A Guide to Surviving Freshers

Here I was two years ago when I filled my Dad's car to the brim and packed off to halls. It's that time of year again when groups of innocent 18 year olds fly the nest and head off to university. My freshers week was a week of two halves. The first half consisted of me consuming my body weight in wine before promptly parting ways with it again. The second half consisted of me crying into my pillow every night with the worry that I'd never make any friends. Today I thought I'd share my guide to surviving freshers and actually enjoying it.

A week in outfits: Lanzarote 2017

Last week I packed up for a week of all inclusive luxury with my parents! It was bliss to just relax and catch some rays and take a break from the midwife life for a little while! Here is my week in outfits sharing my evening glam!

A guide to Lisbon

A couple of weeks ago me and my friend packed our cases and headed off to Lisbon for a couple of days. We'd planned a few things we wanted to do but a load of things just happened by chance and we are so glad they did! Here is a little bit of what we did in Lisbon and a few things we'd recommend!

Life after stroke: three years on

Today I am three years post stroke! I would be celebrating with a large glass of prosecco however I am in the middle of two long days so will postpone the celebrating till later in the week. Actually, take me back to three years ago where I was arriving at a hospital for a very different reason and where I am now would actually be a bit of a pipe dream. I've wrote these updates on this day for the past couple of years and I'm so glad I have. I go back and read them myself and see just how far I've come. I'll write this post with the honesty and realism I always have.

The 10/10 Jeans I can't get enough of!

I have a had a turbulent relationship with jeans over my lifetime. I have a major problem with the length, to bum, to waist ratio. I've always had to by a bigger size in an attempt to fit around my legs and bottom and worn a belt in an attempt to synch in the baggy waist and try my best to avoid a builders bum! I've gone through an unintentional weight loss over the past few months and I found that my go to jeans were just really letting me down so I went on the hunt for a pair that would be my best friends!

My Scrapbooking Situation: Favourite Layouts

Today I thought I'd share some of my favourite layouts I've made over the past year or so in my scrapbook. Sometimes pages seem to come together really well, and then other times I feel I just have a complete mind block about where to go with it all. The thing I love most about scrapbooking is the creativity. There are no rules with it all. Anyway, here are some of my favourite layouts from my scrapbooks.

Let's talk: my mental health and life post stroke

With this week being Mental Health Awareness Week, I thought I'd write a very open and honest post for a bonus post this week. This post also ties in with the fact its Make May Purple month for the Stroke Association - see for me these two things go hand in hand. Everyone has a mental health story. For some people it's full of positives, a happy frame of mind and a story that paints a bright picture. For other people, there story will be more of a rainbow, where dark days are followed by good and good so much they reach a pot of gold. Then for others their story might be one that takes a lot of courage to paint. But it's just that, their story. Everyone has one, everyone's read differently.

Review: The Kiko Eye Marker

I'm always a bit wary when it comes to liquid liner. I've been victim of the panda eye on far too many occasion and it's something I'm not wishing to replicate. I've since been a fan of a pencil eye liner, but having seen how good my friends liquid liner looked I was very much interested in picking one up of my own. I stumbled across the KIKO black eye marker for a bargain of £3 something (it was on offer!) and today I thought I'd share my thoughts.

#MakeMayPurple to help conquer stroke

May is Stroke Awareness Month here in the UK. The Stroke Association run the campaign, Make May Purple, every year and with it being that time of the year again I thought I'd share a little blog post to do my bit to help raise awareness. I've been wearing my conquer stroke badge out and about to show my support. Fundraising is so important, the Stroke Association have supported me beyond measure, and I will continue to do all I can to give back to them whenever I get a chance. As a young stroke survivor I believe awareness about stroke is just as important! I never thought it would happen to me, I didn't know it could happen to me! You might think you don't need to know what this blog post say but please take two minutes to read it - you could help save a life!

What you hold in your heart vs what you hold in your hands

A few weeks ago me and my housemates packed up our bags and headed for the Lake District for a girly staycation. We stayed in a youth hostel and planned to do a pretty cheap get away! It was more about the time together, some time in the outdoors, time to have a laugh that was the important bits! Some of my favourite memories from that trip are those just sat around having a laugh rather than doing some crazy adventure that meant spending loads of money. Inspired by Eventbrite's campaign of 'Experiences not Things' (an online service where people can respond to an invite you put out - check it out here) I thought in today's post I'd share what I'll be spending my money on in 2017 to make some great memories!

My favourite five in my wardrobe this Spring

I've been loving adding bits and pieces to my wardrobe lately. I've really been taking more interest in the things I buy, spending a little bit more on investment pieces, and loving putting outfits together! In today's post I thought I'd share my favourite pieces in my wardrobe for this spring/summer that match those trends that I've been really into!

My Current Everyday Make Up Bag

When I go to work I wear really simple, everyday, casual make up. The everyday staples I have are just that - staples. I wear them all the time. When I go to uni I wear pretty much the same face. In today's post I thought I'd share the contents of my everyday make up bag. As we head into spring I've changed things up a bit to give it a bit of a fresher vibe. Take a look!

Recipe: Balsamic Chicken and Pasta

This recipe is always on my 'mum please make this when I come home from uni' list. I am such a fan of it I asked her for the recipe and now make it myself at uni. It's so easy to do, and is great for sharing with friends or making in advance to either freeze or eat a couple of nights in a row! Some of the ingredients might not seem very student friendly but once you have them in your store cupboard you can use them again and again!

Review: Sleek True Colour Lipstick

I'm quite fussy when it comes to lippies. I always find with my ginger hair lipsticks either look really good or they totally just clash! I'd been looking for something with a really creamy formula that was quite dark, but had redder undertones as oppose to purple. I found this Sleek Lipstick and gave it a whirl so here are my thoughts!

What's happening on my Pinterest?

I am addicted to pinterest at the minute. I'm always finding myself browsing through, pinning things as I go, adding to all my boards. Today I thought I'd share a look into my Pinterest and some of the favourite things I've been pinning recently.

21 things I've learnt in 21 years of existence

Last week I turned 21! Woop! It's been a couple of weeks of celebrations with family and friends and I've had such a great time! I've indulged in a lot of cake and a lot more prosecco, as well as a lot of fun and laughter. In today's post I thought I'd share with you a few thoughts on what I've learnt in this little old lifetime of mine....here are 21 things I've learnt in 21 years of existence!

Review: Rimmel Scandaleyes Reloaded Mascara

I do not enjoy buying new mascaras. I am a wear a mascara until the tube runs out kinda gal because the thought of buying a new one every six months does not float my boat. I find with mascaras it either works for you or it doesn't but there is a certain leap of faith you have to take when buying one as there is only so much wand shape and formula research you can do. When I headed to my local store and saw a picture of Cara Delevigne modelling this very mascara I was like 'if it's gonna make me look like that I'll take it!'. So has this mascara made me look like Cara or more like a panda.

Monthly Favourites: January 2017

Wow! It's been a whole year since I last did a favourites blog post! I suppose that's thanks to the combination of a student budget preventing new indulgent purchases and a student midwife life preventing the chance to fail at treating myself or having me time. But this year I'm not only getting back on the blogging train, but I'm starting up those monthly favourites again. I'm making time for more ''me'' time and I'm going to share with you all the things I've been loving.

Review: Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer

Back in the day when I was a young teenager figuring out the difference between less is more and more is more, this concealer was one of the key items in my make up bag. I used to smear it all over my face, essentially as a foundation, and then when I realised that wasn't really the look I wanted to go with anymore, this concealer worked it's way to the bottom of my make up bag and never really found it's way back out. However, on a recent trip to boots to look for a new concealer, I thought I'd give it a go again. I know remember why every body raves about it. I've fallen back in love.

Recipe: Winter warmer carrot and coriander soup

There's nothing I like more in the winter time than a lovely bowl of piping hot soup. A firm favourite of mine is this carrot and coriander soup that my Mum makes. She always sends me back to uni with a package of them. It's delicious, tasty, filling and warming. Here is the recipe for you to give a go this winter!

Sales shopping

Let's face it, January is a pretty rubbish month. You're poor, you look at yourself in the mirror and see an entire chocolate orange, and you have to go back to the realities of life without a mini chocolate out of a cardboard box to end your day. However, January can be forgiven for it's generally poor effort at being a good month because it provides us with the sale of all sales! I hit the shops and here is what I indulged in!

Here's to the new year

And just like that it's 2017. When did 2016 happen? Feels like it's flown by. I saw the new year in in good old London town, stood on the mall near the queen's crib, watching the fireworks from afar sharing prosecco with strangers. Bucket list goal - tick! As we sat drinking cocktails and wine in the warmth, me and my friends reminisced about the past year and discussed our goals for the year to come. I don't set resolutions but as I've got older every year I find myself looking back on life and looking forward, wondering what life has to hold. Here are my thoughts.