End of an era

I remember moving in day of uni nearly 3 years ago. I remember sat in the back of my dad's car with my stuff literally everywhere. My mum, sister and me had boxes sat on our knees and I don't even know how one person could need so much stuff! But I just remember sitting there, headphones in, listening to music and thinking 'Will I make friends?' 'Will everyone be nice?' 'Will I want to stay at uni?' All these thoughts were rushing through my head and as we arrived into Lincoln I became full of nerves (I get anxious and nervous very easily so this was just an overload for me!)

I remember opening the car door and looking into Court 8. Someone who worked at the uni kindly lead me to my room. I opened my bedroom door and not going to lie, but I thought 'Is this really my room?' Freeze block everywhere. Red curtains and green carpet? Who thought that was a good idea! Looking back, I actually really liked my bedroom once I put all my stuff away. When I look back and think about what my first impression was it does make me laugh.
I made the most amazing group of friends in Court 8 and on my course. I was very lucky that everyone was so nice and friendly and they are definitely my friends for life.

An extremely bad picture of my old uni room!

I just can't believe how quickly these 3 years have gone. Where has the time gone?!

Here's a few of my favourite moments from uni...

Harry Potter night for Dani, Danny and my birthday!

Having fun in Lola Lo's in first year, I don't think it was even Christmas...

Last night out in first year at the club Home with my favourite journos

First year at the Engine Shed on Where's Wally night

Dani's 20th birthday in first year, Engine Shed. We love fancy dress!

Awards night in third year, holding our trophy!

Handing in mt dissertation! And then receiving a first for it, one of the happiest memories!

First year paint party in freshers week

Our last ever Halloween together with the gang!

So, what's going to happen now?...

May 2015

May has been another busy month that has gone ridiculously fast. How is it the 1st of June already?

May is the month where I finished my final piece of university work, ever! You can go take a read of my work experience essay on my blog!

So now that university and May is over, it's time to take a look back at this month. 

2nd May

On the 1st of May, my group and me handed in our magazine (On Location), our online website (Pretty Natural) and our 2,500 word reflective log about our online project. Doesn't sound an awful lot does it? Well, our magazine was 64 pages and our website took over 2 terms to make (including videos) and 2,500 words was just a lot to write about 1 module, it was pretty stressful! So we managed to hand everything in but it was possibly one of the most stressful hand ins I have ever had. Everything seemed to go wrong that day but luckily, we handed everything OK in the end. We decided we needed to go out for drinks afterwards to celebrate handing in 2 modules worth of work on the same day. However, we went our for cocktails on the Saturday instead because all of us wanted an early night! 

7th May

After those hand ins, I had the weekend off and I then started my work experience essay. This was a reflection of the work experience placements we had done and what we thought about them. This was something which I actually enjoyed writing because I got to look back at work I had done and felt proud of what I had achieved. For example, I had about 4 articles published in my local paper and I got my name in Closer magazine! So why the picture of cookies? Well, I made these on the day I finished that essay. The final ever ever ever essay I will have to write (unless I decide I want to do a Masters or something like that). So to celebrate, I made these amazing smartie cookies! And lucky for you, I have written a blog post about how to make them!

11th May 

On the 8th, we went on a night out to the famous Superbull in Lincoln to celebrate finishing uni. Not feeling as bad as I usually feel after a night out, Ben and I decided to meet spontaneously in Sheffield for the day (I do mean spontaneous, I was still in bed and I had to get my train in an hour). I had the quickest shower of my life, got changed and kind of ran to the station (very fast walking) but I made it! A few days later of just relaxing, the girls and I went out for afternoon tea which I love. There are so many lovely, little, independent cafes in Lincoln which all offer scones and tea. 

Who doesn't love fajitas?

The girls and me at Home, Lincoln

If you ever go to Lincoln, to go Brewhaus. Best. Pizza. Ever.

15th May 

On the 15th of May, my sister and I travelled to Nottingham Capital FM Arena to see our favourite childhood band, S Club 7. This was honestly one of the best concerts I have ever been to. And of course, we had to buy a t-shirt to remember this occasion by (a very over priced t-shirt). We were sat right at the very back on row V, I think, and we were directly ahead of the stage. At concerts, I never really mind where I sit, as long as I can see the stage I'm OK! They came on to Bring The House Down and instantly I turned back into my 8-year-old self and I was up dancing and singing. Then, they sang S Club Party. So so memory nostalgic memories came rushing back! And then they sang all of their hits Never Had A Dream Come True, Don't Stop Moving, Two in a Million and a few more classics. Jo, Bradley, Tina, Paul, Rachel and Hannah all performed a few of their own songs but Jon didn't which I didn't understand! But nevertheless, it was utterly amazing. They ended it on Reach and that song took me back to when I was about 8 and I was at a friend's birthday party and I just remember jumping up as high as I could when they sang 'reach for the stars'. 

19th - 21st May 

After another relaxing weekend, I went back to Lincoln on the 18th of May for my flat mates 21st birthday. Then on the 19th, I took my 3 of my course friends back to Derby with me for 2 days. And because I live so close to Alton Towers (and we had 2 for 1 vouchers) it was vital that we went! Lauren had never been on a roller coaster before, Elise had never been to Alton Towers and Dani hadn't experienced the new ride, The Smiler, yet so I felt not only excited to go, but I felt so excited for them because Alton Towers is great! A week before we went, we kept checking the weather forecast and it said it was going to be sunny. However, typical England decided it was going to be 12 degrees and raining on and off all day. Luckily, we had our cute rain coats to keep us dry. We managed to go on 10 rides: Pinball Whizzer, The Flume, The Rapids, Duel, Nemsis (Lauren's first rollercoaster), Air (Lauren and Elise's favourite), The Smiler (Dani and mine's favourite), Oblivion, Rita and The Runaway Mine Train. Overall, it was a great and fun day out!

22nd - 29th May 

After the girls left on Thursday, it was time for me to pack as I was heading off to the Greek Island of Skiathos on Friday lunch time. It was an amazing holiday! I highly recommend you give it a visit!

30th May

The day after I got back off holiday, Ben and I decided to go play crazy golf at Marketon Park. I love it there. Like S Club 7, it brings back so many childhood memories. They have a massive play area, a little lake where young children can go sailing in boats, a water foundation which many kids go swimming in and crazy golf! At only £1.80 per person, it was a bargain. Sadly, I can't remember how many holes there were (maybe 9 or 12?!) but I did lose by 10 points. 

31st May 

Having not caught up on my sleep since getting back, Sunday was definitely a lazy day for me. Lying on my bed editing my blog, my cat came to join me for a lie down. She was upset because it was raining so she couldn't go out, so it was a lazy day for her too!

May has been a great yet busy month. I honestly don't know where the time has gone but I'm excited to see what June has to offer! 

How to make: Amazing Smartie Cookies

If anyone knows me, they know that I love to bake, Baking is a hobby which I have always loved ever since I was little. Now that university has ended (so upsetting), I now have more time to do my favourtie hobby.

Along with this hobby, I also love to watch YouTube videos. And these cookies were made my Gabriella (known as Velvetgh0st) and when I watched this video I immediately drove to the shop and brought all the ingredients.

January 2015

What a busy month is has been for me. I have been on over 20 trains in the space of 4 weeks, and that doesn't include London tube trains! All I can say is thank god I have a rail card.

January is usually a month that I dread. I love Christmas so much but once New Year has gone, I start to feel really sad and all I want is it to be warm again. However, overall, it has been a great month. From New Years, to my work experience placement at Closer Magazine to starting back at uni has all be so much fun.

1st January

Ben and I sharing champagne - just after midnight  

This was taken just after midnight on New Years day! On New Years eve, I went out for a meal with my boyfriend's sisters family to Frankie and Bennys. After, we went back to her house and played games until midnight. Once the clock had struck 12, we cracked open the champagne and celebrated the beginning of 2015 and the end of 2014. The picture above shows Ben and I with our champagne, looking extremely happy.  Sadly, I couldn't drink much of it because I had to drive to work at 8 in the morning. That was quite said but I just had to think of the money!

5th - 9th of January

Monday morning in Oxford Street 

After that, I had a few days to relax before I went to my work experience placement at Closer Magazine in London. I had such an amazing week and it was my favourite work experience placement I have done. It was an exhausting week, but completely worth it. 

10th - 11th of January

Blueberry and cranberry muffins - made by me!

I attempted to make my Dad a birthday cake, it's the thought that counts...

Once my busy week in London was over, I had the weekend all to myself. And there is nothing more I love than baking. As many of my friends would know, I love Mary Berry and The Great British Bake Off. So if I have a spare day, I will always find something to bake. This could be muffins, brownies, cupcakes - basically anything sweet. I decided to bake some cranberry and blueberry muffins which turned out extremely well - almost perfect if I say so myself! And also, I decided to bake my Dad a birthday cake. This didn't turn out so well. The cake took ages to bake. The mixture was still watery and once it has baked into a sponge, the top of it was burnt. This was easy to solve as I just cut off the top. However, this wasn't the biggest of my problems. I made a butter cream using butter, icing suger, a bit of vanilla extract and a tiny bit of milk but it wouldn't set. So, when I put it on the bottom layer, it leaked through the sponge and as Mary Berry would say, it had a very soggy bottom. To hide this disaster, I covered the entire cake in icing sugar and decorated it with icing pens. Lets just say, it's the thought that counts. 

12th - 14th of January, 2015

Dad's birthday meal - in a Rickshaw? I think it might be called?!

Mimi's favourite hiding place

This month marks the 2 month anniversary of the Archer household getting Mimi! Mimi was an early Christmas present to my dad from my mum. We're a family who love cats and ever since our old cat, Elsa, sadly passed away 2 years ago, our house didn't feel right. So after talking (persuading) my Mum, we finally decided to get a cat, and to surprise my dad with her. Mimi is either 5 or 6 years old and was a stray. She had a family before but we don't know how she became a stray. Luckily, someone brought her to the RSPCA and within a month, she was re-homed! Mimi was very shy yet cuddly. However, after settling in, her personality has definitely shown. She loves hiding under this curtain and playing with string. She also likes to eat my mum's flowers...

15th of January

Innocent strawberry and banana smoothie, chocolate milk, orange digestive biscuits, Creme egg pots of joy, chilli heat wave Doritos, exotic fruit salad pot and a classic fruit salad. What a feast.  

On the 15th, I got the train to Leeds to visit Ben and my flat mates came as well. We went to Red Hot Buffet which is just amazing. A few people I've spoke to aren't a fan of it, but I don't understand, what's not great about unlimited food? You can go up and help yourself to all sorts of food from around the world - Italy, America, Chinese, Indian, Mexican and English. All my favourites in one buffet. Afterwards, we decided to have a night in and have bit of a feast (as you can see above). However, I was slightly healthy and brought some fruit, but I still snacked on biscuits as they are irresistible. 

16th of January

My awesome vans at Doncaster train station 

The day after, I got the train back to Lincoln (where I go to uni) for my friends 21st birthday. I had to get 3 trains to Lincoln, which I don't usually mind, but it was very cold and I had started to get fed up of getting trains ever since I went to London. 

Bubbles (Emily), Blossom (me), Buttercup (Izzy), and Mojo Jojo at the front (Bex) 

My friend's birthday was a great night. Fancy dress, vodka jelly shots and a night at Superbull is always a good combination. My friends and I went as the Powerpuff Girls and Mojo Jojo. We all loved watching the Powerpuff Girls when we were little, so it was a childhood dream to dress up and pretend to be superheros. 

22nd January

Parma ham, rocket, mozzarella and parmesan cheese = the best pizza ever

The 22nd of January was the day my sister graduated from De Monfort University. We traveled to Leicester and arrived at half 11. We walked to the Curve, which is a thearte, and my sister registered and got her robes. The day consisted of a lot of pictures, walking, and clapping. We had a professional picture taken and went for lunch. Afterwards, we went back to the graduation and my family and I took our seats as we waited for the ceremony to start. She graduated with a 2:1 in Midwifery and my family and I could not be prouder of her! After the graduation, my sister met her friend who she used to live with at uni and we went to an Italian restaurant for tea. It was honestly amazing. I absolutely love Italian food so my sister made a good choice! After having a few days of feeling down and upset with my uni work, I realised that it wasn't worth it. After seeing my sister graduate made me think that I'm only a few months away from finishing uni, and after I've finished, I know I'm going to miss it. It was a realisation that I needed to make me feel better. When I saw my sister on stage, I felt very proud and thought one day, very soon, that would be me.  

Mimi and me relaxing in the evening

23rd January - 25th January 

Free cupcake for doing the National Student Survey - it was just as nice as it looks 

Professor Green at Engine Shed, Lincoln 

And that's what happened during my January! 

Bourjois Paris Color Edition 24H Cream Eyeshadow: Review

After watching Zoella's drugstore makeup haul, I saw that she had brought the Bourjois Paris Color Edition Cream Eyeshadow and I really wanted to try them. It was a product that I had never tried before and I hadn't seen anything like it in any of my previous makeup shopping trips.  

After constantly going into Boots and looking at the Bourjois section, I thought that I could use part of my Christmas money to treat myself to one of the eye shadows. 

I decided to go for this one. As you can see by the pictures above, it is one of the hardest colours to describe. To me, I think it's like a purple metallic taupe colour, with a hint of silver shimmer. Whatever colour you may think it is, I think it's really pretty. 

None of the colours have a name on the packaging but if you go onto the Boots website, they have a list of the names and the other colours they do. 

In Boots, they had a variety of colours to choose from. I couldn't decide if I wanted this one, or a darker purple/red eye shadow, but I thought for now, in case I didn't like it, I would stay safe and go for a lighter colour. 

They have created six colours which range from a light champagne to a dark blue. Retailing in at £6.99, it might seem a tad pricey for a single eye shadow, but they are a lot cheaper than the MAC Paint Pots and I think that they will last you a long time. 

The texture of it feel quite powdery yet, it's soft at the same time. I tried using a brush to apply the eye shadow with but I felt that it was easier to use your finger. It glades effortlessly onto your eye lid and dries immediately to a powder finish. 

However, I find that this colour isn't as pigmented as I first thought. I can still see the colour on my eye lid but it's not as vibrant as I thought it would be. Personally, I don't mind this because when I have previously worn this eye shadow, I have added the colour Sidecar from the Naked Palette on top of it to make it more pigmented. If you don't have an eye shadow similar to this, don't fear as I still think it looks great on it's own. 

The staying power on this is amazing. It honestly lasts all day and doesn't crease or smudge whilst you're wearing it.

If you're looking for a product like this, I definitely recommend these eye shadows. They stay on all day, it will last you a really long time and especially with this colour, they add a subtle bit of sparkle without going over the top. 

I also created a day and night look using this eye shadow. Please note, I am not a makeup artist and I am not an expert in makeup either. This is just a look I put together to show you what they eye shadow looks like on.

[ Day look using the cream eye shadow ]
[ Use a small amount of Creep from the Naked Palette to define the outer part of the eye ]

[ Night time look using the cream eye shadow - a bit messy I know, looks better when your eye is open I promise! ]
[ Use more of the colour Creep and blended it upwards and into the crease of the eye ]
[ I also blended more of it to my bottom lash line and mixed it with the colour Buck to help blend the colours ]