, hopefully that just means I have good taste ... right?!?

So a few years ago I got into a habit of sending my parents and my boyfriend a little list each of ideas of things they could get me when such an occasion is looming. They love this because they know whatever they get me I'm going to love, and I tend to go the extra mile for them and find a link to somewhere they can buy the item. Convenience always wins!
I try to add as many things I can think of that I've been lusting after so they have the opportunity to pick and choose so I still get a bit of a surprise. My birthday is just under a month away so I've been jotting down some ideas this week and thought it would be fun to share some of them. If anyone has a friend or family member with a birthday coming up this could be helpful. Basically I want to just rant about what I wish I could buy right now if I wasn't a student, aha!

First up, I really need a mixing bowl! Since I moved out of my parent's last September I've had to be quite creative when it comes to mixing baking ingredients. Saucepans have been very handy ... I think it's time I had a proper bowl in my life. I adore this one I found on Amazon, and it's half price atm. Quick Mum, get in there!! It's a lovely neutral ceramic with just these clean, chic lines around the edge. LOVE. On the baking theme I remembered, on two separate visits to Homesense, literally drooling over these two baking books; Indulgent Cakes & Decorated. If you like decadent cakes, stunning flavours and gain immense satisfaction from beautiful food photography and THE most elegant typography; *siiiiiigh* these books are for you! Every. Single. Page. is essentially cake porn!
On the beauty side of things, something I feel so cheeky asking for are the Zoeva Rose Gold Brush Set. What can I say; they're beautiful, I want them in my life and if someone is up for spoiling me, this would be how! Something much more reasonably priced, but still just as beautiful is the Zoeva Cocoa Blend Eyeshadow Palette. I don't know what it is atm, but I am just so into eyeshadow! I've been using my Naked 2 & 3 palettes in excess the last few months. Even when I'm just popping out to Tesco with Carl for our weekly shop I keep ending up with half the palette's smeared on my lids!
The perfect dramatic smoky eye for picking up your milk on a Monday afternoon - I've got it down!
I'm also on a new hunt for my perfect base. Something light but with good coverage. So I've included some drug store and higher end foundations that I'd love to try - the Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum & Bareminerals Complexion Rescue. Adding in bits and bobs that people can pick up or order from Boot's and Amazon is super handy for them.
Yankee Candles are always a lovely gift, I adore getting these for people and they have a size for every budget! When I was in high school, me and my friends would always include one of the Yankee Candle Votives when buying each other presents. So cute! I'm currently a bit in love with the Red Raspberry scent. The fruity candles are right up my alley!

I am sure I will be finding a few more ideas to chuck in the direction of relatives when they ask me, or my Mum who then asks me, the inevitable "what do you want for your birthday??" but I figured these were the most share worthy. For example I'm thinking my Mum will get a kick out of getting me a Banana Case!! I'm anticipating it will be handy for commuting to university in September! As I mentioned in my last post, I hate brown bananas.

Well I hope that, if you happen to have made it this far (comment if you did, I will be amazed!) I hope you enjoyed this! I think I've blown my previous babbling record out of the window here!
What's on your birthday wishlist??

Banana Bread

Bananas are one of those fruit's I'm a little bit picky about how I like them; just past green, but before any brown splodges appear! Invariably with this narrow window of edibility, some poor bananas slip through and get left in the fruit bowl turning slowly browner and mushier. The answer to what to do with them, that doesn't involve chucking them in the bin; banana bread! Yaay!
I've made several of these over the last few months and used a few recipes, only to have lost the links to them, but I'd thought I'd share the most recent one I've used - the results are delicious!
Really easy to do, this recipe uses 'cups' and all the ingredients can be mixed in one bowl. The cake comes out beautiful and moist, plus I like to add some cinnamon for a bit more flavour. You could also add any chopped nuts of your choice or chocolate chips for a more indulgent treat.

Struggling with Self Doubt

This is a different kind of post for me, I've not sat down before and just written about something personal, something I'm struggling with. To be honest I'm not the sort of person who shares the thing's that are going on inside my head. I'm a bit of a bottler ...

 

I really, really struggle with self doubt. I've always been creative, but over the last few years my doubt and fear has become a really controlling part of my creative process. It's gotten so bad now that it's leaking out into every aspect of my life. I doubt everything! 

 

I've been coming back to the post over and over this last week, it started off as a total meltdown, but now I'm rewriting it for the third time, I'm seeing it with a bit more perspective and understanding.

It's fear! Fear of being wrong, fear of not being good enough. Shooting myself and my ideas down before they actually physically exist!

 

I don't remember being so afraid to put myself out there when I was younger, but somewhere along the lines; those nasty little voices in the back of my head that told me I wasn't good enough, started getting louder. I know I'm quite a critical person, I can be a bit of a perfectionist and a control freak when it comes to anything creative and visual. But instead of driving me forward, it's starting to pull me down. I'm afraid to attempt my ideas for the fear of my own critical voices.

 

I'm going into my second year of my Illustration degree in September and I already know I don't want to be the one standing in my own way! I don't want to ever feel like I could have done better but I was afraid to go for it! And I enjoy blogging! But I have the same voices holding my back from posting as much as I would like. I want to change this, and start right now!

 

I'm not really sure how best to go about changing the way I feel, this is really just the beginning.

But even if no one reads this, just having gone through the process from draft one to posting this now; I already feel like I have a more positive outlook for what's ahead. I'm ready to improve my confidence, not be afraid to unleash my full creativity and banish those voices so far to the back of my mind I never hear them again!

 

Life Update, 70's Off The Shoulder & Pining for Japan

Blue Floral Gypsy Crop Top, Black Fedora, Tan Salt Water Sandals

Black Ripped Jeans, Tan Fringed Bag

Um, yes ... a month since my last post. Blogging fail! I didn't intend to take a months hiatus, but moving house is SOO time consuming. Me and my bf Carl are now recognisable regulars at our local Homebase and B&Q! So ... many ... paint ... samples! 

Moving into the house has been so much fun, and I've been working on a couple of out of the blue projects. Doing all the visual design work for a cycling project in my local area and a food photography commission for the bakery I used to work in. Both have involved me learning/making it up as I go along, but it's been fun to say yes to things I didn't think I could do (and have them turn out pretty decent if I do say so myself)

My desk in the house is still a work in progress; although hopefully it will be done soon and then it's time to knuckle down to my summer illustration project and jump back on the blogging train! Yay!

Anyway, on to today's 'What I Wish I Was Wearing Today' (mm WIWIWWT?? Can I make this a thing) I'm currently still in my pyjamas and Carl's dressing gown btw ha! ... The first official day of summer is here and it's warm enough now for me to consider going shopping for some summer appropriate attire. Didn't think I'd be feeling any of the 70's trend but I am in LOVE with off the shoulder floaty tops, fringing and hats. Yes Mum, you heard right! (Ah, so much of my childhood consisted of her trying to get me to wear effing hats)
But I'm officially on the hunt for my perfect fedora. Also a strapless bra ... the only downside to all these off the shoulder tops if your a bit bigger in the boob department.

One item from this look I do own as of last month, and have been wearing every day since they arrived are my Salt Water sandals. Last summer it was all about my Birkenstocks, which I still adore to the ends of the earth, but right now the spotlight is on these new tan leather beauties. Comfy, cute and a little retro looking with some rolled up jeans. I'm in love!

This month has also been the month of picking back up with my Japanese. I went on a trip to Japan in 2009 (can't believe it was that long ago!) with my family to visit a University friend of my Mum's who lives there. So started my love affair of the country. Since then I've on and off tried learning the language with out much success. But after seeing Carrie of wishwishwish's posts of her travels there, her guide to tokyo; Lisa Eldridge's Japanese makeup look and discovering the adorable Hayley Miller, a teacher on the JET program in Japan; it's all rekindled my love and passion for the country, culture and the language. I was totally obsessed with Japan when I got back from our trip over 5 years ago (All my A level Art and Textiles project's were inspired by Japan) but at the time I didn't have any friend's who shared my interests in Anime, cute Gyaru girls and sushi. I wish I'd had, pardon my English, the ball's to peruse my passion for Japan then and looked for opportunities maybe to study at higher education (I didn't even suspect or consider this until meeting student's learning Japanese at my university last year) But now I'm a bit older and so much more confident in myself I'm determined to pick up learning the language again. And start saving for another trip there asap ...

Bye Bye Student Hall's, Hello New House

Well hi there, it's been a while!
I have been very MIA this last month, thing's have been a bit up in the air to say the least.
April was a busy month of traveling between home and university; with Easter holiday, deadlines, exams, birthdays and saw the end of my first year as an Illustration student! Yay!
Overall it's been good, tough, but good. I like to think of it as a warm up year. I've had encouraging feedback on my work and already I can see how far I've come since last September.
I was so so relieved to leave my student hall's. I sort of exited with my middle finger up shouting something like "Outta here, bitcheeeesss!". Living away from home and especially my boyfriend was really the hardest part. I think we've been made stronger for the last 8 months, and it's helped me figure out what I really want in life right now.
And now were living together again! It was all such a whirl wind, my boyfriend deciding to get his own place and going through the whole house buying process. Timing could not have been more perfect as he got the keys the week of my last project deadline.
It's been wonderful moving in, starting to decorate and seeing the house coming together bit by bit; but living with my best friend again is just the best part.
I'm SO excited to have this stretch of free time ahead of me to just be creative. I'm looking forward to being able to put my energies back into this blog, get some of my illustrative endeavours up and running and start work on some of the many projects I've got in mind for the house! So keep an eye on this space, it's going to get quite busy.

Anyone who's lived in shared university accommodation, I'm sure will appreciate the joy's of returning home or moving out to your own real world place. Such sweet simple pleasure's ...

• The kitchen is clean, and stay's clean; hallelujah!
• Nobody playing loud music, or having drunken parties till 5am when your trying to sleep.
• I have a nice garden to look out my window at, instead of a gloomy factory.
• Not being stuck, living in the same tiny room day in day out.
• My diet doesn't just consist of tuna pasta here.
• I don't have to be wrapped up in my duvet all day to keep warm; aah, heating that works.
• I have normal day time TV to watch (... I'll still probably choose Netflix tbh)

Topshop Spring Ensemble • Wardrobe Aspirations #1

Camel Duster Coat, Khaki Ribbed Sweater, Black Ripped Jamie Jeans

Katie Tan Brogues, Black Shopper Bag, Black Floppy Hat, 

Olivia Burton Big Tan Watch, War Paint Nail Polish

2015 feels like the year of that my wardrobe is really going to grow up. I don't know what it is, I'm just ready to leave behind the converse and jeans combo that's been my uniform since I was about 13!
I'm newly in love with brogues, big structured handbags and smart chic spring coats.
A little preppy, a little vintage but still comfy and casual. There's been LOTS of Pinterest browsing and internet perusing to figure out my new wardrobe appetite. I put this ensemble together from Topshop; I'm really feeling the black, khaki, camel and tan combination! It feels neutral, which is comfortable for me but still colours that I wouldn't have looked twice at before this year.
It's still pretty grim outside, the wind and rain is absolutely assaulting my bedroom window as I type this, so light layers are the way to go. When the winter wind dies down, a big floppy hat like this is great to keep the newly emerging sun out of your eyes; while providing moderate protection from the freak rainy moments that can strike out of nowhere! I think any pop of nail polish colour would work with this neutral outfit but I came across Topshop's War Paint on Pinterest and I'm in love!
It's the perfect bright red that dances over to the peach/pink side of things; and although it's no longer available on Topshop's website it can be found on Feel Unique, so get your butt over there if you like it! I really enjoy putting look's together in this way so definitely stay tunes for more, yay!

What are your Spring style obsessions??

Golden Bronze & A Pink Flush

The first signs of spring are here; it's light at 7am, the first flowers are sprouting in the parks and you feel a tad warm in your thick winter parka. Your daring to dream of sandals, dresses, suntan's; and while it might be too soon for that particular seasonal shift, it's not too soon to let the tantalising signs of warmer weather inspire what you put on your face.

I have been really in love with a bronzed face and eyes with flushed cheeks and lips this month.
The L'Oreal Paris True Match Foundation has been my go too base this year. I picked it up in a shade slightly more golden than my true skin colour but it's close enough that it works, but gives my albino esq complexion a bit more colour. It's such a nice foundation, really natural and has great coverage!
Perfect for when it's not warm enough to break out the really light BB creams or tinted moisturisers but you still need to cover your sunshine deprived skin.

For more warmth, and a lazy girl's contour all in one, I always reach for The Body Shop Honey Bronzer. It's a perfect warm bronze and great for a paler complexion like mine. Sweeping just under the cheek bones and around the edge of the face adds colour and slims everything down, perfect!

I'm truly addicted to the Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette this year after receiving it for Christmas. For a girl who has never really worn eye shadow in her life, I have very hooded eyes and lids on the greasy side, I now wear it almost every day. Many an inappropriately heavy eye looks for everyday this year with this palette to blame! Chopper is a great bronze/copper colour that really makes any eye colour pop. It can be a bit dramatic for every day but recently I've been running it along the edge of my lid like an eye liner or over something like Suspect on the outer corner to intensify the crease.

Tarte's Amazonian Clay Blushes are hands down my favourite blushes; and I only own 2! They are perfectly pigmented, last all day and there really is a colour for everyone. Blissful is the perfect every day flush colour. A natural warm peach with just a hint of shimmer that gives a subtle glow.

Finally the Topshop Lipstick in Macaroon is the quintessential spring pink lippy colour. Apply for a beautiful peachy pop of pink or sweep lightly for a 'your lips but better' tint with some lipbalm.

What are you embracing on your face this first day of Spring??

Easy Chocolate Brownies

I was watching the Great British Bake Off for Comic Relief the other night where Alexa Chung made her salted caramel brownies. Apart from it making me want to grow my bangs longer, I just know they'd look like curtains on me - think Hanson circa 1996, and smother my next batch of brownies in salted caramel *droooools*; but it reminded me how versatile and hard to get wrong brownies are!

With a lot if baking; it's either done, over done or underdone! With mere minutes in between for it all to go wrong. Brownies are great because of the larger bracket of time in which they can be acceptably done! And much if that done time would be considered under done with other bakes. But not the brownie! Cooked and hard on the outside but soft and gooier on the inside. I always pull my brownies out of the oven a tad sooner than a recipe recommends or if I think it needs a couple more minutes, I hold back!If you do the skewer/cocktail stick test on most cakes your looking for the stick to come out clean,but not with a brownie. You want the very middle to be only just done; keeping in mind that it will keep cooking for a few minutes outside of the oven, and continue to set slightly after that.

Brownies are also one of those great recipes where you can chuck in a variety of confectionery goodies to suit your mood. I love deviating from recipes; swapping, adjusting or adding to the key flavours. Much to my boyfriends displeasure if he's in the kitchen! Just bearing witness to my tampering can bring him out in a cold sweat! He's very much a 'stick to the recipe' kind of guy.

To add some texture to a plain chocolate brownie, add chopped up chunks of chocolate or chocolate chips. I love finding those melted bits of chocolate hiding in a brownie. And for some aesthetic interest add white chocolate. Want to give your brownie a grown up twist, add some dark chocolate.
Making brownies with a specific person in mind? Add in their favourite confectionery nibbles.
Anything that has chocolate in or on it works well; Maltesers, Minstrels, Revels. Chopped up Mars Bars, Snickers, Crunchie, Toffee Crisp! Any chocolate snack or bar. I made some for my boyfriends last birthday and added in his favourite Peanut M&M's, he wasn't sorry for my recipe deviation then! And I've even seen people place Creme Egg halves on top of their brownie batter.

So if your looking for something really easy to bake this weekend, maybe an indulgent treat for Mothers Day, then give the brownie a go - you can't go wrong with this BBC GoodFood recipe.
What would you add to your brownie??

Life Rambles & a Home Décor Mood Board

I've been very MIA this month in the blogging sphere. Honestly, university all got a bit much at the beginning of February and I needed some major time off from life. My wonderful boyfriend sent me some pennies and told me to get my butt on a train home for some much needed emotional R&R!

So the last few week's have been all about catching up on uni work and getting myself back on track, greatly helped by a lovely 4 year anniversary weekend with my partner in crime.
But the best news, probably of the year, was that this week my boyfriend has bought his first house and I'm going to be moving in with him in a few months after my first year at university finishes.
I can't express how freaking excited I am! We lived together for over a year in rented accommodation before I made the decision to give university a go, so being apart has been really tough.
I'm really hoping that for my second year to give commuting a try; although it's an 1hr 40 min commute, which is probably a bit mad, it is only two days a week! I think living in my own place with my best friend will greatly, greatly improve my university experience (I've really not enjoyed my time in halls).

It's a lovely terraced house and I just can't wait to get stuck in to decorating. Get some paint on the walls, put our stamp on the place and fill it with pretty things. Oh and I'm itching to try some up cycling! Very appropriate for our bank balance.
So browsing home décor on the world wide web (especially Pinterest) has become, even more, of a favourite pass time this week! I love mood boards; sometimes you know all the little elements of design that you like in your head but it's another thing to see them together in one collection. Then you can really begin to edit down and create a cohesive theme.
I know I love my neutrals. I'm completely infatuated with oak wood's and don't get me started on my deep rooted attraction to greige! Because I'm so naturally drawn to neutral's I'm aware I need to break it up with at least a bit of colour, urgh, and lots and lots of texture. I'm really attracted to green, mossy greens; and any kind of pink/berry/plum/lavender/purple shades too. I'm surprised how coherent and sophisticated the mood board looks!
I'm excited to sit down and really figure out what I'd like to do for each room, it's going to be so much fun!! Some thing's like the Laura Ashley Olivia Overmantle Mirror and the Hascombe Artichoke Ceramic Lamp Base's, which I just can't get enough of, are definitely going to be outside of our budget to start with. I'm thinking the mirror will be great inspiration for an up cycle project.
It's going to be a long time till I can own a Kitchen Aid Mixer but a girl can dream! Good old elbow grease will have to make my baked confectioneries for now, sigh.
I know our first job will be to make a list of what we need and prioritise the essentials and the desirables. This adorable Ceramic Pizza Plate really isn't essential but I will own it one day!! (aaaand probably never use it!)
I would just love to christen our first home with a Jo Malone Candle but again I think saner heads will prevail on where about that falls on the list.
I'm hoping that decorating a place with my boyfriend won't mean too many clashes on taste. One thing we can NEVER agree on when we go home furnishing browsing or swing by Homesense is clocks!
I think there will be many clock dilemmas to come in 2015. One thing we both LOVED when we saw it in Debenhams was this Vintage Mechanical Scale, so perfect. I think he's quite happy for me to take the reigns on the overall design stuff, he'll just give his approval before he unleashes me on the house.

Anyway, I really could natter on and on about house and décor things all day!

I'll be sure to share the whole decorating process right here.
So stay tunes; there'll be homewear hauls, upcycling attempts and hopefully lot's of interiors spam!

Kettle Vegetable and Sweet Potato Chips

Anyone who follows me on Instagram may have seen that I am a bit infatuated with Kettle chips! Particularly their Vegetable chips; which include golden parsnip, sweet potato and beetroot, oven baked and lightly salted. Yum! Yum, yum, yum! Oh, and they now do a pack of just Sweet Potato chips!

I'm salivating just typing about them, they're that tasty guys. 

Oven baked in sunflower oil with no artificial flavours or colourings just lightly salted for a delicious all natural flavour. This also means their not as bad for you as a regular pack of crisps, the Sweet Potato chips are indeed 50% less fat than most other crisps; very January diet friendly.

I really can't stop by Boot's for lunch without picking up a bag of these bad boys, addicted much!

(Oh, and I can't resist a bit of good packaging!)

Lush Popcorn Lip Scrub

I'm definitely a bit behind on the whole Lush Lip Scrubs thing; but last week I stopped by the enticingly scented heavenly store that is Lush and picked up their Popcorn flavoured one. Oooh my sweet, sweet, Christ on a bike! This scrub smells, tastes and is all round amazing!
With caster sugar and sea salt to scrub away any dead skin; then coconut and jojoba oils moisturise your lips leaving them feeling so soft and smooth. I've always had dry lips, especially at this time of year and I can slip into the habit of nibbling at the dead skin! (Yepp, gross! I know)
Using this scrub, followed by a bit of what ever lip balm I have to hand, has greatly improved the application of lipsticks. Bold, matt lips look 100x better on smooth moisturised lips. I'm excited to rock some of my lip products with more confidence now I know they won't be exaggerating any dry patches.
£5.50 might seem a lot for a 'little lip scrub' but it is honestly worth it! The product works wonders and you only need the tiniest amount to see results so it's going to last you a while.
What's your favourite Lush product?

The Body Shop Skincare Diagnosis

One of my goals for 2015 is to start taking better care of my skin, by building an efficient skincare routine. But my trouble has always been, where do I start?? How do I know what my skin needs and what will work with my skin type??

I was really excited to see on The Body Shop's website their Skincare Diagnostic Tool which with a few quick questions puts together your ideal skincare routine.

The questions identifying your skin type, what aspects you'd like to tackle, if ageing is a concern and what hardships your skin goes through on a daily basis. For me, I have combination skin and want to tackle; dull complexion, hydration and preventative measures for ageing. Here's what my advised skincare regime includes:

First off, the Nutriganics Softening Cleansing Gel Oil to remove impurities and even waterproof mascara. Next the Seaweed Clarifying Toner for removing any remaining traces of make up. For a targeted treatment the Drops of Youth Eye Concentrate claims to instantly refresh the eye area; smoothing out the appearance of lines, bags and fatigue. For a daily moisturiser the Seaweed Day Cream which moisturises dry areas, balances excess sebum and gives a matt shine free complexion.

For another special treatment the best selling Seaweed Ionic Clay Mask for drawing out impurities, clarifying and refreshing. Finally something for before bed, the Nutriganics Smoothing Night Cream. This will hydrate skin for up to 12 hours; help skin feel plumper and more tones and reduces the appearance of lines and wrinkles.

I'd be least interested in trying the Cleansing Gel and Clarifying Toner. Honestly, the cleansing part is the one part I think I've got down. I'm just so faithful to my Johnsons's Face Care Moisturising Wipes followed by a cleansing/exfoliating wash of my choice, it works for my student budget! I am intrigued by the gel to oil aspect of this product and the ingredients to tackle those first signs of ageing though so it's going on the wish list.

I'm definitely most keen to try the Night Cream. I feel like it would be the best investment and although I don't have major lines and wrinkles just yet, I would hope that this would work in a preventative manner. I'm really lucky that my skin doesn't really have any trouble with blemishes but i do have some blackheads on my nose I'd love to clean out; so the Ionic Clay mask is going on my wish list!

If, like me, anyone is unsure about where to start with building a skincare routine; I'd highly recommend using this tool from The Body Shop. Even if the products are a little out of your price range it's a great way to learn what types of products could work best for your skin.

If anyone had tried any of these products I'd love to know what you thought of them!

Keep an eye out for possible hauls ...

Gingerbread Snowflakes

This year I've made so many batches of these delicious gingerbread biscuits that I just had to share the recipe! They really have been the perfect home made gift, great to munch while watching those Christmas films and have gone down a storm!
The recipe I've been using is this one, from BBC Good Food. Can never go wrong with them.
Christmas might be over, I hope everyone had a wonderful few days relaxing with family and loved ones; slowly eating your own body weight in cheese, chocolate and minced pies! But I don't think it's any excuse to not keep those festive, cosy vibes going through the next few months.
So when those January blues sink in, I urge anyone to go do a bit of backing and whip up some of these tasty little guys. Oh, and guess what?? They're super easy to make!
Only downside is they aren't the best for my waistline ...

White Chocolate & Peppermint Candy Cane Bark

I'd never come across this festive treat until a girl on my university course brought some in for everyone to get us in the Christmas spirit. I'm never very much into minty things but white chocolate I love, and I was pleasantly surprised by the combination. It is, in fact, rather yummy; but even better than that is how insanely easy it is to make! Melted chocolate sprinkled with crushed candy cane pieces,brilliant! This year I'm definitely having to be very crafty with my presents and anything I can make on a tiny student budget is right up my alley.

All you need are two ingredients; white chocolate and some candy canes, pulverised into pieces with a blunt instrument - this was great for venting my essay writing frustrations! (Pop the candy canes in a zip lock freezer bag for this bit or it can get quite messy)
You will then need a vessel of some kind to pour the chocolate that you will be melting into.
Here is where things are super flexible; you could go ultra thin and use a baking tray, or something smaller and deeper like a tin or glass dish. Either way you will need enough white chocolate that, when melted, will fill your tray/tin/dish to your desired thickness (for example, I used 400g of chocolate and a 18x25cm tin so my pieces were just over 0.5cm thick).
Be sure to line this tin with kitchen foil to ensure you can pull out the chocolate when set.
To melt your chocolate you can simply use a microwave and a heat resistant jug, or use a glass bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. With both methods make sure you keep stirring the chocolate at frequent intervals.
When your chocolate is completely melted pour it into your foil lined tray. Shift the tray around slightly if you need to spread the chocolate to the corners.
Now simply sprinkle over your crushed candy cane chunks, as many as you like!
Pop into the fridge and allow to cool for at least an hour.
When it's done you can pull out your slab of bark with the edges of the foil and proceed to breaking into pieces as big or small as you desire.

It's that simple! A really affordable festive treat, and a great gift for any chocaholic!
Fill a cute jar with bite size pieces and adorn with a label and bow, wa la.

Autumn Nails | Natural Collection Cosmic Crush

Autumn is well ant truly here, in fact the festive season is looming; only a few weeks away and I haven't even started my Christmas shopping! I've not really been in the mood so far to paint my nails in an obligatory dark autumnal shade yet. But yesterday I decided I needed to see something of the outside world ... and I wanted cake! (Check out my Instagram for the DElish Costa gingerbread muffin I tried - foodgasm!) So I swung by Boot's, just to browse and see if I could make use of the current 3 for 2 offer ... again!
Being a student my money is mostly budgeted for the important things; food, bills, train tickets home. Make up, nail polish and clothes don't really feature prominently on any kind of essentials list, I need a job asap guys. When I do decide that I need something outside of the essentials spectrum, the cheaper the better! At £1.99, the Natural Collection polishes are a massive tick in that box! I've never tried any of these before but when Cosmic Crush caught my eye I decided it would be a chance to rectify that.
This polish is a beautiful iridescent purple; transitioning from quite a warm plum tone through to a midnight navy/purple with a lovely sheen and the most subtle shimmer. I urge you to have a nosy at this shade when your next on a trip to Boot's because photo's of this polish (especially mine taken on my iPhone) will never quite do it justice as seeing it in real life will.
The price is of course amazing, but for £1.99 I was already anticipating that it wasn't going to be the easiest to apply. I actually was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the polish it's self. The tricky part for me was the brush ... Oh dear the brush, it might just have been a bad one that I had but there were bristles sticking out in any which direction. It was a bit of a pain so I ended up trimming some of them off. I found that the polish came up very streaky when trying to apply a thin layer, I don't think the brush was much help here. But when applying a thicker layer it evened its self out nicely and actually dried pretty quickly!
I used it with my Barry M clear top and base coat so I'm hoping that will give the polish some longevity. But overall I'm really in love with this polish! I adore the colour and, as you can see, I love how it look's with my khaki parker. It's the most affordable polish in the drugstore and if you've got the patience when applying it I think it pays off. Thumbs up from me!
Has anyone else tried these little polishes?? I'd love to know what you think ...

Oh, and another highlight of my day - finding out I have £8 worth of points on my Boot's card!
Has anyone ever had that happen to them?? Best feeling in the world!

M&S Mango, Pineapple & Passion Fruit Smoothie

It's that time of year where the whole world is raving about Pumkin Spice Latte's and guys, I have to confess, I actually don't drink coffee! ... or tea! I will sip the once in a blue moon hot chocolate but I never have that craving for a hot beverage no matter how cold it is outside.
I like my drink's fruity and thirst quenching, which 90% of the time means squash of varying flavours, but I sure do love a good smoothie. Here is where I introduce you to my favourite drink this autumn, the Marks & Spencer's Mango, Pineapple and Passion Fruit smoothie.
This stuff is d e l i c i o u s and I am obsessed. I love it so much I just had to feature it on my blog.
So smooth and thick, bursting with fruity flavour, and contains one of your five a day!
Who can say no?? Not me!

Apple, Cinnamon, Date and Fig Crumble Squares

Being at university, one of the biggest things I'm missing is baking! Having my stock of ingredients, equipment and the oven I'm used to (there's no way I'm putting anything more complex than a frozen pizza in my questionable student hall oven!)
Definitely my favorite Autumn/Winter desert is the crumble! Apple crumble, apple and blackcurrant, apple and rhubarb; any combination of fruit I can get my hands on! Warm and served with ice cream - perfect!

These slices are great for taking with you on your day, wrapped up in some paper or foil; serving with tea in the afternoon, or even warmed with some ice cream on a cold evening like the classic crumble and offer complete flexibility on fruits and flavors. They are so delicious, easy to make and went down a storm with my taste testers!

I started with this recipe from BBC Good Food for an apple and raspberry crumble slice. Unfortunately when I went shopping for my ingredients there were no raspberries to be found (it was late on a Thursday night after I got off my train from uni, keen bean) so improvisation would be mantra of the day!
The revisions/additions I ended up making to the recipe with what I had were to add dried figs and dates, which I came across in the cupboard, instead of the raspberries; and to add a more rich Autumnal vibe I softened the apples in 2 tsp of cinnamon, 1 tsp nutmeg and 1 tsp dark muscovado sugar (I think any grade of a brown sugar would work well here if you don't have the dark muscavado to hand)
This really adds flavor to the slices and I don't think there's any better combination than apple and cinnamon. The figs and dates just add a bit more variety to the slices, as the apple blends into the sponge it's nice to get a bite of something else and they add a bit of visual interest too!
I also added a sprinkle of oats to the top of the crumble, again this is something I picked up when making crumbles to add some more texture and enhance the topping.

Using the BBC Good Food recipe for a base you really could experiment with what fruits and flavors you use. It's a really great recipe that I will definitely be reaching for again.

Autumn Beauty Wishlist

Being a student who loves to read fashion and beauty blogs can be a little frustrating; when people are talking about all the wonderful products you can't afford. I've got plans to get myself a job in the new year so hopefully I won't have to be quite so mindful of my pennies in 2015. Until then anything that catches my eye will just have to shimmy on over to my Christmas list. But I thought I'd share some of those bit's while I've got a Saturday evening with not a lot to do.

I've seen a couple of people mention the Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick's which were released recently and they sound right up my alley, but it wasn't until Vivianna Does Makeup mentioned and swatched the colour Sexy Sienna that I really sat up and paid attention!
I'm a very peachy pink kind of gal when it comes to my everyday lipstick, and especially blush; but this colour I think will be outside of that spectrum, with it's more apricot tone, enough to be also outside my comfort zone ... but not  too much!
On the theme of peachy pink, I've been thinking how much my make up bag could use the Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Blissful. I already own the blush in Captivating, and it's no doubt, hands down, one of my favourite blushes. I loooove the peachy colour but I think having something that was leaning more down the pink hue would add some versatility to my repertoire. Oh, who am I kidding?? I can back myself up till the cows come home! Honestly it's a really pretty colour and I need it in my life, I'm officially hooked on the Tarte band wagon, okay??
Someone that I haven't tried any products from if Bourjois! Of the drug store brands they aren't the cheapest. Always a smidge outside my justifiable budget for make up. But the Happy Light Foundation has caught my eye of late. Or the qualities it boasts have caught my ear and they sound like something new for me that I'd like to try out. Luminous, glowing, natural, undetectable, moisturising and breathable ... mmm yes please Bourjois!

This week I went into one of the best smelling shops on the high street with a friend on my course. Where she had a nice tasty sized budget to play with, I had to just make do with getting high on sniffing all the products three times over and covering myself in glitter (I swear it's just impossible to leave Lush not looking like some kind of mythical fairy!)
But, you see I was making a mental note on what I would or will be buying when I have some dosh to spend! I know the Christmas line is all anyone is B lining towards this month but I can't say no to my favourite smelling Bath Bomb of the whole shop, drum roll please, the Dragon's Egg Bath Bomb! It's a classic and it's got everything my heart desires from a Bath Bomb; a fresh, invigorating fruity scent and lots and lots of fun fizzing. Yay!
From their new range, however, I'm rather set on trying the So White Shower Gel. I was pondering the other day how The Body Shop don't have an apple scented range of products and how, if they did, I would probably be in love with them! But Lush heard my musings. This shower gel smells lovely and fresh, I just love the light crisp apple scent. It claims to leave your skin soft and fresh, and who doesn't want that??

On the skincare side of things; I'm really lucky that my skin behaves itself in terms of blemishes, although I do have my fair share of black heads, and I'd say I've got combination skin with dry patches in the winter and an oily T zone. I tend to opt for washes and skincare that have deep cleansing or brightening qualities. Just to keep me looking fresh and mildly awake!
Una Brennan is a skincare range I've been keen to try for a while (I'm being a good girl and using up the washes I've got in my stash) they are only just outside my range of 'student affordable' but from the fabulous things I hear about their products I think I can stretch!
For my first dabble I've got my eye out for the Superfacialist Tea Flower Purifying Cleansing Wash. Purifying and cleansing? Ticks my boxes!
Another skincare selection I'm intrigued to try is The Body Shop Seaweed range. It is recommended for combination skin, that's me, to 'restore balance and control excess oil' with a 'shine free and matt finish' which all sounds great! Oh, and it smell's lovely! Again I'd probably pick up the Cleansing Facial Wash to try first and go from there.
Finally on my radar is First Aid Beauty. Popping up in a lot of beauty Bloggers and Youtubers video's the last couple of months. This brand is definitely outside of 'student affordable' but I've been considering recently how I should probably have an eye cream in my skincare routine, prevention and all that, and the First Aid Beauty 5 in 1 Eye Cream might be a worthy investment. Just a pricey one ... hmm, this one might be for the Christmas list!

What beauty products are you day dreaming about atm??

Thing's I Loved in September

I've been really working on developing my wardrobe these last few months. Quite minimal, monotones with khaki and denim blue's. I'm loving shirts right now! They make me feel more grown up but I love toning that down with Converse or Birkenstocks. This blue chambray shirt is, of course,  a Topshop piece via eBay. I love the colour, with black jeans and a casual choice of footwear it's been my favourite ensemble in September.

I've been adding touches of colour to my rather minimal wardrobe with nail varnish and my favourite to go with the blue's and khaki's is this polish from Barry M in Copa Cabana. It feels like a very Autumnal combination for me. So far I'm not craving too many dark colours yet! Barry M polish is always great, this is one from their Matt collection and I do like the effect but if I'm not in the mood for that I'll just add a layer of the Barry M Base & Topcoat for some shine.

I have to include the film About Time this month. I have watched it on an almost weekly basis since I got to university, even with everything Netflix has to offer! This film is just so heart warming. I just love the main character Tim; his perspective and narration on life, the beautiful relationships he has with the people around him and how he is such a hopeless romantic.

The film will have you laughing, crying and in my case; feeling really broody for that normal family life! The film just has the most beautiful message about making the most out of your life, no matter how seemingly ordinary, and to remember to take a moment to enjoy the little things. This last month moving to university has been so stressful and emotional, full of anxiety and nerves. I feel like watching this film just grounds me and reminds me what's important.

(Oh, and Rachel McAdam's is one of my favourite leading ladies! I always love the artistic women she plays in romance films like The Vow and the Time Travellers Wife. I always want to be her!)

Two posts ago I shared a Lush haul with you guys and no surprise the Ocean Salt Face & Body Scrub is making appearance in my most loved items of September! My skin feels so good after I've used this scrub, so clear and refreshed! It can be quite abrasive, I wouldn't recommend using on any blemishes - owch! Even with my combination skin it always manages to right what ever is happening on my face. Oh, and it smell's beautiful!

For my birthday I received a wonderful gift box of 6 Jo Malone Perfume Mini's. They're designed to be combined to create a unique scent along the lines of fresh or warm. I've had a lot of fun mixing these scents together but they are also really lovely on their own! I've taken to carrying one around in my handbag for any top ups. They're just so cute and mini! I love them.
I think my favourite has been Pomegranate Noir; it's got that fruity touch with notes of pomegranate, raspberry and plum but it's laced with a more spicy element that makes it warmer and darker. It makes it the perfect transitional scent for summer to autumn. It feel's like an adult scent to the fruit kinds I would normally sway to.

Finally to my absolute favourite blush this month, and probably many more months to come, is the Topshop Powder Blush in Do It Again. I love blushers, I guess it's my thing. This one is the perfect peachy pink but has a gold shimmer to it that I just love. Again I feel like it is a really perfect early autumn blush, with the gold to warm the face and add a lovely touch of highlight. I've pretty much worn it every day this month! ... I don't know if I will ever need a peachy pink shimmery blush!

What have you been loving in the month of September??