Birthday G&Ts

I've had a change of taste.

Long gone are teenage nights with Caribbean Twists and Vodka and Mixers. So turning twenty *cries under breath* called for a new tipple: gin and tonic. 

At first I was fearful, firstly as it`s my dad`s drink of choice (although this hints to some sophistication), and secondly, I`d heard it was pretty gross. But after finding a few recipes, gin and tonics each with a different twist, the results were pretty fab. So if you're a G&T novice, or fancy a twist on your favourite tipple, here are a couple of recipes tried and tested by a beginner-in-gin-and-tonic birthday girl.

Strawberry and Mint Gin and Tonic 

(For 1 person)

2 shots (50ml) dry gin

1 handful (around 8) strawberries

250ml tonic water

1 sprig (4 or so leaves) mint 

Ice cubes (to serve)

First, grab your gin, strawberries and a couple of leaves of mint and either crush or blend until the strawberries form a thick, watery paste. Then, take a sieve and strain the gin infusion into your glass. 

Then, pop in your ice, top off with your tonic and use the last couple of leaves of mint to garnish. 

Cranberry and Thyme Gin and Tonic

(For 1 person)

2 shots (50ml) dry gin

150ml cranberry juice

100ml tonic water

2 or 3 pieces of thyme

Ice cubes (to serve)

A rather simple, but sweet concoction. Take the gin, top with the cranberry juice and tonic over the ice, and pop the thyme in to infuse for a few minutes.

My question of the day is: what`s your favourite summer drink? Let me know!

See you on Wednesday.

Turning 20

Balloons afloat, 

Numbers in the air

The cake is cut,

Into slices square

Drinks are sipped,

Tipsy thoughts on mind,

Laughter is shared,

Wandering in hind

Sight of stumbling,

Inebriated friends,

Midnight is leering,

Another year will end

Tears are shed,

Salt and rum infusion,

Friends are fed,

Eating food with trusion

Forcing into bed,

Intoxicated glee,

Singing under breath,

'Happy birthday to me'

A New Year

Inspired by one of the biggest babes in blogging; Olivia, I'm thinking it's time to cut the 'new year, new me' crap for now, and celebrate some of the things you've achieved in the past 365 days (well, 369, I'm a few days late)

Here are a few of mine, for team spirit and all...

Receiving offers from all of my university choices

After sweating over my personal statement the September, it would have been amazing to get one offer from all of the universities I had applied for, let alone 5! 

Working two jobs (and surviving)

This is something I did for the most part of 2014 also, but looking back now I don't know how I did that, and managed a third round of A-Levels simultaneously.

Voted for the first time

As my 18th birthday was only a couple of months short of the local elections in 2014, it was quite special to cross a ballot paper for the first time, and for a General, too.

Volunteering for charity 

...and being able to watch bands as I work? Win-win.

Seeing amazing live music

My festival hopping with Oxfam this summer meant I not only worked several gruelling night shifts, dealt with dozens of drunken punters and had many laughs in the meantime, but I also got to see some of my favourite bands in the flesh, from the likes of Panic! to Frank Turner.

Getting into my dream university 

The greatest achievement of the year for me was definitely getting my unconditional offer from Cardiff University on results day. Hands down.  

Moving to a city 

Even though I've moved several times in my lifetime, I've always been a small-town girl, so moving to a city, a capital city even was a definite adjustment. And I'm loving every second of it. 

Attending Fresher's Week (heck, fortnight)

This definitely deserves a medal, particularly for how shit I felt when the 14 days were up. But even though the whole fortnight is a bit of a haze, some unforgettable memories and amazing friendships were surely made.

What made your 2015 amazing? Pop a comment below or perhaps you've been inspired to blog about it!

Looking forward to posting more in 2016!

The July Playlist

...and then it was July. Where has the year gone? With spring now far behind us and in the midst of a week long heatwave, this summer is definitely off to a scorching start.

So for all the students and those with booked holiday slots this month, or even people that are making the most of the summer sun on their very few days off, this playlist is for you. Keeping it cool and collected, I've included a lot of soft electronic and folk music , with tracks from the likes of Clean Bandit, Catfish and the Bottlemen and Alt-J, for those carefree, car roof down vibes.

If you have Spotify, or not, you can listen to the full playlist for free below or through this link. But make sure if you are a member of the site to follow my playlist - as I will be adding more tracks throughout the month...

...now where's my Mojito at?

Things For 'That Time' Of The Month

'Mother Nature, can you come back another month plz? Ty' 

If you haven't guessed already, it's my time of the month, so I am currently writing this from the sofa whilst spooning a hot water bottle eating all the chocolate in the store cupboards. Not the most glamorous of get-ups, but desperate times... 

Now if you're like me (it's most likely); hormones drive you a little crazy (to say the least!) and the stomach pain is sometimes unbearable and the whole 3-7 day period is just plain uncomfortable, here are a few things you can rely on to make myself feel more human when Mother Nature calls.

Herbal Tea

I love a classic cuppa when I am feeling worse for wear, but herbal teas are brilliant for soothing cramps, and as they are caffeine free they are the best before bed, when the pain is usually the worst. My favourite is Pukka's Womenkind tea; with liquorice root, chamomile and vanilla; first up it smells amazing, and it's sweetness keeps (some of) the cravings at bay, but all of the ingredients are best for relaxing and soothing sore stomachs.

A small bag of emergency supplies 

It's good to keep a small, discrete pouch in your bag, that doesn't scream 'Hey everyone, I'm on my period! So yes, that's why I'm being a moody bitch today'. It's good to avoid that kind of honesty. I use a H&M pouch (they are dead cheap, always in stock in different designs) and in it I keep: some towels and tampons (obviously), paracetamol (for pain relief) a mini The Body Shop Eau De Toilette Spray (for feeling fresh), mint tea bags (to settle my stomach) and hairbands (because there's nothing more annoying than hair getting in my face, especially when I'm just not in the mood). It keeps everything in one place, and stops you from forgetting anything important when you need it the most.

Spot treatments 

The biggest burden of that time of the month are the spots that populate my face, and in places I never get them. However I recently discovered a few LUSH products that actually make a difference; Grease Lightning Spot Treatment, Catastrophe Cosmetic Face Fask and Tea Tree Toning Water to name a few. The products from the Good Things range, which is available in Boots, are also amazing for busting blemishes, or, if you have the budget for it, the Origins Super Spot Remover is all kinds of awesome.

Oil based skincare

Although I get spotty when I'm on my period and by logic, oil based products would in fact, make the breakouts worse, but using said spot treatments can be very drying on the skin, and already being a girl with dry skin, this means hydrating products such as oil cleansers and treatments are high on my agenda. For that I will refer to my post featuring my favourite things for dry skin spells. During 'that time' it's good to keep hydrated on the outside too, so keep large bottles of water and herbal tea nearby. Your skin will thank you for it.

Chocolate (for the cravings!)

I think this one goes without saying, but with low magnesium levels and tendencies to act like a total bitch, chocolate seems to solve a good portion of problems I have on my period. In fact, anything containing chocolate will do - usually I favour a double chocolate digestive or three but whatever you want. You're mind is telling you no, but your body is telling you yes - no, I'm not suggesting to give some Bump and Grind, but to listen to your cravings for those few days of the month. You deserve it. 

Things For The Girls With Dry Skin This Winter

If there's one thing that I dislike about the cold weather, it's the havoc it plays on my skin. Combine comfort food, cold weather and my college's heating system; and you have the perfect recipe for dry, irritated skin. However, this year I have been keeping this under some control with a few products that keep flaky skin at bay.

LUSH's Dream Cream 

Although this is officially a hand and body cream, the shop assistant at my local LUSH assured me that it worked just as well as a facial cream, too. And oh, she was right. As a girl with dry-combination skin, this does wonders on the drier areas of my face (my cheeks and temples), by applying a generous layer of it as a part of my evening routine after cleansing and toning, then it works it's magic as it soaks in overnight. I love to use it for its original use; as a body cream, too. Particularly after a hard workout at the gym, leaving my dehydrated face and body softer and smoother. A win-win product, for sure.

The Body Shop's Argan Solid Oil for Lips

As the usual victim of chapped lips, this year hasn't seen a bump or flake on my lips, and I'm pretty sure it's down to this product. Before bed and after slapping on some lip scrub from LUSH - love the stuff - I apply a thick layer of this unique solid-oil-meets-lip-butter product, and when I wake up, it's still on my lips 8 hours later. What more can I say?

The Body Shop's Vitamin E Sink-In Moisture Mask

The Origins Drink-Up Instensive Face Mask will always be near the top of my wish list, but with a £23 price tag, ain't no student got time for that. However after trying this Body Shop mask that I received free at a members event, I feel we have a dupe on our hands. I have to warn you, it's the weirdest consistency, almost a bit like jelly, but it's cooling effect and wet texture feels amazing on dry skin. I usually leave it on for around an hour, or overnight, if my face is really suffering, and once washed off it leaves you with a bright and glowing complexion.

Superfacialist by Una Brennan 

I was converted to oil cleansers by Loreal's Skin Perfection cleansing oil over a year ago, but recently I this product caught my eye in Boots because a) Anna from ViviannaDoesMakeup raves about this on her blog, and anything she mentions is bound to be brilliant, and b) it was on offer. And I can't resist a bargain. The Loreal oil is quite similar in quality and price, but this oil left my face feeling cleaner, without drying out my face, which most oil cleansers can do. And it smells amazing, what more could you want in a cleanser?

Yes to Carrots Face Scrub

Now you are probably thinking that scrubs will only make dry skin worse, but as a big fan of the Yes To products, I was prepared to give their face scrub from their carrot range, suited for dry skin types, a go. With dry-combination skin, I tend to get dry skin away from my t-zone, however in the middle of,the winter, I get patches of dry skin on my nose and chin as well as my cheeks, and this scrub manages to lift these dry patches without causing irritation to my sensitive skin. I usually apply this in the morning, and after that I follow with the Yes To Day Cream; a thick but wearable cream that leaves the best base for makeup. Their face wipes are amazing too, so this range gets a big thumbs up from me.