25 Autumn Blog Post Ideas

1.) A smoky, coppery makeup look
2.) How your Instagram theme changes with the seasons
3.) Daily Autumn skincare regime
4.) An ASOS/Primark Autumn and Winter wear haul
5.) OOTD with chunky knits and ankle boots (of course)
6.) 10 favourite things to do in Autumn
7.) 10 things to do on a rainy day
8.) Tips on keeping your mood up when everything gets a bit gloomy
9.) A perfect Friday night in
10.) A LUSH Halloween/Christmas collection haul
11.) Starting/going back to uni/school/college: your experience
12.) A comfort food recipe, e.g. stew, pie, etc.
13.) A Bake Off inspired bake
14.) Current Netflix/TV favourites
15.) What to pack for an Autumn/Winter holiday
16.) Halloween house tour
17.) Pumpkin carving ideas
18.) A photo collection of nature's seasonal changes as we go into Autumn
19.) Updated hair care routine
20.) How to avoid lip and face chapping as the weather gets colder
21.) Autumn accessories. Think cute mittens, bobble hats and whatever you fancy!
22.) Top 5 Autumn lipsticks
23.) A Halloween makeup look/outfit
24.) Home style: how to update your decor for the colder months
25.) How to keep up with an exercise routine when the weather is rubbish
I really hope you found this post useful! What would you add? Follow me on Bloglovin | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Youtube

Pretty Little Liars and Normalising Adult/Child Relationships

Every so often I take a little break from the usual beauty, lifestyle, food and travel ramblings on here to talk about something that is really getting my goat up, or upsetting me. I did it with my post on loss, and my one on not being a part of 'the blogging community'; I'm doing it again now. Pretty Little Liars, or PLL to us 'hardcore fans' is one of my favourite shows. I'm a bit of a sucker for teen dramas, and there's nothing better in my mind than a little catch up on One Tree Hill or Gossip Girl. I'm not even sorry, it's my absolute guilty pleasure. But, there's one thing that really sets these two apart from PLL in my mind, and it's the use of adult-child relationships.
This can be a bit of a touchy subject with some people, especially teens, as a 16-17 year old is sometimes considered to be an adult, but as much as I thought I was an adult back at that age, do I think it now? No. I definitely think you have the right to make your own decisions at this age, but there is still the opportunity for manipulation. Also, we're going right back to the age of 14, which is a little different. PLL's constant use and discussion of adult-child sexual relationships is honestly quite troubling. And the worst part? It's totally normalised. I'm going to break it down here into different relationships, to see just how frequently it occurs: something I hadn't even noticed until I read a news article on it recently. This is the most concerning aspect for me - that most of these relationships had gone totally over my head, awash with the idea that they are normal.
Aria and Ezra
This is the most obvious one, and the one that most of you guys probably thought about as soon as I mentioned the content of this post. Aria and Ezra meet when she is 15 (about to start Sophomore year) and he is 23. An eight year gap is totally fine as an adult, but in my opinion at least is a little concerning when the girl in question is underage. 
From the offset this unlikely relationship is normalised. 15 year old baby-faced Aria is drinking in a bar when she first meets Ezra and loses her big V to him. In the back of a bar. For starters, in a place in which 21 is the legal drinking age, the entire setting seems a little unlikely, but as no questions are raised about it, it seems to lull us watchers into a false sense of security: we are used to 21 year olds drinking and hooking up in bars - Aria therefore seems to be that age. Indeed, for a 15 year old she is incredibly mature, and I'm not sure that shy, bookish Aria would be up for acting in the way she did that night, but maybe it's just me projecting. 
Then we discover that Ezra is in fact her teacher, and he discovers that (whoops) she's underage. And she's totally in his class. Awkward. Rather than aligning himself to his duty of care however, he continues to pursue the relationship despite feeling 'guilty' about it. I know that some people will say that Aria was totally to blame here, but really, if a hot older guy told 15-year-old you he loved you then would you really turn that down? 15 year old me wouldn't have. 
Now, what I find most disturbing about the continuation of their relationship is that for starters no one seems to notice or has a problem with it. High school for me may have ended four years ago, but if a girl was hanging around in the classroom of a hot young new male teacher then there would definitely have been rumours, if not actual complaints. But none of this happens. Then we have the fact that they're sleeping together with no real complications. This just simply doesn't happen. Ezra would have known how damaging a pregnancy would have been to the both of them, and surely would have taken precautions to ensure that it never happened, right? Instead of discussing these problems, we are faced with an idyllic coupling of the pair, in which the only problem is that her parents might find out. The fact that the show never questions the complications in this relationship inhibits our potential to do so too. Had there been a pregnancy scare, or a discussion of contraception then maybe, just maybe, we would be forced to think that actually this relationship isn't #goals. It's actually just a little manipulative.
Don't agree with me that there's a problem with it? It's just love and oh well, he met her before he knew she was 15 so does it really matter anyway, it's just real love? What about when we find out about his book? If you haven't watched the later series, then there's a serious spoiler alert for you now. After convincing us that it was okay, it's true love, age is just a number, etc., we find out that actually Ezra knew all along exactly how old Aria was and who she was before they met. Now if that does't scream 'creep' to you, then what will?! Ezra pursued Aria in order to write a  book and make himself money. This is the ultimate form of manipulation, and was actually the first time I ever really felt truly dodgy about there relationship. Is it not a little predatory to pursue a 15 year old girl, fuck her, date her, impact her entire life, just to make yourself a bit of cash dollar? 
Yet, even when this comes to light not one of the PLL gang actually turns around and says do you know what, that's really fucking creepy, what a perv. Instead the adult/child relationship isn't mentioned. And then Ezra is all 'oh soz I fell in love eventually but still stalked you, gained your trust and wrote the book anyway' and all is forgiven? Okay then. In the whole discussion over several episodes it is never once mentioned that actually, he was breaking the law by being with Aria, and he was manipulating a young girl's emotions for his own gain.
Spencer and Ian / Spencer and Wren
These two are really relationships that get swept under the rug in a wash of normality. In Season 1 we witness Spencer and her older sister's then husband macking on when she would have been a ripe 14. Again, although Ian is judged for this, it is because he cheated on Melissa, Spencer's sister, not because he cheated on her with an underage child that the judgement occurs. Then, the same is repeated with 16 year old Spencer and Melissa's new beau Wren. Wren is a bit of a charmer, and all round 'nice guy': we see Melissa being a bit of a bitch to him, so can you blame him for hitting on her child sister? Yes, you can, but we're encouraged not to. Instead, their first encounter is portrayed as an 'accident', when he decides to give bikini-clad Spencer a massage because her muscles are sore. What a nice friendly doctor man. How could either of them have guessed that that might be a little sensual? Spencer puts her trust in him, and this, combined with Melissa's hostile nature makes us want to see the pair get together, and we are not disappointed.
What is perhaps worst about these two incidents, is that rather than being portrayed as the victim of an older male's manipulative behaviour, Spencer is condemned as a 'slag'. By her own family. We see not only Melissa, but the girls' mother force the brunt of the blame onto 16 year old Spencer, and is the fact that the two men were actual total creeps who hit on a child mentioned? Of course not. Once again this issue is totally ignored  by the show.
Alison and Ian
Alison was only 14 when she 'died', and we all find out that her and Ian were in a relationship before then. He was her 'secret' beau that she told none of the other girls about, and he was with her on the night she died. So, Ian is a serial predator. But, even when Ian is totally condemned by the characters, is it ever for that? Is he ever mentioned for what he really was: legally a rapist of underage children? No, they condemn him because they suspect that he had something to do with Ali's disappearance, and even the police overlook the illicit relationship. When they can't book him for murder, they don't book him for anything, or even look into his activities with this young girl. Indeed, the fact that he cheated on Melissa with Ali is mentioned as being totally immoral over the fact that it was with a fourteen year old. Ian by this point had completed a degree, so we know that for sure he is 21 at the youngest. Does it really then come as a surprise that he'd been filming the five of them undressing? Again something the police never found or cared about.
Thoughts
Until I really started looking into and thinking about this, so much of it had gone totally over my head. What kind of a message is PLL sending out to us, in which the law, society and even us as an audience don't care about, or even notice the fact that these relationships are going on? I absolutely love the show, but this honestly really concerns me. Should we just accept that murder is bigger than ongoing child abuse and the latter should be ignored? Or consider that it is an important topic that needs to be discussed?
What do you think?
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Chipotle Infused Cottage Pie Recipe

As Summer starts to wind down in the UK, I'm thinking ahead to all the gooey, wholesome, toasty meals that I love to make in Autumn and Winter. Here comes the seasons of pies, bourgignon, stew and copious amounts of soup to sort out a rough day. So, when Lurpak asked me to create a recipe with their new chipotle infused spreadable butter* in, my little cooking cogs got a-whirring and I finally settled on the idea of a cottage pie.

Me and my boyfriend don't always eat meat, and when we do it's almost always restricted to chicken or fish. This is basically because it's cheaper and so versatile. It does however mean that any meal like this one is a total treat and I was more than a little excited to get cracking. 

Although I'm not always a big fan of heat, I found that just using this in the mashed potato atop the pie gave the meal a nice kick without scorching your mouth, and it was totally easy to add in. Usually I spend a little while adding a variety of seasoning into my mash to ensure that it's a little nicer than just bland potato, so this sped up my mash creation process a whole tonne as I simply just had to add the butter!

Ingredients: 

- 400g beef/lamb mince

- 1 onion

- 2 carrots

- 1 cup peas

- 1 tablespoon tomato puree

- 500ml beef stock

- 2 garlic cloves

- Bay leaf

- Sea salt and black pepper

- 1 stick celery

- 500g potatoes

- 4 tablespooons Lurpak Infusions Chipotle Spreadable Butter

Method: 

1.) Chop the onion and garlic. Fry the beef, onion and garlic in a pan until the onion is soft and beef is browned. 

2.) Chop the carrots and celery. Add to the pan with the beef stock, tomato puree, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Simmer for 25 minutes. 

3.) Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.

4.) Boil the potatoes.

5.) Once the potatoes are boiled and the filling has simmered, pour the filling into an ovenproof dish. 

6.) Mash the potatoes and add the butter.

7.) Top the filling with the mash potatoes and place in the oven for 15 minutes.

8.) Top with a sprinkling of cheese if you wish and enjoy!

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Watermelon Inspired Summer Makeup Look

I've been so excited about this post and the accompanying Youtube video for it for so long. I'm not going to lie, when I told my partner that I was doing it he looked like I'd just suggested I was going to become a ventriloquist: he was a little concerned. However, after explaining to him (and everyone else that I spilled about this post to) that no, I wasn't going full out and painting myself green, but instead I was just going to be taking a little inspiration from one of the best summer fruits out there. Maybe the best. Either way, watermelon is fab. 
Here's my video, showing you all how I made the look, and the links to all the products I used are in the description box below it! 

I had so much fun filming this one - would you like to see something similar, with a different fruit?! Let me know in the comments!

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10 Reasons Why Autumn is the Best Season

1.) You get to bring out all those dark hued lipsticks again. Mac's Sin? Yes please. Add a cheeky bit of glitter to it? Why not.
2.) Cosying up in a blanket/duvet nest surrounded by layers of warmth is the best feeling.
3.) That first frosty morning when you head out and everything feels fresh and you can see your breath.
4.) Getting all your Autumn-y scented candles out. I picked up this Cedarwood and Myrrh one in Primark for £1(!) and it smells delightfully musky.
5.) All the #fwis shots that you can take holding a steaming coffee in your gloved hands with ankle boots on show.
6.) Dressing gowns and slippers being totally acceptable parts of any wardrobe.
7.) The build up to Christmas. I've been wearing my Santa socks since July - need I say more about my excitement?
8.) Fashion trends. Chunky knit sweaters, cute bobble hats and bold ankle boots are what I live for.
9.) Waking up on a Saturday morning and realising that your toasty bed is ten degrees warmer than the room around it. And then being able to stay in it for as long as you want.
10.) Watching the leaves change hue, and taking all the gorgeous Insta-worthy pictures of your local area as nature gets ready for winter.
What would you add to the list?
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What to do on a day trip to Camden

It's no secret that I've got a good ol' case of wanderlust at the moment. If you have a browse through my Pinterest you'll be more than a little bombarded with dreamy repins of destinations all over the world. But alas, adult responsibilities and finances mean that (for the moment at least) these are still dreams. So, I've decided to discover a lot more of the UK this year. I'm hoping to head to Bristol, Brighton and Liverpool, but hit me up with anymore suggestions!
Having said that, Camden isn't actually a new place for me, but rather one of my favourite places in London that I try to make an annual trip to. The last time I visited was (I believe) for my sister's 18th birthday two years ago, so when she turned the big 2-0 a fortnight ago I decided a trip back was totally overdue. 
After travelling down to Slough with the other half, we headed into London with my sister, her boyfriend and best friend. Naturally the journey wasn't without disasters: the tube station at Camden road was closed, which meant we had to go on a really long-ass route that involved overground trains and all sorts. Cross that over with the fact that we were on a train going towards Wembley on the day of the Charity Shield (basically a massive football match), and you've got a packed, sweaty train on a boiling hot day. Brill. 
But, when we finally got there we were truly excited. We hit up Camden's Cereal Killer Cafe, which I've written a whole post on here. In my opinion this is a must-do if you're heading to this little part of London. They stock well over 100 cereals and although we did book a table, there was absolutely no need to as they had tonnes of free seating inside. Having said that, we did book for 3pm, so it may have been a lot busier during 'the lunch time rush'.
Next up on the must-see list is obviously a quick meander around their outdoor market. This is one of my favourite places, and I always get totally drawn in by vendors, pretty colours and semi-unique gifts. Prewarn: don't buy anything in the first half hour - a lot of merchandise is repeated on these stalls, so that gives you time to see exactly what there is to offer. 
The Stables market is also something that I would definitely recommend going to if you have a few hours to spare to wander around. I've lost count of the number of times I've got lost in here, and I really think it makes for an incredible experience. You're surrounded by people of a whole variety of cultures, with goodies to suit any kind of style or desire. For example, we wandered past a stall dedicated to light reflective mosaic lamps, to one filled with stuffed llamas of varying colours and sizes, to one that sold homemade soy candles. There's so much to do and see and I always come home feeling as if my senses are a little worn out.
It wouldn't really be a post about Camden if I didn't mention the street food would it? This is probably one of my favourite, if not the favourite part of visiting Camden. You can pretty much get anything you want if you wander around enough, and despite being tempted by crepes, deep fried chocolate bars, pizza slices the size of my head and cupcakes that are made of my dreams, I eventually settled for some bang bang chicken and noodles. Seriously though, if you're as much of a food obsessive as I am, then you'll understand how painful it was to walk past so many beautiful food stalls and decide on just one. 
Oh, and did I mention that they've got a MAC store and a Dr Marten one *heart eye-emoji*?
I vlogged my day in Camden, so please give it a watch if you want to see first hand (ish) what it's like!

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Why I avoid being part of 'the blogging community'

This post was partially inspired by allll the drama that took place on Twitter last night after the shortlist for the #bloggersblogawards was announced, but also by a lot of nastiness that's been building up over the past few weeks. For about the last month or so, every time I've logged into Twitter there's been some kind of heated discussion over the notions of positivity and negativity going on. People are starting to have their say against the notion that all bloggers are meant to be positive, which is fab, but what isn't fab is the backlash. People are being slammed for suggesting that they do like to be positive all the time on social media - that's who they are - and others are being slammed for suggesting that negativity takes place. What's even worse is that it's turned the whole notion of 'the blogging community' into a sphere for bullying. Someone dares to suggest a well-liked blogger has a wrong opinion? Suddenly it's the scene with Kovu from the Lion King 2 again. You know the one, where everyone starts screaming at him as he's removed from the Pride lands with the lyrics 'evil as plain as the scar on his face' etc accompanying him. This is not a community, or at least not one I could say I wanted to be involved with in any case.
Now, don't get me wrong, I love some of my fellow bloggers, and totally support them. But do I need to label myself as being part of a (sometimes truly nasty) community to do so? No. If a blogger has a personality that I get on with, a blog I love and a tweet that I think deserves recognition, then of course I'm going to give it a cheeky like or retweet. I don't however, have to feel the need to do that with everyone. If our personalities clash, your blog isn't my thing, or we just haven't clicked, that's okay - I don't need to support everyone, and I would never expect anyone to do the same for me out of a weird sense of obligation.
Now, whilst I'm saying that I don't feel the need to actively support every blogger in 'the community', this equally doesn't mean that I feel the need to tear them down. If you tweet something I don't agree with, cool, that's fine, I'll ignore it. Unless y'know, I really disagree, and then I'll say something, but always to your face, and without asking for backup to bully someone down. Obviously I'm not perfect - no one is, and we all made the odd bitchy mistake, but it doesn't mean someone deserves to be hated on. Equally I'm never going to go out there and slam someone on a post they've written, because that is honestly just cruel. Just as I won't actively support everyone, I see no need to actively tear anyone down, or follow the wave of 'the blogging community' that jumps on someone's back every so often. 
Ultimately, 'the blogging community' for me is something that has become a pit of cliques, bullying and nastiness, with the odd ray of support shining out. No one is ever going to like everyone, and I think the 'community' forces the idea down our throats that if 'so and so' is friends with a blogger we like then we have to support them. No. Support who you want, be kind, and most of all remember that if you don't want to get involved in drama you don't have to. 
Now, before anyone goes on a rant about this being a totally patronising and bitter post - it's not. There are places where you can receive a buttload of online support from bloggers, and #TheGirlGang (@TheGirlGangHQ) is definitely one of those places, and something I'm proud to be a part of. This post was more of a reminder to myself more than anything, and something I wish someone would have said to me a few months ago when I was really feeling the pressure to integrate myself into the community. Maybe one day the blogging community is something I would like to make myself a part of, but sadly that day is not today.
What are your thoughts?
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Ombre Strawberries

So, um are these Pinterest worthy or what? I pin a buttload of baking-y recipes every week, and a few ideas for these babies have been sat there staring at me for a while now, willing me to give making them a go. At the moment I don't have a proper kitchen, and not being able to make cute little things like this, let alone full-on bake things has really been getting me down. So, when I went to visit my little sister recently, I went armed with a chock-a-block Pinterest baking board. Naturally.
I've seen ombre strawberries a few times on the interwebs now, and they looked like they'd make a totally dreamy Instagram picture. They were fairly easy to make - not quite as easy as I had imagined though! But, in the end, I did get my Insta-worthy snaps, so it was all worth it!
Here's how we made them:
Ingredients: Strawberries Milkybar white chocolate Pink gel food colouring
Method:  1.) Wash your strawbs (gotta be done) 2.) Split the white chocolate into 4 equal parts and melt. Place into 4 bowls. 3.) Keep one bowl food colouring free. Add 3 drops of food colouring to the second bowl, 6 to the third and nine to the final. 4.) Swirl your strawberries in the mixtures, and place in whatever order you fancy!
There we have it guys! Have you ever tried anything similar?
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Things to consider before approaching an illustrator/web designer about blog redesign

I don't know about you, but I think about tweaking my blog design at least once a week ... or day. I got it redesigned way back in June 2015, so everything on here is pretty ancient. BUT, I do intend on getting things updated, and changed to exactly how I want them before the end of 2016. I just need to justify the expenditure first. God dammit.
So, this got me thinking all about what I learnt when I first got my blog redesigned, and it was totally different to what I was expecting. I was 95% clueless as to how these kind of things work when I first approached an illustrator and I am SO grateful that she held my hand all the way through and took baby steps whilst I was basically being an indecisive dick.
This is why I'm chatting to you all today: in an attempt to get rid of indecisive first timers, or old timers, and to remind me not to be a dick when I get my next redesign. There are things that you should definitely consider before approaching an illustrator or web designer, as if you go to them empty handed (and brained) you'll be wasting a whole tonne of both your time and theirs.
First up, think of how you actually want your blog to look. I know this sounds silly, and pretty darn obvious, but it can be a little overwhelming to think of it all in one go. So, start off with little things and build up. A colour scheme is always handy, and fairly easy to choose. If you don't really know where you want to go with that, whack on Paint (the old hero) and go through swatching colours on their colour wheel on a document. 
Once you've got a vague (or precise!) idea on a colour scheme, next up it might be nice to think what kind of style you would like. Illustrators will usually work with you on headers, logos and watermarks, whereas web designers can change everything for you. I went with a web designer and got everything sorted in one hit, including my header, buttons, logo, pages tabs, profile image, colouring, etc etc. It was pretty darn pricey to do though. 
With your header, it's nice to think about what kind of style you would like: are you looking for something floral? Or seasonal (those Autumn leaves though, damnn)? Or girly? Or bold? Start there and work until you get a more finite idea of what you want. For example, I worked out that I wanted a mandala, a blue and yellow design and girly, flowing writing. I then went from there with the web designer, but it took me far too long to get there!
An independent illustrator/blogger that some of you may know called Gemma Ellis was kind enough to let me interview her for this post to hear what things are like from the other end. You can find her blog here - please go and check it out! Here are her thoughts on illustrating a blog design:

What kind of services can an independent illustrator offer to a blogger?
It depends on the skills of said illustrator as they vary widely, but they can usually offer you a personalised blog header design, signature & watermark/logo. If they are also a web designer they'll likely be able to do all your coding and create buttons for you too, but generally these are two different professions.

What do you think someone should consider before approaching an illustrator about a redesign?
- Have a good idea of what you want! It's so frustrating for as a creative to get hired to do something and then be messed around by a client constantly changing how they want something to look. It's not fair on us when we spend a lot of time and effort on a design for you, for you to then turn around and say it's not what you wanted. Whilst we are the creatives, everyone likes different styles and an illustrator isn't psychic and knows exactly what you like, so you have to try and explain it to us in detail or show examples so that we get a good idea of what route to do down. It really helps!

Why should someone go with an independent illustrator over a big company?
- You're more likely to get something a little more unique and with more thought put into it. Big companies will more than likely have a lot of work coming in and you'll just be another client to add to the list. Independent illustrators usually have less work coming in which means they have more time to spend and will pay more attention to detail. Having more time also means that they'll be able to spend the time making various alterations for you until the design is how you want it.

Are there any tips you could give to someone who wants to redesign but doesn't actually know what they want?
- Look for inspo. Pinterest, Etsy and blogs you read and love (only to get inspiration!) Find a style you like the look of or want something similar to. That way when you approach an illustrator, you can leave it up to them but give them sort of an idea of how you want yours to look so they're not totally clueless and you end up with something you hate. When you're working with an illustrator or designer, especially online, it's all about those visuals.

Where is the best place for someone to find your work?
- Usually my portfolio website. I don't actually have any of my blog header designs uploaded yet but I'm going to get some up soon

Thank you so much Gemma for answering a lot of the questions I had and I'm sure other bloggers do too! You can find Gemma's twitter here if you have any questions about her work.

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Visiting Camden's Cereal Killer Cafe

I've been wanting to head to this little cafe in the heart of Camden ever since it hit the news a couple of years ago. Naturally it faced a lot of bad press because y'know over £3 for a bowl of cereal is obscene, according to news reports. But when you really think about it - is a fiver for a meal and a drink plus service and a fab atmosphere in Central London really a bad price? Er, no. 
The basic premise of the cafe is that is sells cereal. Only cereal. Over 120 cereals. From all over the globe. Got your attention yet? Then you have over 30 varieties of milk. And then you have over 20 toppings. Basically it's cereal lovers' heaven. They even have totally vegan options. And y'know, actually more than one - total madness. 
I'm such a ditherer that I had to look up the menu of course. Here I found a zone of glory: the cereal cocktail section. Sadly this was alcohol free, BUT this is where the creators of The Cereal Cafe get let their passion run wild. The cocktail menu is a mixture of complementary cereals, milks and toppings. I went for unicorn poop (all the sugar), which was made up of ricicles, mini marshmallows, marshmallow fluff, broken-up party rings and hundreds & thousands. Like is that heaven or what?! All of us chose a different cereal cocktail, which comes in clear plastic bowls with the cutest little milk bottles so that you can choose how much to add. 
Once you got over the whole cereal-ness of the place, you're then hit with the unique decor. All 120 cereal boxes line the shelves around the front counter, and they look INCREDIBLE. Then, as you move into the back of the cafe where the seating is, you pass a spice girls wallpapered selfie wall, more cereal memorabilia and general '90s funk. Our table had a VHS case as the reserved sign, a nightlight lamp in the centre of the table, and we sat on kids beds with '90s duvet covers on. There were Super Mario, Bart Simpson and Powerpuff Girls covers to name just a few. 100 points for '90s nostalgia here.
Seriously though, I had the best time at the Cereal Killer Cafe, and I would totally recommend going there if you head to Camden. It's hidden near the lower entrance to the Stables Market and is definitely one of the town's hidden gems.
Have you ever been?
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LUSH Cup O' Coffee Face and Body Mask

Two beauty posts in two days? What the hell is going on over here, I know right?! Things are getting WILD. In all serious though, I am trying to get a lil' more beauty in here and there in this latter half of 2016 so watch out.
LUSH Cup O' Coffee has really become one of those cult beauty blogger favourites. It's not quite up there with Urban Decay's Naked 3, or Garnier's Micellar Water, but it's definitely there. It's LUSH's best selling face mask I believe, and rightly so. If you've read my LUSH face masks comparison post, then you'll know that there is a soft spot in my heart for the brand, and that Cup O' Coffee was one of the few I actually hadn't tried. 
Cup O' Coffee is, surprisingly, filled with ground coffee beans, making it an excellent exfoliator. But, where I really think it comes in strong is with the combination of this with agave syrup. This makes it nourishing, hydrating, and honestly I'm more than a little in love.
It may surprise you that I didn't actually buy this for my face. Cup O' Coffee is labelled a 'face and body mask' and it was recommended to me to help with my newfound stretch marks. My recent weight gain has meant that my upper thighs have suddenly seen a mass growth in stretch marks. Brill, I know right?! So, I've been using Cup O Coffee twice weekly as a little mini leg mask and I have to say it really is making a difference! It's noticeable to others that my stretch marks are going down, albeit slowly, and I couldn't be happier that a natural, vegan product is helping me do this!
I've gone through why I love this goodie from LUSH in a little more detail in this video: Please give it a watch! 

Have you tried this one? What did you think?

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John Frieda Miraculous Recovery Shampoo and Conditioner

Me hair means a lot to me, and as such I really do try to take good care of it. I know that sounds super vain, but after seeing my sister lose her hair as a child, I've always been super paranoid about my own falling out. This seems to jar a little bit with the fact that I obviously dye my hair, but this has been something I've only done in the past year, as I combatted my fears of hair dye to do something I've wanted to do for so long. I've got quite naturally thick hair (thank you genes) and so it's basically unmanageable. You know that hair which instantly retangles after being brushed? Yep, that kind of hair.  
I usually go for more natural shampoo and conditioner sets, such as solid shampoos from LUSH (post here) and ones that contain no SLS. But, every so often I get into the treat yo' self mindset and go for one that promises a 'wow' result in exchange for a few added chemicals. So, I picked up John Frieda's Frizz Ease Miraculous Recovery shampoo and conditioner. This promised to help my hair not only stay frizz free (let's face it, in the recent humidity in the UK I need this) as well as to help it come back to strength after all the dyeing and heat damage I've done to it. So basically this is everything I wanted at the beginning of summer for my hair.
These ultimately did wonders for my frizz levels. Usually I go to work with my hair up in a bun and have about 72834 baby hairs chilling all around my face where they've escaped from my attempts to control them within the first hour. But with this my hair actually maintained self-control for the first time ever! My hair has been so manageable in this heat, and I think this will have to be my go-to summer shampoo from now on. Goodbye humid frizz, hello smooth hair. 
Have you ever tried this one? What's your go-to been this summer?
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Visiting Leamington Spa and Making Cocktails

Moving away from the town that has been my home for the past three years broke my heart a little, I'm not going to lie. I've made some of the best of friends there, worked my absolute butt off, got my first real job, graduated and bought my first ever pet that's really mine in that town. Although I was super glad to move out of my student house, moving to a new town has definitely been tough for me, especially with my mental health. I've moved away from living with one of my closest friends, and living five doors down from another, to being in the middle of nowhere in a town in which my social life is non-existent. 
So, when one of these lovely ladies had her beautiful baby boy a couple of weeks ago I knew I had to go back. Me and my boyfriend needed to sort out the final bits on our student house, which we'll be officially free of after paying our final bills (thank god!), so it was the perfect time to head down for a couple of days. I had the best of time having newborn baby cuddles with the weeniest little two week old bubba and it was so nice to catch up with his mum, a lady that I couldn't miss more now that I live far away!
We then headed over to a different part of Leamington to spend the evening and stay the night with my old housemate. It feels so strange not to live with her anymore - no more facemask and Vampire Diaries binge nights for me *cue crying*! So, we decided to make the night extra special with a little round of cocktail making (of course). Is there anything better than a night in with your girly in your PJs and a cheeky glass of tipple? Nah. She's a little more experienced than me in the cocktail making department, so I handed the responsibility over and designated myself as Number One Cocktail Taster and Photographer. Of course. 
Here's how we made the gorgeous cocktails I snapped above. To start, we bought a cocktail syrup set with simple coloured sugar and a bottle of prosecco. We had mango, raspberry, mandarin and grapefruit flavours and they were heavenly. This set actually came from ALDI, so it was by no means an expensive cocktail making session! Sorting out the sugar rim was the hardest part for sure: we had to pop the sugar on a plate, make the rim of the glass wet and then swirl it in the sugar. We then popped a shot's worth of syrup in each glass, and filled the rest up with prosecco. Finally we slotted a raspberry on the rim of the glass, because, aesthetics y'know? 
These were such fun and easy to cocktails to make and I had a great time visiting a town that opened its arms to me!
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