"Drowning My Sorrows" Post-Exam Mini Haul

The amount I spend after a exam is directly related to just how badly it may have gone...
This wasn't an outrageous haul by any means. Just a few little goodies to perk me up because I really don't know how these exams have gone. I think my placement year out of uni threw me off - I FORGOT HOW TO UNI. But only time will tell. God help me.

I popped in to my beloved Kiko and was greeted by any shopaholics favourite sight - big old red 50% off signs splashed around. *aaall the heart eye emoji faces*. I'm a big fan of the Long Lasting Stick Eyeshadows so knew I had to pick up another at only £3.90 - preferably one in a more daring shade than my usual neutrals. I chose this electric blue and I luuurveee it. Especially worn bold and thick under the lower lashline with a cat eye flick and as much mascara as poss. Edgy AF. 

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The Taste of Europe

So last Spring Martin and I went interrailing and I have been thinking about it a lot (i.e non stop) recently, especially as I was going through our photos from the trip for this post. I MISS EUROPE. I MISS THE FOOD. I DON’T WANT TO EAT BEANS ON TOAST ANYMORE. Each city has a stand out food, the food that when I smell or taste takes me right back. These are my “tastes of Europe” from 2015.

Paris - Croissants. 

Oh, could I be more cliché? This seems like nothing exciting but it sticks out in my mind from our time in Paris. We had one (or two... or three) with fruit and tea for breakfast everyday whilst in Western Europe. They bloody love their croissants. But seriously, nothing beat the croissants we had from a Parisian Boulangerie. IT WAS SO DAMN BUTTERY AND FLAKEY AND OMG, and now Tesco croissants fill me with sadness.

Amsterdam – Stroop Waffles.

Oh mama. These guys. Every time I go into Tiger or IKEA I grab some stroop waffles and I am instantly transported back to the Albert Cuypmarkt. They guy was cooking them fresh on the griddle and we were fully hooked at first bite. (Apparently you're meant to put them on top of a cup of tea so the steam makes them soft and gooey but idk).

Brussels – Speculoos

It quickly became my favourite thing in the world. It is literally what dreams are made of. We were exploring the chocolate shops, as you do, and I was given a taste of speculoos spread, from then on it was all about speculoos everything – waffles, ice cream, macarons, chocolate, AND when we got back Ben & Jerry's introduced a Speculoos flavour. Like it was made for me...

Poland – 

Poland surprised me so much. I was told it was all salty and meaty but I loved it. Unlike the other places, there isn’t one flavour that stands out but a few FREAKIN' GOOD meals. £1 soup and bread is just everything. A Canadian burger joint (of all things) where I destroyed a huge camembert burger and the single best kebab I’ve ever eaten were some pretty magical moments.

Prague – Trdelnik

This is probably the one thing I miss the most about our trip. Chimney cake AKA trdelnik. Basically a sweet dough cooked around a spit type thing, rolled in what can only be described as a shit-tonne of cinnamon sugar. Words can’t even describe my love for these. SO MUCH LOVE.

Vienna – Falafel.

The flavour of Viennese markets. *Swoon* When we were walking through Naschmarkt every bugger and his dad was giving us tasters of their falafel and, let’s be real, what’s better than hot, freshly cooked falafel? We bought a bag of 10 for next to nothing and it fed us for the entire afternoon! Markets really are the best places.

Budapest – Bors' Sandwiches.

I talked about Bors in my “Three Top Threes" post, and here it comes again. A five cheese sandwich for the equivalent of £2 is worth talking about, my friend! Martin enjoyed his more carnivorous sandwich, and we are planning on going back to Budapest and making a bee-line straight to Bors!

Tastes and smells have such an amazing way of transporting you back to a time or a place.

Do you have any particular foods or drinks that remind you of a trip you took?

Have you tried any of these and can vouch for how amazing they are?!

Teri-May 

xxx

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Triple Caramel Cupcakes

What you, my lovely friends, may not know is that baking is one of my greatest passions, but it is a hobby that demands a lot of time and dollar. Neither of which I have in abundance. I used to bake 3 or 4 times a week but life got in the way and I really miss it (my waistline certainly doesn't though).

This is a real old favourite, I remember making these 3 times in, like, a week last year and didn't even to try one. They were inhaled by my housemates that quickly. If that's not a testament to how damn good these cupcakes are, I don't know what is. You'll never be convinced. You're an enemy of cupcakes. 

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New Year Photo Resolutions

Is anyone else a sucker for nostalgia and reminiscing through pictures and mementos? I am also a massive hoarder and keep pretty much everything - receipts, tickets, scribbled notes on napkins, you name it. I loved looking back on last last year (whaaat) so much in 2015, I wanted to make sure I could do the same this year so I wanted to print of a shit tonne of photos.

I also love displaying some of my favourite photos out and proud, not hidden in a scrapbook. But with this year being the year I finally move out of EXTREMELY SHITTY student housing and put on my big girl pants, I want a slightly more sophisticated way of displaying my photos than blue tacking them above my bed. Could I be more of a student cliche? Just turn on netflix and hand me the pot noodles. But yeah, I decided to turn my fave photos into bunting.

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My 2016 "Brand Bucketlist"

Any other bloggers feel that since joining the blogging community they have a beauty wishlist the length of their arm, out the front door and down the road...? JUST ME?

I thought  life was good with the brands I knew and loved, but it seems every day I see a new product from a new brand that makes me feel like my life will remain incomplete 'til I gots it on ma face. 2016 will be the year I try out these bad boys:

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I Heart Make Up "Death by Chocolate" Palette Review & Swatch

What better way to take a break from endless revision than to play with eyeshadow? I truly am the ultimate procrastinator.

Everyone knows that Make Up Revolution, and now their sister brand I Heart Make Up, are the ultimate go-to for high quality, cruelty free make up at, quite frankly, ridiculously low prices. They've also earned their crown for smashing out dupe after high-end dupe. And I am the proud owner of their Death By Chocolate palette. Oh mama - it's a good'un. 

The I Heart Chocolate palette was praised for being a pretty much bang-on dupe for The Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette. Not that I would know, it's £39 and bitch gotta pay the bills, yo. But I decided to go for the Death By Chocolate instead, and what a wise choice that was.

Firstly, can we just talk about the box??? It's a chocolate bar, like, look. Literally. It's adorable! It's surprisingly sturdy and heavy which feels more expensive than the £7.99 price tag. I also love that it comes with a huge mirror, none of this stingey bullshit that you can't even see your eye in. Props to the I Heart Make Up range, they may be a couple of pounds pricier than MUR but they are clearly paying attention to the packaging and presentation which I think is great because they really do look lovely on a dressing table.

The palette smells like chocolate which, although kiiiind of unnecessary (you're not going to eat it?), is a cute touch and makes it all the more dupe-worthy. The palette comes with a mix of matte and satin/shimmer shades, mostly very pigmented (with one or two exceptions), more so than the Iconic palettes in my opinion and I really love most of them.

L-R Break Me Up, Don't Let Go, White Light

L-R Consume Me, All Is Lost, Lick Me

L-R Fools Gold, One More Bite, Devour Me

L-R Tear The Wrapper, Love You To Death, Pray For Me

L-R Dipped, Tease Me, Set Me Free, Bring Down Angels

My absolute favourites of the bunch are Fool's Gold, Break Me Up (which I love in the crease for a natural look), and Love You To Death which I recently used in the outer corners in a smokey cranberry look, and it was hot. One More Bite, a warm chocolate brown, is also a favourite of mine.

I personally would have liked more matte shades but the shimmer shades aren't "glittery" so it's definitely okay with me. 

I was slightly disappointed in Set Me Free as I thought it looked so pretty in the pan but was far less pigmented than the rest. And, Lick Me didn't blow me away either, which is a shame as I like a nice dusty pink. The only other negative is the naff applicator. It's a cheap feeling double ended sponge which I know I will never use. BUT aside from those little niggles, I really really love this purchase and would highly recommend, I can't wait to pick a few of the others.

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Life & OCD - A 2015 Reflection

So, this time last year was a pretty low point for me. You should probably know, if you don’t already, that I have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (and a side order of anxiety and depressive symptoms thank you very much world!).

I’ve been a “worrier”, focused on routine and order since I can remember. But aside from personal challenges (like going on holiday and having my routine switched up, or going to a restaurant and having to use other cutlery) it hadn't really affected the trajectory of my life...

 

It’s like the protagonist of a story – she’s getting from A to B and the journey is full of the little hiccups and obstacles to overcome but on a small scale. So that’s what my OCD has been like. Small obstacles. 

Never has it got in the way of me excelling in school – and I’m not going to belittle my achievement here, I did really bloody well. It never for one minute even looked like it might interfere with me going to Uni – I got in to my first choice, moved into halls, made new friends, and it was all great. And since then, it has never interfered with me getting good grades on my exams and assignments. If anything, it has been a motivating factor. OCD does have its upsides (and its okay to like some parts of your mental illness, FYI) – I bloody love a list and a routine and they are things that come in really handy when trying to organise revision! I worry about doing well, and sometimes that pushes me to work harder because I’m so scared of failing.

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2016 Travel Goals

It's no secret that I have been majorly bitten by the travel bug and no amount of travel will appease my insatiable appetite for exploring. 

2015 whet my appetite even more with my inter rail adventure and local British trips where I uncovered some absolutely A* little gems. 2016, unfortunately, can't be a year of major travel *cry eternally*  however Martin and I are setting aside some money and time for some of our "must sees", far and near.

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