My Saturday

I have literally 9 minutes to wrote up this blog post before the day is over so I'm quickly writing to talk about my day! 

At the moment our house is going through a lot of work so I couldn't go downstairs for a few hours! It started off as a pretty boring day but I went to Nottingham to Ikea - we realised it wasn't that great - but I still managed to get a desk lamp! From Next Home I managed to get a few things. As you may know, we moved home 6 months ago and it has been progressing very slowly but we're getting there!

I will show you everything that I got in tomorrow's post. I hope you've all had a lovely Saturday, sorry for this random post but I didn't want to miss a day!

xxx

Niomi's Chocolate Almond Spiced Cookies!

I'm sure you are all familiar with Niomi Smart - British fashion, beauty and lifestyle blogger / vlogger. Naomi uploaded another amazing recipe yesterday to her YouTube channel and the cookies looked so great I had to try them! 

The result was amazing! The spices worked perfectly with the chocolate and almonds, not too overpowering but just the slight hint to give you warm, cosy and delicious cookies perfect for this time of year. So all credits go to Niomi for sharing this recipe. Here is my take on them. 

Just to let you know I did change a few things, I used Lindt milk chocolate as I prefer this over dark chocolate and I also used a bit more maple syrup than the recipe states because it just needed to be slightly sweeter. 

The recipe is as follows: 

Click here to see Niomi making them.

Makes 10-12 cookies. 15 minutes baking time. Allow 30 minutes altogether.

Ingredients

2 cups Ground Almonds

2 heaped tbsp Coconut Oil

4-5 Squares of Dark Chocolate or use Chocolate Chips

1 tbsp Agave Nectar (or 1.5 tbsp pure maple syrup)

1/2 Mashed Ripe Banana

1 tbsp Almond Butter

1 tsp Cinnamon

1/2 tsp Ground Ginger, Nutmeg and Pink Himalayan Salt

1/2 tsp Baking Powder

1. Pre-heat oven to 170C.

2. Mash the ripe banana and chop the chocolate into chunks.

Tip - the banana will be easier to mash if it's ripe! It'll also taste better.

3. In a saucepan, heat the coconut oil on a low heat. When it is melted, add the syrup and all the spices and salt. Keep on a low heat and stir until ingredients are combined.

4. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the ground almonds and baking powder. Mix in the mashed banana, chocolate chunks and almond butter.

5. Now add the melted ingredients and stir it altogether until combined. All the ingredients should stick together until the bowl is clean.

6. Take a tablespoon amount of the mixture and place onto a tray with greaseproof paper. Press down to form a cookie.

7. Press the back of a fork onto each of the cookies and bake for 15 minutes.

8. Remove from oven and allow cookies to cool.

I hope you are all having a nice evening / morning / afternoon! 

Thanks for reading 

Throwback Thursday - My 17th Birthday

As my 18th birthday approaches in exactly one week I thought I'd share a photo from last year's birthday. My family and I went to Nando's for dinner and we just chilled. 

I also got to spend time with my friends at college :) 

Here I am with my brother while we waited for a table. I look quite delirious, I know!

I'm pretty excited for my 18th birthday, sad to grow up but I am looking forward to a bright future (InshAllah!)

The Pointless Book

The other day, whilst ordering Girl Online, I saw that Alfie's Pointless Book was reduced to just under £4 so I added it to my basket to check it out!

I had a quick flick through the book today and I have to admit although it is quite pointless, it's still fun! My brother and I used the book to play the headband game for ages which was really fun! We also played rock paper scissors and used the page from the book to record our scores and a few other things we did. 

The book is full of random activities - from dot to dots, to word searches, to random scribbling, ripping out paper and creating origami - it's just bursting with activities - some were a bit weird compared to others.

I also think this would make a great book for keeping memories! You can add photos on some pages, and other pages ask you how you would describe your week and I just think it's fun to look back on things like that. 

It is entertaining, so if you are looking for a gift for a friend, or you want to participate in fin activities that don't involve technology this is quite quirky and fun.

img source: Google images newmediarockstars.com

Click here to view it on Amazon, it is currently only £3.85!

Thanks for reading : )

My 'No Makeup' Phase

So, recently I have been questioning a lot of things I've been doing & one of them has been the makeup I wear. I've realised that without makeup I feel insecure and ugly. But I want to overcome this and I have started to wear as little makeup as possible to overcome my insecurities and flaws, that and the fact that I just cannot be bothered in the mornings!

For the past three days I have been either wearing no makeup or just a tiny bit of mascara and concealer under my eyes. I feel a lot more fresh and even though my mum says I look 5 years younger I don't mind because I feel good. I feel natural, not fake which is a good feeling!

I feel like I rely too much on makeup and I'm sure I will probably go back to wearing it but I've just reached a point where I'm a bit sick of it to be honest! 

I think this is probably just a phase I am going through - I've been questioning all the decisions I've made recently such as moving to London next year and the university I have chosen. I guess when you are making such huge decisions, it's only natural to feel doubtful. Hopefully I will get over this feeling soon! 

Thanks for reading 

Girl Online: My First Impressions!

Just a disclaimer - this post does not contain any spoilers!

Image Source: Goodreads

I'm sure many of you will know Internet star Zoe Sugg recently released her debut novel Girl Online. I never intended to read it as I thought it would appeal to tweenagers / younger teenagers and so I may not enjoy it as much as they would. But just out of curiosity, I decided to order it online, I've been watching Zoe since she started in 2009 when she had under 100,000 subscribers and to see what she has achieved over the years is amazing! I wouldn't class myself as a fangirl (i.e 12 year olds who have twitter pages dedicated to their idols) but I do enjoy watching Zoe's videos. I'm not saying fangirling over Zoe is a bad thing but I know she is a massive influence and inspiration for young girls across the world. 

On to the book

I received it yesterday evening, started reading it the same evening and finished it today! Even though it is around 350 pages long it is quite quick to get through. 

First thing I noticed and pretty much everyone always notices on a book is the cover and the way it feels. It is nice aesthetically and it feels nice & smooth so that's a bonus. 

I started reading and I realised that this book is not aimed for someone my age (almost 18). The book although it is written quite well, there is no extensive use of vocabulary and I thought places, items and feelings could have been described in a more 'sophisticated manner' but at the same time I think that the book is probably targeted at 15 year olds and under so it would have to be written in this way. 

Nonetheless the plot line is intriguing and it was hard to put down I must admit, but at times it felt very unrealistic and I was left thinking that's so cliche and not realistic at all. The romantic in me did enjoy it, especially the character Noah, some of the things he does are pretty cute - not gonna lie! 

The book also deals with issues such as bullying and panic / anxiety attacks and I think it is great that Zoe included these because the book touched on them quite frequently so for anyone dealing with panic attacks / anxiety the book may be relatable for some. 

My favourite character is definitely Elliot!

I know this review doesn't go in to great detail but I just thought I would give you my initial impression and seeing as I am not an actual critic, I think I will leave that to the professionals! 

Overall:

Pros:

• Good storyline and plot twist
• Represents issues such as panic attacks, bullying, losing friends
• Aesthetically pleasing

Cons:

• At times it was cliche and unrealistic (but it is fiction so I can't argue with that!)
• There was nothing that stood out to me - I can imagine myself really enjoying this book if I was 13 years old but 5 years later I crave something more complex and challenging

I would recommend this if you are 15 or under or want to buy a gift for someone of that age range. If you are around my age I think you would much prefer John Green's style of writing. I just felt Girl Online was a little too kid-ish for me, I have outgrown those kind of novels.

Thanks for reading! 

Winter Essentials Haul

I've just uploaded this weeks video: My Winter Essentials Haul where I discuss a few things I've bought and have been wearing in preparation for Winter. 

Oh, how I crave the sun and its warmth so badly but this is England. And Winter is bloody cold. I do love snuggling up in big scarves, fluffy socks and drinking hot chocolate, I love the cosiness of it all but the way it gets so dark early is pretty miserable.

Anyway here is today's video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GS-3G_SfH90

And I leave you with an out of focus shot of my face from a video that didn't make the cut on to my YouTube channel!

I hope you've had a great Sunday!

TV Show Tag!

Hey guys!

It has been another pretty boring day so I I thought I would do this tag that I've just come across on Instagram. I watch a lot of American TV shows so here goes!

1) First Fandom?

Now, does this mean the first show I fangirled about? If so, it would probably be Dr Who! I loved it and watched it every week however I stopped watching halfway through Matt Smith's time as the Doctor. I've heard that Peter Capaldi makes a pretty good Doc though!

source: http://www.doctorwhomusic.com/doctor-who-50th-anniversary-tracklisting/

2) Favourite TV series?

This one is sooo hard because I watch so many! I absolutely loved Breaking Bad, I watched all 5 series in one month! I also love White Collar but my favourite at the moment is definitely The Flash!

source: Google Images

3) Favourite TV Theme song?

I'd probably say Dr Who again, I don't pay much attention to the theme songs. Oh and also Fresh Prince of Bel Air! That is just a classic!

4) Favourite Male Character?

Now I have a few from different shows! 

A) Damon Salvatore in The Vampire Diaries - because who doesn't love him!!

B) Barry Allen in The Flash. Barry is such an awesome character, he's funny, charismatic yet caring

C) Mozzy in Whie Collar - Mozzy is awesome because he is so clever, funny and manages to get everything done. I love his sense of humour

5) Favourite Female Character?

Again, I have a few! 

A) Felicity Smoak in Arrow - Felicity is so adorable and funny. Her awkwardness is quite relatable and she is just an awesome nerd!

B) Caitlyn in The Flash - Another awesome nerd! Haha, I just like characters who come across really intelligent!

C) Bonnie in The Vampire Diaries - Bonnie is by far my favourite female character in TVD. She is pretty, smart and caring. Elena is so annoying though!

6) When do you normally watch TV?

I don't actually watch all of these shows on TV, I watch them on my phone / Netflix. I usually watch them on Friday evenings when I am relaxing and on weekends also! I normally wait till the end of the week to catch up on all the shows but recently The Flash has been too good to wait so I watch it on Wednesday evenings : )

7) Favourite show to watch reruns of?

I like watching Friends when it's on TV, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air and also My Wife And Kids. But I don't think it comes on anymore! Does anyone also remember Everyone Hates Chris!?

8) TV shows you want to start?

Ooh there are quite a few actually - I've heard good things about Supernatural. I also started watching Gotham but haven't got past ep1 yet! I tried watching The Walking Dead but I'm not sure if it's really my thing. 

I just went to check the last couple of questions but it seems the post has been deleted off Instagram! So that shall be it for today's post! : )

Flashback Friday

I almost forgot to blog today but it is currently 11:09pm so I have 51 minutes left! All day I have been thinking about what to write about as I just stayed at home, rested, watched snooker and wasted the time away. I'd just gotten in to bed then realised hang on a second! I still haven't got my blog post up for today. So here I am throwing it back to a long long time ago! 

Top left: I was probably around 4 or 5 years old, I hardly remember this photo being taken but I think we all look so cute especially my brother hiding in the back!!

Top right: I was around 6 years old and all dressed up for a special occasion. Again, surrounded by my three brothers!

Bottom left: On the same day but this photo was taken with my handsome dad and my younger brother

Bottom Right: I'm not sure when this was taken but I think I must've been atleast 7 or 8 years old. Haha as you can tell we never got the actual photo, just the tiny little card they give you with the huge watermark across it!

I do miss childhood...

OOTD, #Flarrow + Birthday Shopping!

I'm happy to say today I had a much nicer day than yesterday so I've got a nice post for you - woo hoo! 

First of all, I whipped out the coat! Not any old coat, but a super fluffy, pink one! I wore this for the first time since my mum bought it for me a while ago from online store Stradivarius. It's so cosy and kept me warm throughout the day! 

I'm wearing the Boohoo velvet midi skirt I mentioned in my post from a couple days ago, my blush pink H&M sweater, Topshop plain black leggings, H&M socks and boots and lastly my big ol' Zara blanket scarf which is amazing for keeping me warm! 
My headscarf is from New Look ('borrowed' off mother dearest) ; )

I am so grateful for my 10:50 finishes on Thursdays so I headed into town to meet my mum. She really kindly bought my birthday presents so I picked out a few things and she bought me one makeup item that I'm not allowed to look at!!!

Exactly two more weeks to go, it's getting rather exciting and I can share with you what I got as well! 

We also tucked in to some yummy pizzas at Stonebaked pizza - they were lovely but very filling! 

I'm at home now, I just finished watching part two of the Arrow / Flash crossover episodes - also known as #Flarrow!

I watched part 1 last night (the Flash episode) and Part 2 (the Arrow episode) just now, and oh my God, I am fangirling so much! Hahaha.. I'm not one to fangirl but when two awesome shows come together it's just like asdfghjl!!!!! #icanteven!!! 

I do have to say though, I much preferred The Flash episode, I'm not going to give away any spoilers here just in case, but if you did watch it what did you think!?

Thanks for reading! 

Finding the good in the bad...

The best thing about blogging everyday is being able to find the good things in a bad day. Like today, for example, I had a deadline which I was stressed about, I didn't get much sleep last night so have been pretty exhausted all day and generally it's been a pretty downer of a day. But on days like this it's easy to forget the positive highlights of the day, because when we're feeling down, naturally we only focus on the negative. So today, I want to write about the good things that happened and if you do this too, you may feel like you didn't have a bad day at all:

- My lesson was cancelled so with three hours free I spent one hour with my lovely friend Shahista. Shahista is so so lovely, the sweetest, most down to earth girl and always approaches you with a hug! It's not possible to feel down when she is around so we took a trip to Costa & got the Christmas drinks (delish BTW!), we talked, took selfies and ate cherry bakewells! So thank you Shahista for making my day brighter : ) 

Here are a couple of selfies we took together : )

- It felt so good to hand in my English Language coursework! After a stressful few weeks, a breathed a huge sigh of relief. However, I do have another deadline in two weeks! After college, I slept for two hours straight, which I didn't expect to! My lack of sleep recently is also probably playing a part in me feeling down today because I've just been absolutely exhausted! 

- But I am about to go and watch the latest episode of The Flash and Arrow as well if the new episode is out! I promised myself I would have a break from college work today so time to de-stress! 

That's all I have for you today folks! Sorry this hasn't been that exciting and this post is probably more for my own benefit but we all have down days but I'm hoping tomorrow will be a much better one! : )

Velvet

Although I have no idea what the significance of Cyber Monday is, I was trawling the internet yesterday searching for my newfound obsession - midi skirts. I seem to go through phases - first it was earrings, then maxi skirts, then shirts and now midi skirts!

Anyway, I ordered three midi skirts! Two from Boohoo which I actually didn't get any discount on but I liked them so got them anyway, I also decided to go for Next Day Delivery because I was feeling a little impatient! The third one is from Pull & Bear and I ordered it from Asos, I decided to wait for that one, so when it comes I'll be sure to show you! 

Just a couple hours ago, I received these two beauties... I tried them on straight away and I am more than pleased!

The first is a basic black velvet midi skirt, but it is so soft and so comfortable, I could stroke them both all day!!! They fit really nicely and don't move too much like my other one does when I walk (I hate how it rolls up to my knees) but this one doesn't do that. 

The second one is a gorgeous dark berry colour. It is quite a bold piece but I love it anyway! Here I am wearing it with the H&M top I was wearing today, I think they look good together?

I bought them for £12 each which isn't bad at all and you can find them here. Boohoo are great because they do international shipping. This is starting to sound like a sponsored post haha, but it isn't, I'm just very happy with the fast delivery and items!

I hope you're all having a good day

:)

A Clear Mind..

This morning after finding out my first lesson had been cancelled, I had two hours of time to pass so I met my dad for breakfast at Costa which was really nice, we spent most of the time playing this word game called 'Word Brain' which is fun if you like word puzzles. 

Anyway, on to the actual topic! So after breakfast I walked to college and as I walked through the park I just felt so at peace and tranquil, breathing in the cold air as it hit my cheeks, walking in a mostly empty park, taking in the greenery and beauty of nature. I find this also helps my mind to feel clear... I can let loose all the negative thoughts in my brain and all the things wrong with civilisation! I just thought it was so beautiful and I would share it with you because no matter how stressed you are, how busy you are, how upset you are, take some time out by yourself and give yourself the time and space to breathe and just think.

As soon as I left the park and returned to the surrounding of buildings with hardly any greenery in sight, that feeling had gone straight away. 

We are always so busy these days - rushing off to college, doing work in free periods, coming home, watching tv, more work, sleeping... But when do we take out the time to free our minds of the hustle and bustle that life consumes us with? Lately I have been feeling very overwhelmed with the amount of work to do, but I'm trying to not let it take over my life. Even though it is my main priority right now I can't let myself not have a life at the same time which is what I find a lot of people do - they let college consume them so they become so stressed, it's not healthy. 

Now, I know everyones priorities are different and if you are feeling stressed just take out at least five minutes of your time to reflect and have some time to yourself, you don't have to go to the park, you can have a relaxing bath / shower, or even just before you go to bed, with no technology just shut your eyes and think and let your mind be clear. 

I found that the cold air was slightly numbing and just for a short while it helps to get rid of all of your bad feelings and makes you appreciate everything you have in life. It just really got me thinking! I found this picture on Twitter and again it just put me in my place, the basic things we complain about, they are all blessings in disguise!!! 

Anyway that's my ramble of the day!!

Thanks for reading :)