Thursday 30 April 2015

Becoming a 'Gardener'...

It's not everyday you hear a 19 year old saying they want to do some gardening, but recently gardening has become my second most favourite thing to do(Please please don't judge me). 

    I have always wanted to grow some vegetables simply because of the excitement of watching something so tiny grow into something so big and of course the fact the product is edible is a bonus! I have always remembered the time at which my grandad had his own allotment and we used to walk over to it with our wellies and spades and dig up the potatoes. It was this excitement I wanted to relive.

     I started off by asking my grandad, otherwise known as the vegetable growing expert, for some tips. He sent me some lettuce seeds to plant as well as much needed instructions to make sure I didn't fail. Safe to say my first pot of lettuce if growing perfectly and yesterday I planted my second lot. I also bought a tomato plant to grow to really test my vegetable caring skills. I considered growing tomatoes from seeds, but thought I'd take the easy option. 


   





   A few weeks ago, to create some space to plant yet more vegetables, I cleared some awful bushes from the side of my house. It took me forever, but when I finally finished it all, and squeezed all the bushes into my little Citroen to take to the tip (not forgetting the numerous cuts I received all up my arms(tip:always garden in long sleeved attire)) I was left with the excitement of the next stage; creating some raised beds. I discovered , when clearing out the bushes, that the ground is incredibly rocky and dry. I tried to sieve the soil to remove some debris, but there was just too much, so decided raised beds were the best possible answer. 





   Today I put in my first raised bed! I've run out of stakes and log rolls to do the next, but should get it done over the weekend, then hopefully I can plant my next lot of seeds! In preparation for this moment I bought some cabbage, carrots, onions and broccoli seeds. I've also decided to grow some herbs outside so when my indoor herbs die(like they always do after a few days) I have a back up plan. I thought about growing the herbs from seeds but instead found an even better way to grow them; propogation. I've cut a bit of basil off my plant and removed all but two of the leaves. I've then put it in a jug of water. Now I'm just left hoping the stem will start to sprout some roots and I can grow it! I'm stupidly excited about it. 





   Once I've finished constructing my raised beds I hope to show you all my plants as they start to grow!

Happy blogging :)


P.s here's a photo of my new hair do..




Monday 27 April 2015

BACK AGAIN/ makeup haul

BACK AGAIN

                     


I have managed over the past few weeks to not only loose weight, but to completely change my diet AND start running twice a week! I hope you're just as surprised as I am! So, as I sit drinking my green tea and eating my salad I decided it's definitely worth updating you all. For the past few months I have found my self in my favourite drug store, Superdrug, a few days after each pay day. Today, yet again, my few purchases turned more into a haul so thought it best to share them with you. 
   Superdrug have a 3 for 2 offer on most of the time on all cosmetics so once I had picked up more than three items, I couldn't help but pick up three more! The first item I picked up was Max Factor's Face Finity, 3 in 1 foundation. When ever I look at new foundations I like to test their texture. I have quite oily skin so thick foundations are a definite no-go! This foundation is not only thin, but is also extremely silky meaning that application is easy and the skin doesn't appear too 'fake'.   

                             


  My second item was yet another L'Oréal Collection Exclusive Lipstick. This time I bought Eva's Nude. I have been dying to get the perfect nude shade to match my skin tone and this one is perfect. I love this collection and anyone else who has tried it is bound to agree on how great they are. To match the lipstick I bought a L'Oréal Lip Liner in Beige à Nu. They both work well together to create that great nude lip look.

                            



  The fourth item I bought was a lip liner to match my Topshop lipstick in the shade called Beguiled. Lip liners are a definite essential and everyone should own a different lip liner for each lipstick they own. Another essential is a liquid liner. I constantly swap between the felt tip pen liners and the normal liquid liner. A few felt tip liners caught my eye, but in the end I  decided on L'Oréal's Super Liner. What I liked about it was the thick tip as well as the thickness in which it applied the liquid liner. 

                                 

                                


  Last, but not least, I purchased a Bourjois Colourband Eyeshadow& liner. This came in four shades, but I chose number two which is a dark browny gold. I've been wanting to learn how to create the perfect smoky eye and thought this might be a great addition to my eyeshadows.

                            
 


I hope you've enjoyed my haul post. To finish it off I just want to show you a photo of my current hair cut crush. If you get a chance you must have a look at the work of Anh Co Tran! If you haven't yet heard of him the here's what you need to know. He's a hair stylist working his magic all over America. Check out his Instagram for more photos of his work, but here's my favourite and the inspiration for my hair cut tomorrow! Also, rather exciting, I'm off to my first EVER yoga class this evening and I cannot wait! 


                              




Saturday 4 April 2015

Travelling& University

April the 14th

Easter weekend is the perfect weekend to sit with the family and stuff our faces with a roast dinner and endless chocolate eggs! 
     My endless search for a cheap trip has finally come to an end. My dad bought me some plane tickets to New York in June and I absolutely cannot wait! We might even be ending the trip by going whale watching in Canada! Who could ask for more? No doubt I will put together a bucket list to make sure I do do everything I didn't do last time! My recent Gossip Girl addiction also makes this trip 10 time more exciting! I've also got my trip to Corfu with Jamie to look forward to which means even more holiday clothes shopping is required as well as more hours spent in the gym. This reminds me to let you all know my plans to start training for a half marathon on Monday. Fingers crossed il last longer than a day!
    My university start date is drawing closer and closer, and my excitement grows day by day. I've booked my accommodation, applied for student finance and I'm now starting to think about how to prepare. I've been looking at accommodation for my second year already and dreaming about what it will finally be like to live away from home. 
      I have a recipe of the week for you all which is Asparagus, pea and courgette risotto. Simply sweat some onions and garlic with the veg. Add the rice until it goes clear then gradually add ladles of stock until it's all cooked. Add some cream cheese for a more creamy taste.

For now,
Happy blogging