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Drifting through life...

Sunday 29 July 2012

A slob on a Sunday with a Strawberry&Cream Cupcake...



This past week has been a whirlwind of work, numbers, maths, students, low bank balances and procrastination.

Slightly tortured by all this craziness, I decided to take a few hours out of my day yesterday and do something I wanted to do.

So, I baked!
These are vanilla cupcakes with strawberry icing and a chocolate covered strawberry on top.



What inspires you?!
What do you do to unwind?

Wednesday 25 July 2012

GlossyBox redeems itself...

Hey Ladies!

I got my Glossybox today! I have been so disappointed these past 2 months so it was a nice surprise finally getting a box worth blogging about. I had a little sneak peek at other peoples boxes yesterday so I knew what products were doing the round and what I was hoping for. This morning the postWOMAN knocked on the door at 8:45am and I was up and out of bed like a lunatic, running down the stairs to get my GlossyBox. Unfortunately, I didn't get the HD palette which I had wanted but I am still pleased with my box. (Sidenote: I think it is incredibly unfair how not everyone gets to try out products by high end brands like HD Brows and Caudalie - GB works in strange ways.)

This is my box!
I will give you my initial thoughts on the products and then review them as I use them.



Paul Mitchell Awapuhi Moisture Mist
I have never heard of this brand before so I was very excited to try this out! This is a hydrating spray for the hair and for the skin which will be perfect for the summer days. I tried this on my face (are you meant to?) and it felt really light and was refreshing. It has no detectable scent to it either which is a bonus for me. It doesn't say whether it has any benefits for the hair or the skin but it seems to do what it says on the bottle. I am going on holiday in 3 weeks so I am saving this little bad boy for that.

Monu Eye Cool Gel
This is another brand I haven't really come across before. I am only just getting into my skincare so this is perfect for me. This gel promises to revive tired looking eyes, reduce puffiness and dark circles. I don't get puffiness as such but I am hoping this will help with my dark circles. I still need to use my Benefit eye cream, then the Clinique, Dior and Balance Me, so this probably won't be reviewed for a while. 

Jelly Pong Pong Cosmetics Lip Frosting
Again, another brand I have not heard of. I feel that GlossyBox are doing their job this month - introducing us to higher end brand products (I still shudder at the thought of the Collection eye liner I received a few months ago). This lip frosting smells devine!! However, that is where the positives kind of end - it is not very moisturising and it sits on your lips. I have had very dry lips these past few days so when I applied it, it just seemed to emphasise the chapped-ness (I know that sounds gruesome but I am being honest here). In future, I will make sure that my lips have been properly exfoliated before I apply this. You can also apply this on your cheeks but it is sheer and the colour pay off isn't that good - but then again I do have dark skin so it might work better on paler skin?

Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse
This is a dry oil for the face, body and hair. I am new at the whole oil skin care and hair care products so I am not sure how to use this or what it does. I will probably youtube some vids and google some tips before I try this but I am very excited. Do you have any tips for me?

Bex London Londoner Urban Fragrance 
I am not a huge fan of perfume samples in beauty boxes and this sample hasn't really changed my perception.   It is described as a 'modern fragrance' that is inspired by 'unique character and idiosyncrasies of London'. I'm just going to go ahead and put it out there that I have no idea what that means and that this perfume in no  represents the unique character of London, unless the unique character of London smells like a MAN! I kid you not, the first thing I said to my sister after I smelt this was, 'Oh my god, this smells like Dad.' I won't be using this...

Bonus Item Elizabeth Arden's Visible Difference Hydrating Line
The generous sachet containing samples of the EA new skincare range more than made up for the little perfume disaster. I am a massive fan of EA skincare and I love their 8 hour cream. GlossyBox said that if we took the pamphlet containing the product info on it to an EA counter then we would get a free deluxe samples of their skincare range. Being a complete sucker for freebies, I drove to my local town centre in my lunch break today and went on the hunt for my free samples. Unfortunately, there were no 'deluxe samples' in the store (gutted!) but the sales laydee kindly gave me three more sachets of the skincare range, a deluxe sample of the 8 hour cream and some mini serum tablety things. I was rather pleased with what I managed to blag!


Overall, I am very pleased with this box. I will stay subscribed for one more month to see what it is like next month and then I might pack it in. 

What are your thoughts?


Wednesday 11 July 2012

My Little Cupcake Business

I want to start a baking business!

There! I've said it - I feel like it is somewhat of a taboo stating something so ambitious because there is such a massive chance of failure, but I don't care - is that crazy?

I have some ideas that I'm hoping will work but we shall see!


If there is anything in the world that you could do as a job, what would it be?

Talking of pursuing what you want - there is a fab giveaway over on Lexi Minty Fresh blog. It is for a gorgeous YSL lipstick that I have been drooling over for a while.

Monday 9 July 2012

Listing your life away...

Howdy Ladies!

How are you all doing this fine day?

I have had a bit of a strange week. I have found myself in the same situation as many other graduates - I has no job. I went from being severely down in the dumps to enlightened. I realised that instead of focusing on the negative, which I can't change at the moment anyway because there are no teaching jobs out there, I should put my energy into something constructive.

I have had so many ideas buzzing in my head and this has led me to put together a list of 10 things I want to do before I hit 30. I know it sounds a bit silly but I am 22 and I feel that I have not done much in my life. I went from primary school to high school, to college, to university (under grad), to university (post grad). I had around 4 jobs while I was doing my undergrad degree. Don't get me wrong - I have loved all of it - I have achieved so much academically, I have great friends and family, I have had the most amazing experiences - BUT, I feel like I should have done more.



I have always wanted to travel, become more independent and go out in the big bad world and just go for it!


Here is a list of 10 things I want to do before I turn 30...

1. Go on a pilgrimage.

2. Road trip through the US.

3. Explore Paris.

4. Have my cake business up and running (to a certain degree).

5. Get a real job!

6. Get married and have a mini meeeeeeeeeeeeee.

7. Have my own happy family.

8. Anything that scares the shit out of me - bungee jumping, sky diving, skiing, anything!

9. Actually learn how to play my guitar! 

10. Stop caring what other people think.

So that is my little list.


What is on yours?
Do you make lists like this?
Or do you just go with the flow of life?

Tuesday 3 July 2012

Cupcakes, Celebrations and Challenges...

Hey All!

I cannot believe it has been nearly a month since my last blog post - and boy, what a month it has been! I honestly do not know where to begin. I'll start off by sharing some amazing news with you - I AM FINALLY A QUALIFIED TEACHER! This year has been the most challenging, rewarding, inspirational and amazing year of my entire life. All those sleepless nights, 6am starts and 2am finishes paid off!

It was not an easy journey...


I don't want to dwell into too much detail but this past month I was really pushed to the edge. It is amazing what a university tutor on a power trip can do to your self esteem and confidence. Regardless of what career path you are on or intend to take - please do not let anyone make you doubt yourself or strip you of your confidence. Believing in yourself, having faith, and being resilient is key to succeeding. A strong and positive network of support in the form of friends, family and colleagues really helped me get through this month. Make sure you never struggle on your own! 


After spending the past few months drowned under paperwork and lesson planning I finally had some freedom! To celebrate my good news I decided to plan a road trip to Sheffield to see my homies (yes, homies). You may think that that is no big deal, but I had never driven that far or for that long (100 minutes-ish) before so it was quite nerve wrecking. Friday after school I substituted by nap time for a drive instead (cue alarm bells) and I managed to get there in one piece (woo woo). 

It was one of my cousin's birthday so we all got together and went to a cupcake decorating workshop. It was so much FUN! 

Here are a few pictures of what I did.  





We had such a good time catching up and munching on cakes. I do enjoy my trips to Sheffield. What is your favourite place to go to? Why? 

On the way back we were fortunate enough to have beautiful weather. My sister snapped these photos on my new Samsung S3 (aaaaaahhh) whilst I was doing over 50mph in Buxton. How fricking amazing in the quality of the camera? I literally only got it for the camera! 


This year has been filled with highs and lows.
I have met the most amazing people.
I have been privileged to see some inspiring teachers in action.
I have realised just how strong and weak I can be.
All this has helped me develop myself, my personality and my character.

Now...who wants to give me a job?