Healthy(ish) Flapjack Recipe

Hi everyone, todays post is a healthy(ish) flapjack recipe. I took a basic flapjack recipe and just altered it to be a tad healthier and it has turned out great. If you're not too fussed on the health aspect of this recipe, you could add chocolate chips too!

Ingredients;

3 cups of oats (I just used basic porridge oats)

1 cup of milk (I used soya milk)

1/2 cup of honey 

1/2 cup of walnuts

1/2 cup of cashews

1/2 cup of pecans

1/4 cup of brown sugar

Little bit of desiccated coconut to go on top

Can I also just point out how adorable these cat measurement cups are!

1. First I preheated the oven to gas mark 5. 

2. I chopped up all the nuts and mixed all the ingredients together. I then put the mixture into a baking tray lined with baking paper and flattened the mixture out. I then sprinkled the desiccated coconut on the top.

3. I then put the tray in the oven for 20 minutes, but make sure you check them every now and then, because I did cook this in the oven at university and the oven is a bit dodgy compared to other ovens.

4. I then waited for it to cool and then cut it into 10 bars.

Hope you liked this recipe, and if you make them then please let me know or send me a picture of them on Instagram!

Jasmine x

My University Experience So Far

Hey everyone, I thought I'd write a little blogpost on my university experience so far. This might be interesting for those of you trying to decide whether or not to go to university or maybe if you're already at university and just wandering how over people are finding university.

Personally the homesickness kicked in very early in the first and second week, but since then I've been absolutely fine and settled in really well.

Before I carry on with all the great things about university, I guess I had better get the bad thongs out of the way. So before coming to university I'll admit I wasn't the tidiest, in fact my mum was pretty sure I'd be the messiest person at university, but university has turned me into a bit of a clean freak. As much as this could be seen as a good thing, the only reason this has happened is because the kitchen is normally always a disgusting and messy. People leave there stuff anywhere, leave their rubbish lying around for days or until someone tidies for them and don't wash up for days so there are dirty plates everywhere. Also, one flatmate decided to cut her toenails in the kitchen and leave all the clippings everywhere... I know, its disgusting. This is something I'm still trying to deal, and I'm just hoping people are tidier next term.

When living with strangers its inevitable that there will be arguments, and trust me we've had a lot. We're all making more effort now to get along but there have been many house meetings to try and sort things out.

Money can be an issue. I was lucky enough to work lots over summer so have savings but for most of my house mates their motto is "out it on the overdraft". As long as you're careful with money you'll be fine, one of my house mates had far more money than me yet he still ended up with no overdraft left by the end of term, so you just need to budget well.

Now the good things... I love the independence I have from living away from home and being able to do whatever I want. I actually quite enjoy doing my own food shopping and looking after myself. Although sometimes having my mum at uni would be helpful just to force me to go into my seminars rather than sleep. My course overall is great and other than one module I'm really enjoying it. So far all my assessments have been coursework which has been great too. I live in Bath now and I love it here. Over Christmas its been hectic because of tourists visiting the Christmas markets, but its such a beautiful place to live. The nightlife is also pretty good, but most nights we go to the Student Union bar instead.

If you're at university then let me know what its been like for you so far!
Thanks for reading!

Jasmine xx

Current ASOS Wish List

Hi everyone, I haven't written a blog post in quite a while mainly due to my exams and now I'm working full time. I do really want to get back into blogging, especially as I'll be (hopefully) going to university in September and would love to write some university posts. If anyone would like to do any collaborations or would like to give me any blog post ideas, please let me know in the comments! Enough of me blabbering on, here is my current ASOS wish list;

From left to right;

1. ASOS T-Shirt With Sequin Sleeve - £20.00 

2. ASOS Denim Shirt in Washed Black - £20.00

3. ASOS Crinkle Oversize Blouse - £25.00 

4. ASOS Jumper With Pug Elbow Patch - £22.00 

5. ASOS Jumper in Mesh Stripe - £32.00

6. ASOS Wrap Front Pleat Peplum Top - £30.00 

Hoped you've liked this little post. If there are any other shops you'd like me to do a wish list for, then please let me know!

Jasmine x

Best Bold Brow Products - Brow Routine

With the hype around bold brows just not fading, I've tried to find the perfect brow products. Although I love bold brows, I love them to look natural too, so I try to make them look naturally full and shaped. This can be difficult with my brows as my hair may be naturally brown, but my brows are naturally blonde. These are the products that I love to get my perfect brows;

After brushing through my eyebrows with a spoolie, I use the Benefit 'gimme brow' in the shade 'medium/deep', to add colour to my brows and set the shape.

Next I fill in my eyebrows with the Natural Collection (Boots) eyeshadow in 'Crushed Walnut'. I only do this lightly just to add more colour, and fill in anywhere looking a little sparse.

I then use the Soap&Glory 'Archery Brow Tint & Precision Shaping Pencil' in the shade 'Brownie Points' to add shape to my brows. This is my favourite brow product as it means I can shape my brows perfectly, and is so much better to any brow pencils that I've tried before! I use the crayon end to make a faint outline on the top of my brows, and use the felt tip end to draw hair like lines wherever I need them.

Next I use the L.A. Girl 'PRO.conceal' concealer in the colour 'porcelain' to go around my brows in-order to clean up the edges, which make my brows stand out more. I blend this in with a small flat eyeshadow brush. I then use my Benefit 'High Beam' highlighter underneath my brow bone, so it looks like my eyebrows have more of an arch.

Finally, I use my Maybelline 'Brow Drama' in 'medium brown', to set my eyebrows, and I find this product makes my brows look more natural. 

If you have any favourite brow products please write them in the comments below, I love trying out new ones!

Jasmine x

Favourite Lush Products

Hi everyone! It's no surprise to the people that know me that I love Lush products, but I'm more of a Lush hoarder. I buy so many Lush products that I can't get through them quick enough. Christmas is my favourite time to buy Lush things because my two favourite scents are 'Snow Fairy' and 'Twilight', so I have to stock up on them and hope they don't get discontinued next year! I haven't included any bath bombs in this post, but I think I might do a separate post on them!

'American Dream' hair conditioner - I'm awful at explaining scents, but this says that it's strawberry vanilla milkshake scented, which I would probably agree with. It smells gorgeous, and leaves your hair feeling super soft!

'Sweetie Pie' shower jelly - the feeling of these is the weirdest thing because it does feel like actual jelly. The smell is amazing, again can't really describe the scent, but it says on the packaging that it's cherry and coconut. It's kind of weird to use because it's so unconventional, but it's amazing so give it a try.

'Snow Fairy' shower gel - my absolute favourite shower gel, smells gorgeous and has glitter in it! This doesn't say what the scent is, but it smells identical to their bubblegum lip scrub, so I presuming it's bubblegum. If you don't like really sweet scents, then you probably wouldn't like this but I love it. It's just a shame it's limited edition for Christmas time!

'Twilight' shower gel - My second favourite shower gel, again with glitter! You can definitely smell the lavender in it, but it's not like the strong lavender you'd relate to grandparent scents, it's more subtle and calming. Their twilight bath bomb would go amazing with this!

'Bubblegum' lip scrub - I love this so much, yes it's an amazing lip scrub and makes my lips really soft, but it also tastes amazing! I do have to stop myself from eating it, but it's amazing, so if you haven't tried it already, definitely pick it up!

'9 to 5' cleansing lotion - This is my top lazy day product. You just smooth it all over your face, and either use a warm flannel or cotton pad to remove. I personally use a cotton pad because then I can just do it in bed really quick. It does have a subtle scent, but nothing too over-powering.

Thanks for reading
Jasmine x

Affordable Autumn and Winter Nail Polishes

Hi everyone,  with Autumn and Winter being my favourite time of the year, finding the perfect inexpensive nail polish colours is essential. These are some of my favourite nail polishes for this time of the year that are affordable and look great with a glitter accent nail or top coat!

The first one is the Barry M Gelly High Shine in the colour Chai. I love all these kind of grey toned nail polishes as they look great with any outfit or jewellery. Barry M nail polishes are also really well pigmented and tend not to chip that quickly. 

Keeping with the good formulation of Barry M nail polishes, the Barry M Gelly High Shine in the colour Lychee is one I've heard a lot of hype about. I completely see why people love it as the shade, like Chai, goes with everything. It's slightly more of a yellow toned beige but I really like that. You need a couple more coats of this than you do for Chai, but it doesn't chip too easily.

Leighton Denny have really well formulated nail polishes, but I thought Gem Stone Buzz was the essential deep red for Autumn. Autumn nails always make me think of this kind of colour, and looks great with a clear topcoat for extra shine. This one also lasts really well on your nails.

Some of my favourite affordable nail polishes come from Rimmel as they're a bargain, and often, in Boots or Superdrug, have some sort of offer on them. As an alternative to the quite nude or quite dark, this Rimmel London 60 Seconds Super Shine in Caramel Cupcake is the perfect pinky neutral. It's perfect if you don't want anything to outgoing or noticeable. These nail polishes also dry really quickly and have a great shine to them. They ship a little easier than the others, but putting a top coat on over this really helps!

Thanks for reading, if you have any other autumn nail polishes, please comment them because I would love to try some new ones! 

Jasmine x

Bargain Brushes

Hi everyone, I love buying new makeup brushes and always on the look out for different one, rather than my comfort zone of Real Techniques. I've seen these brushes before, all at around £10, but I never bought them because I figured there must be something wrong with them to be so affordable. I then saw the same set at £4.90, free postage and packaging, and thought I might as well try them out.

I'm a huge lover of real techniques so was hoping for the same softness and denseness, and they are amazing! They have synthetic bristles, which make them really soft, and there is a really great variety of brushes. 

From Left to Right - 

Precision Face Brush

Face Powder Brush

Blush Brush

Flat Top Buffing Foundation Brush

Powder Blush Brush

Eye Shadow Brush

Blooming Brush Detail Powder Brush

Flat Top Shadow Brush

Angle Flat Top Shadow Brush

Blooming Brush

Here is the link to these brushes if you want to pick up this bargain!

Thanks for reading, hope this might've helped you find some new brushes, comment your favourite brush brands as I would love to try some more!

Jasmine x

Blog Renovation and Update?!

Hi everyone, I know long time since I posted, so if you've stuck with me all this time, I owe you because I've been a blogging catastrophe! But I make a promise to you right now that I'm getting back into blogging, and I mean a proper blog schedule, a theme, and hopefully just better in general. 

In the next week, I'm changing the design of my blog to make it more suited to me and what I like. I've ordered a couple things to make my photos look better so will be taking lots of pictures soon. If you have any comments on what my blog needs to look better, or have suggestions on some posts, please comment them so I know what you all want to see. 

I hope you like the new look of my blog, I really like it! I'm not great with templates or HTML so it won't be as professional as others but for a first real go of designing, I'm pretty happy with it!

You may notice that some of my old posts will begin to disappear but I'm planning plenty more posts with better pictures and content instead!

If anyone wants to do a blog collaboration, please feel free to email me, I love reading new blogs as well! 

Thanks for reading, 

Jasmine x

Lemon Drizzle Cupcakes Recipe

Hi everyone, so these cupcakes are so quick and easy to make, can be made to look really lovely with sugar fruits or keep them rustic and simple looking like mine!

Ingredients;

For the Cakes -

6oz Butter

6oz Caster Sugar

6oz Self-raising Flour

3 Medium Eggs

For the Icing and Lemon Syrup -

Icing Sugar

Lemon Juice

Water

1. First, pre-heat the oven to gas mark 5 and place the cupcake cases into the tray, then cream the butter and the caster sugar together, it should look light and creamy. My food tech teacher used to tell us that you know it's creamed properly when you can no longer hear the sugar scrape across the bowl.

2. Mix the eggs into the bowl, too make sure it doesn't curdle, add some but not all of the flour.

3. Now mix in the flour until the mixture is light and airy. Make sure it's really mixed well so air is incorporated into the mixture to make the cupcakes light and fluffy.

4. Now spoon the mixture into the cases and place them in the oven for 12-15 minutes. I used a cupcake maker used because I find it easier but the timings are the same.

5. For the lemon syrup, I used plenty of icing sugar and added some lemon juice for a really runny icing. I just winged the measuring for it but as long as it isn't at all thick it's fine.

6. Once the cupcakes come out of the oven, pierce the cupcakes several times with a cocktail stick and glaze the cupcakes with the syrup. If you do this whilst the cupcakes are still warm, the syrup will soak in better.

7. Whilst the cupcakes are now cooling you can make the icing for the top. It's just icing sugar and a small bit of water too make a thick icing. Then once they've cooled, you can spoon a small bit of icing on the top of the cupcake and then read it out a little.

Hope you like this post, I'm thinking of slightly trickier foods to make and post as well, if you have any suggestions then let me know!

Jasmine x