Life After Uni

I realised lately that my blog has been abandoned for over 9 months now (poor thing!) and wanted to get back into it. This post will be a little insight into why I haven't posted for some time and my life now I've finished university. It will be jam-packed but this is a little bit about what I've been up to:

Since May, a lot has happened and my life has changed loads - I now feel more like a grown up! To sum my last 9 months up it has been a rollercoaster! In May and June I had a lot of essay deadlines and all the stuff that comes with finishing Uni. July was my busy month EVER - My Hawaiian themed 21st birthday(!!), Graduation, holiday to Turkey and I started my first full time job working in the Advertising department for Newsquest South West, one of the UK's largest regional news publishers.

Chocolate, Chia and Almond Cakes

These chocolate, chia and almond cakes are gluten free, lactose free and low FODMAP. They are also so delicious and easy to make!
 

I found this recipe online which used walnuts, but I altered it to almonds, along with adjusting a few other ingredients to make these yummy treats! My mother is gluten intolerant and also has to follow a low FODMAP diet so finding things simple that I can bake for us to eat all together is tricky. BUT I FINALLY FOUND SOMETHING, AND IT'S SO GOOD!

 

 

 

*some of these steps don't look very appetising, but I promise it turns out very well*

Rimmel London Make Up Review

The other day I went shopping and felt like treating myself to some new makeup products! Some I've been using for a while now, some are new for me.

I went into Boots to intentionally purchase 3 of these products, the fourth was just an extra for me. All of the products are Rimmel London (which was unintentional). Guess that says something about Rimmel London products already.

The products in this review include: Match Perfection Foundation, Fix & Perfect Pro Primer, Stay Matte Powder and Wake Me Up Concealer.

 



REVIEW: Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water

Lately, I have seen loads of blog posts reviewing Garnier's new Micellar Cleansing Water and the ones I've read have all been positive. So I thought I'd jump on the band wagon and see what all the fuss was about.

My first point will be that when it comes to cleansers, toners, moisturisers, anything with a lot of chemicals in, my skin can become very sensitive. That's one thing that drew me to try this product. It states on the bottle it is suitable for sensitive skin which is ideal for me.

I went into Boots the other day to look for it, only to find the 'normal' sized bottles had sold out! Fortunately, there were a few mini format bottles left (125ml for £1.99) so I picked one up. I guess this was ideal really just for a tester as I wasn't sure if it would work for me.

To use this product, I just apply a few drops to a cotton pad and rub it on my face where I want to cleanse. I have been using it at night to remove my make up and sometimes in the morning if I don't use my cleansing scrub.

Clothing Haul!

I love the changing of seasons as it gives me an excuse to buy new clothes (not that an excuse is needed). Yesterday, me and my boyfriend decided to take an afternoon off revision and coursework and go on a little shopping trip. We were only shopping for about 3 hours but I did pretty well in that time.

I'm going to share my clothing items that I purchased, and I will be writing another blog post within the week of the beauty products I bought. This way I have a few days to try them out and let you guys know what I think when I share them (so keep a look out for that).

Firstly, one of my main aims on the shopping trip was to buy some new Topshop Joni jeans. I bought a pair of light blue ones last spring and practically lived in them! However, the elasticity started to go in them so they have lost a lot of the shape that I love. When we went into Topshop yesterday, I couldn't find any that were as pale blue as the ones I previous had, so instead I bought them in black for £36 (well £32.40 with student discount). I love the Joni jeans, the fit is lovely and they are so comfortable. For those of you who are unfamiliar with them, they are simply super high waist skinny jeans and are super soft.

Peanut Butter and Banana Smoothie

A smoothie is a great way to start the day, or to consume between meals. This peanut butter and banana smoothie is filling, contains much needed antioxidants and one of your five a day.

I love tasting different flavours of food and drink, and in the past I've loved buying innocent smoothies or something alike. However, this was until I realised how much sugar is packed into them! Making your own smoothies is a great way to know exactly what you're putting into your body.

 

For this smoothie, you will need:

 

 

 

- 1 Banana (chopped)

- 2tbsp Reduced Fat Peanut Butter

- 2tbsp Desiccated Coconut

- 1tbsp Flax, Sunflower, Pumpkin, Seasame Seeds and Goji Berries Mix (alternatives: any of the listed seeds on their own, Chia Seeds or something similar)

- 500ml Unsweetened Almond Milk

- 1tbsp Golden Syrup (optional for a sweeter taste)

Motivational Monday - Fitness

Summer is coming and the hype of getting that beach body has begun! I am one of those really knuckling down on my diet and most of all, exercise.

I want to share my top tips for doing and sticking to running schedules:

- Firstly, attire. Make sure you have an outfit that you are comfortable in and that you love being in. I recently bought a new running top and trainers as I now run more, therefore wanted a longer top and nicer looking trainers (I like to look good even when exercising). I actually bought these from Primark and to make the trainers more comfortable I put memory foam shoe inserts in which help loads. I thought this top was hilarious too considering I'll be running and looking terrible :P

- Secondly, support. Personally, I have quite bad leg joints (hips, knees and ankles) but when I'm running my ankles hurt from time to time. To help this I use ankle supports as I wont let a small joint pain stop me.