La Cachette! (Take Four)

Another day, another trip to La Cachette. What a surprise! But when the food is this good it's hard to stay away. So without further ado let's get on with it.

For my starter I had a special of oyster fritters. I've never had oysters before, and to be honest I wasn't 100% on what they were, but I decided to take the plunge and boy was I glad I did. The fritters were crunchy on the outside and soft in the centre from the oysters. They weren't at all slimy or too greasy that it made me thirsty. It came with a cucumber yoghurt type thing which was very tasty and a cooling contrast and a curry sauce like thing (why is everything a thing). The curry sauce was so good, tasty, not spicy but it still had heat and went really well with the fritters. I would totally eat this all over again and would be one happy girl if it made its way onto the normal menu.

My main was venison with a vegetable samosa and creamed corn. The venison was definitely was the star of the dish and was soft, tender and full of flavour. The samosa was nice too as it had a nice indian-y flavour and went really well with the meat. The creamed corn was good but I'm not the biggest fan of sweetcorn and the broccoli was nice but there was a lot of it. The only thing that this dish could of done with was a nice thick sauce because the one it came with was just a little bit and it was thin whereas I'm a big fan of a good thick sauce, but maybe that's just me. It also came with this jelly type thing but the flavour was fruity and strong and personally I found it a bit strange. Overall very good!

You know the drill by now, sticky toffee pudding is the king of desserts, or at least one of. If you want to know my thoughts then read this post where I go into more detail on my love for this little beauty.

Everyday Makeup Routine

I have literally been loving my Kiko Eyeshadow Stick in 05 Rosy Brown and so to celebrate my love I thought that I would do an everyday makeup routine. I'm really getting into this whole videoing thing, although I'm not a fan of watching the faces I pull, especially when I put eyeliner on. Horrendous! So without further ado, here's all the products I used and the video of me putting them onto my face.

The Body Shop InstaBlur

L'Oreal True Match Foundation // N1

L'Oreal True Match Concealer // 02 Vanilla

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder // 002 Pink Blossom
Sleek Brow Kit // Dark
Maybelline Brow Drama // Medium Brown
Kiko Eyeshadow Stick // 05 Rosy Brown
Too Faced Natural Eyes Palette
L'Oreal Super Liner
Rimmel Scandeleyes Mascara
Soap and Glory Solar Powder Bronzer
Mac Satin Blush // Immortal Flower
Maybelline Eye Studio // Golden Beige
Kiko Kiss Balm // 02 Apricot

June Favourites

The end of June only means one thing, less than a month until my Florida holiday of dreams! I'm so excited you don't even know! Anyway June has been a pretty good month. I finished my second year of uni and started my work experience which I have to say has been really great. But without further ado here are some of the things that I've been loving throughout the month of June.

Kiko Eyeshadow Sticks

These have literally become my life. Since I've got them I don't use anything else and I don't think I want to. I have two shades, 05 rosy brown and 21 passionfruit. They both have the best staying power and pigmentation, I swipe them all across the lid, blend them out and they're good to go. Rosy brown creates a really simple smokey eye and passionfruit looks fresh and works really well with my Naked 3 palette. I put them on at 7 in the morning and they're still on, without creases at 9 at night. Incredible isn't it. I may have to think about expanding my collection, possibly with a champagne, ooh the excitement!

The Body Shop Mojito Shower Gel

This. Smells. Incredible. Part of the new mojito collection this has such a sweet smell that is perfect for Summer. It reminds me of the Soap and Glory Sugar Crush range with the citrus smell and colour. The shower gel was also pretty cheap, £4 and a little definitely goes a long way. The scent lingers after you get out of the shower, which I personally love, and when I pair it with my satsuma body butter I smell like a tropical fruit salad.

Work Experience

If you didn't already know, because it's not as if I mention it every five seconds on this blog, I'm doing work experience at my local paper the Halifax Courier. I am literally loving it so far. I've been given the chance to write so many stories and get my name in the paper which has definitely been my favourite thing. I'm learning so much and I'll be sad to leave!

How to: Get Over the Uni Blues

It's getting that point with most students now, it's been a nice time off but a good night out on a random Tuesday night wouldn't hurt. Then you realise that there's still three months until it's time to go back and that's when the sadness sets in. But no need to fear! I have a few handy tips to suppress the uni blues and make it so you can last until September without have a mini melt down.

1. Keep busy

Since I finished second year I've been kept busy with work experience and to be perfectly honest it's been great. It's meant that I haven't even had time to think about uni and all that jazz. If you feel the uni blues looming and you don't have a job try keeping yourself busy by planning to do something everyday. It doesn't have to mean going out, it could be a film day, anything to keep busy.

2. Look at photos

This is a great one. You may think that looking at photos makes it even harder but by remembering all of the good times and happy memories there's no need to be sad that you're not there living them. Videos are also another great one, especially if they're hilarious night out ones.

3. Organise a meet up

Even if you live oceans apart you could still find a way to meet up with your little uni family. By organising a get together it shortens the time gap that you'll all be apart and it'll be as if you're all still back at uni. Also visiting other people's towns is fun, see how the other half live!

The Pudding Pantry! (Take Two)

Another day, another meal out, but this one is slightly different as it's not so much a meal as a glorified dessert. You may remember if you've read this blog for a while that a few months ago, I took a trip to the Pudding Pantry in Nottingham. It's a little cafe that specialises in all things pudding and the menu is literally to die for. I need to go more often because I literally want to try everything on the menu.

On this visit I went for the normal pancakes with bacon and maple syrup because I've seen pictures of them before and they look so good. You can add extra toppings to it like peanut butter and whipped cream but to me they're quite expensive at £1-£2 each,  but maybe that's just me. I was a little disappointed at the crispiness of the bacon (I like mine super crispy) but that is the only complaint. There were four pancakes, all fluffy and sweet and pancake-y, so good! There was plenty of syrup which is always nice and I just can't explain how good they were. The whole vibe of the Pudding Pantry is just really cute and although it's small inside it's a nice place to sit and chat. If your ever in Nottingham I'd definitely recommend (pretty sure I said that in my last post but it's just so good!).

Empties (again!)

It doesn't seem two minutes since I posted my last empties post but here I am again with a nice collection of finished products. I love it whenever I finish something I get a real sense of accomplishment, but when it's something I really like it's bitter sweet because yay I've finished but boo I have to go out and repurchase. Not good on my poor purse! Now, let's get into it.

Farewell my beloved Body Shop Seaweed Toner, it's been a fun 12 months but I think it's now time to move on. I've been using this product for a long time and I feel like it's one of the best toners for oily skin. Nice sweet smell, cleansing but not too stripping and not too much is needed. However it is a little harsh on my quite tight budget which is why this time round I decided not to repurchase, but when I collect a few more pennies I'll be going back to it. Keeping with the Body Shop theme I finished my Frozen Cranberries Shower Gel that I got for my birthday in February. This scent is like no other. I don't really know how to describe it but you can tell that it's a festive scent without it being too christmassy. Pairing this with the other two items that I'll get to in a minute sticks around all day and I feel like I'm the best smelling person in the world. The Body Shop Body Polish is like a very gentle exfoliator. It was nice to have something like this as I haven't bought an exfoliator in a while, however I don't think I would repurchase as it didn't really buff away at the skin and sort of just glossed over the surface. The Body Shop Body Butter in Frozen Cranberries is one of the best body butters I've ever used. It was thick without being too heavy and the smell of to die for. It's a shame that this was limited edition because I would definitely think about repurchasing. After this was done I moved onto the Ted Baker Body Soufflé and this was at the other end of the spectrum. It was thin in consistency, perfect for summer, and smelt like roses and was very perfume-y. Although they were very different I liked them both equally but I don't know if I would repurchase the Ted Baker one for the fact that it sometimes felt a bit sticky on the skin. If you want to know my thoughts on the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish then click here but all I'm going to say is that I was very upset when I came to the end of it. Last but not least is the Nivea Oil Free Moisturising Day Cream. This worked very well on my oily skin by being hydrating but not making my skin greasy. It smelt nice, had a thin consistency and overall I really liked it. But I'm not going to repurchase it as I want to explore more moisturisers to see if there are any that are better.

Round Up #4

Another busy week in the life of work experience and I have to say it's been a great one! I don't think I've ever been so busy, journalist by day, doing extra-curricular activities by night (I know, me voluntary activities that include moving!). So without further ado shall we delve in? Okay!

Birthday Fever

Last weekend I had a mini holiday, the mini-est holiday ever as it was less than 24 hours, down to Wokingham. Little fact; Wokingham is the safest town in the UK, true story. If you're wondering, Abz why did you take a 9 hour round trip to the south, then I'll tell you. It was my housemate's (and friend's, because housemates can be friends too) 21st birthday! Party! I had such a good time. A little too much fizz was consumed but it was great! I learnt two things when I was down there: 1. Posh vodka does not sit well with me and 2. bouncers do not take kindly to people trying to sleep on the club sofas. I have to mention that I was very tired from a busy week and not just heavily intoxicated. I have some class.

Soap and Glory Solar Powder

Yesterday I found something that excited me greatly. The Soap and Glory Solar Powder is now in a plastic case. A few months ago I was watching a YouTube video and I swore I saw this but nothing was mentioned anywhere online so I just assumed that I made it up but clearly I didn't! I think that this will be so much better. I don't have a problem with the current packaging but this will make it nicer to carry and with a big mirror, easier to use.

Costa times

As I've been at work experience the only place that there is to go on my lunch break is costa. I'm not even joking when I say that this place has become my second home. Recently I've been going in in the mornings and lunchtimes which isn't great on my bank account, especially at the minute when I'm not earning a wage. I have a latte and sometimes toast or a lemon muffin. It has to be one of my favourite places and I don't know what I'm going to do when I finish and I'm not there everyday.

How to: Kick a TV Addiction

If you've read my blog before then you'll know that I have a serious problem when it comes to TV. Binge watching a series a night to getting so obsessed with a weekly programme I just can't get enough and I think it's time for it to stop. So, in the true 'how to' style this is how to kick a TV addiction (that was very TV presenter-ey). If anything this post isn't about helping you, it's really about helping myself, because I seriously need the help.

Step one // Pick up a book

I watch TV all the time, and when I say all the time I mean all the time. I take my laptop everywhere I go because if there's no one to chat to then I'll sit and watch something, even if it's just going downstairs to make a cup of tea. So, instead I'm going to start reading more, at night and during the day because at the minute the only time I'm not looking at a screen is when I'm asleep, and even then there's something on in the background! By reading a book, especially before bed, I'm hoping that it relaxes me so that I'll go to sleep earlier, because everyone knows the struggle when you're in the middle of a series and 'one more episode won't hurt' turns into a three 'o' clock binge sesh.

Step two // Limit the programmes

This is especially relevant in Autumn when all the really good dramas start. From September until January I get so bogged down with the amount of programmes that I need to watch and catch up on that my social life definitely decreases. Yet when it comes to Summer, so right about now, there isn't as much to watch and my body gets withdrawal so I tend to re-watch the programmes from Autumn. Now to not put so much strain on my social life it makes sense to not watch some of the shows as soon as they air and leave them for me to watch about six months down the line, that way I won't be overwhelmed in September and I won't be deprived in the Summer. Sorted!

Step three // Don't Google!

Part of my problem is that when there's a programme that I really liked, and when I say really liked I mean REALLY liked, I delve into that world like no other. For example, after I'd binge watched all five seasons of pretty little liars I became so obsessed with the cast that I followed them on Instagram, Twitter, looking daily on Pinterest at their makeup looks and watched YouTube videos of interviews with the cast, behind the scenes, etc. Now that is a girl with a problem. So from now on there is no googling allowed as it just makes the obsession and addiction worse because when I see photos and videos (especially of the PLL cast) I get the overwhelming urge to re-watch all of the episodes. And come on now, I just don't have the time to do that again!

Las Iguanas! (Take Three)

Back to Las Iguanas I went for a friend's birthday meal (I love this time of year, everyone seems to have a birthday and it's just an excuse to go out for food). I think that they've changed the menu from the last time I've been and streamlined it because the selection was very limited and I found it quite hard to find something that I actually fancied eating. I had a very nice experience but the service at this restaurant (we went to the Nottingham one) was very slow. It took an hour between our main and dessert and by the time they came to take our dessert order we were a little bit over it. That aside the food was lovely so let's get into it.

For my main I finally settled on the South American Dream which was a beef burger with an array of different sauce inside it. There was a tomato and guacamole creamy sauce, pesto and chimicurri slaw on the side. The burger was very nice but I have to say, there were so many sauce inside it and it was still a little dry. I'm glad I ordered a side of aioli because not only was it delicious, it made the burger less dry and more delicious. The curly fries were absolutely gorgeous and I couldn't get enough of them, especially with the aioli. The coleslaw was very nice and moistened up the burger even more and was super tasty. The portion size was perfect and I finished every last bite.

For dessert, even though in the end I wasn't really feeling it, I had the vanilla cheesecake. It came with a dulce de leche sauce and roasted macadamia nuts and I have to say that without these two things it would have been nothing. The cheesecake alone was very bland and had a lot of the cheesecake filling in comparison with the base, but the sauce was delicious and the nuts stole the show! The portion size was good but as I said I wasn't really feeling it and there was too much filling and not enough base, which was a shame because the base was delicious, buttery and the biscuits crumbs melted in the mouth. If I was to go again I'd be tempted by the chocolate cake as on the menu that sounds delicious! Overall a good visit and I had a good time with friends but not my most favourite Las Iguanas visit ever.

Kiko Haul

The time has finally arrived, Kiko has landed in Nottingham. When I saw the 'coming soon' sign around March time I got way too excited and was hoping and praying that it would open before I left to go home for the summer and as luck would have it, it did. I was so overwhelmed when I went in that I had no idea what kind of things I wanted, what I should try first, it was all a bit much. But once I had composed myself, I got to work.

The first thing I picked up was a Kiko Kiss Balm in the shade 02 Apricot. I've wanted one of these tinted lip balms for a while and have had my eye on the Max Factor Colour Intensifying Balms but when I saw this I knew it was the one. The pigmentation is very sheer, which is exactly what I've been looking for, and the texture is quite oily but very hydrating and not at all uncomfortable on the lips. The colour is stunning, a coral orange/ pink and is something that I don't currently have in my collection at the moment. I'd heard from various sources that the Kiko Eyeshadow Sticks were something worth having so that is where I went to next. There were so many to choose from so I got swatching and tried to go for colours that I don't already have to narrow it down. The first one I went for was 05 Rosy Brown which is pretty much as the name suggests, a brown shadow with a twist. In certain lights in shines a taupe-y purple colour and looks amazing on the lid. It give the ultimate wet shadow look and stays on all day without any creasing. Both of these shadows are so easy to apply and work really well by themselves and with other shadows on top. The second one that I picked was 21 Passion Fruit and it a rose gold type colour that also is a bit of salmon pick. It's also a dream to apply and goes really well with the Urban Decay Naked 3 palette, especially the shade trick.

I can't wait to pick up some more bits from here, and trust me I have my eye on a fair few items, but I need to make sure I get everything I need for the next few months as unfortunately Halifax doesn't have a Kiko yet, darn it!

L-R: Apricot, 05, 21

Round Up #3

This week has been a week of work experience (exciting!) and the first week I'm back after the second year of uni. I know, two years, it seems like only yesterday that I walked into my flat for the first time, unpacked all of my stuff and sat alone in my room while my new flatmates had a nap (something that I was not yet accustomed to but now I can't live without).

Essie Mint Candy Apple

I hate applying nail varnish. Like really hate it. But this colour is just so insanely beautiful that I can't stop looking at it when it's on my fingers. I bought it last year and had forgotten about it until now, but I've cracked it out and it's such a good summer colour. The Essie polish formula are great, they last a decent amount of time on the nails and get a really good covering in two coats. The colour range is also insane! You could totally justify buying them all but I don't think my bank account would like me if I went and had a nosy, the temptation might be too much!

Kiko+Naked 3=Insane Combo

As I've had work experience this week I've had to be getting up at what some would call a normal working hour but to me is just way too early (I mean 7am, come on!). So I've wanted a go to makeup look that I could just bang out in no time at all. With the help of the Kiko shadow stick in 21 Passionfruit and the Naked 3 palette I've been wearing a spring rose gold eye look and it looks pretty good if I do say so myself. Just slap on some liner and mascara and I'm good to go!

Work Experience

This week I've had work experience at my local newspaper and I have to say it's been such a good week! I've learnt so much (who knew you could learn as much in a week as you could in the space of two years) and even managed to get into the paper, yay me!

How To: Oily Skin

If you've read any of my skincare related posts before then you'll know that I have oily skin and woo isn't it great (can you detect the sarcasm). So, if anyone else out there is going through the same skin issues as me then I thought I'd share what I do to try and combat it.

A Creamy Cleanser // If you're more interested in my thoughts on the different types of cleansers then read this post, but the main discovery from that post was that creamy cleansers work best on my oily skin. The cooling creamy consistency doesn't add any oil to the skin like oils or butters do, but it's still as effective at removing any dirt or makeup that's on the face. I've used a couple of cleansers over the last six months and they have been the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish and the Soap and Glory Peaches and Clean. For removing makeup the Cleanse and Polish is like no other. It dissolves makeup in no time and is amazingly gentle on eye makeup. The one I'm using at the minute is Soap and Glory cleanser. It smells divine, like peaches as the name suggests, and is so soothing and you can really feel it giving your skin a deep clean. This one isn't quite as good at removing makeup but I like to use it as a face wash in the morning to get any dirt off my face that I missed the night before.

A Good Toner // The secret to successfully battling oily skin to me is the right toner. I hear all the time on blogs about how good a toner is because it's not stripping, but to me when I can feel that it's taken all of the oil off my face I know that that's the one for me. I've used two toners recently and they've been The Body Shop Seaweed Toner and the Garnier Fresh Refreshing Toner. I'm using the Garnier Toner at the minute and this is VERY anti oil. It's very good at getting rid of anything that's on my face and leaves it feeling fresh and clean. The only problem I find with this product is that it stings like no other and that's what makes The Body Shop one my favourite. It's soothing on the skin but you can feel it working and it just does great things. I also really love the smell, not that that sways me but it's always nice when something smells good!

An Oil Free Moisturiser // I know it sounds obvious, but up until recently I've just been using any old moisturiser. This step in my skincare routine is always the one that can make or break how my skin feels for the rest of the day. My two favourites have been the Nivea Oil Free Moisturiser and the Simple Oil Balancing Moisturising. Both of them do the same job and they're pretty much the same. They feel quite thin when you first apply them but the more you work it into the skin they sink into the skin and make it feel hydrated but not greasy.

Blotting Paper // I realised last summer that blotting paper was my absolute saviour when out and about. If you don't know what blotting paper is, it's a piece of what I think looks like greaseproof paper that you use to 'blot' off any excess oil that has developed on your face throughout the day. I like the fact that it leaves my face feeling fresh again simply by getting rid of the grease (what a lovely thought!).

Nicholson's!

Nicholson's is a restaurant in the centre of Nottingham that is attached to the Hilton hotel. I've walked past it hundreds of times but I'd never noticed this place before until my parents came to visit and suggested that this was where we would eat. It looks nothing really from the outside but when you go in it's very swish and posh looking, nice. Happy hour is from five until six so me and my mum took advantage of this by having two glasses of wine and if you order that then they give you the rest of the bottle for free, perfect! The menu was very concise, with having one dish from what I'd say every category on there, so there was a fish dish, a meat dish, something with pork, something veggie, etc. This was good in some ways, so you weren't over whelmed, but a few more options would have been nice because, especially with the mains, as I didn't really fancy much of what was on the menu.

For starter I had salmon fishcakes, which I feel is a dish that you can tell how good the place is depending on how good the fishcakes are. As a huge fishcake lover I was very impressed with these. They were on the mini side, but I think that that is a good for a starter as it didn't leave me full as I went into my main course. The inside of the fishcake was nice and hot, temperature wise, the potato was lovely and soft and the taste of the salmon was beautiful. The fishcakes came with a sweet chilli sauce which I wasn't too keen on, but then again I don't really like sauces like that. It was watery, which is what chilli sauces are meant to be like, and had a kick to it which was rather nice. Overall, loved this dish and it would have been even better with a tartare sauce!

For my main I had a piece of fillet steak with chips, coleslaw and a corn on the cob. However, this dish did come with some controversy. I asked for it rare, expecting it to come more on the medium side, but when I say it was well done, it was 30 seconds shy of burnt. When it eventually came back and given a second chance it was a much different story. The cow was still mooing and that's just how I like it. It was a lovely piece of steak and when it was cooked right it was lovely, especially with the oil on top, I don't know what was in the oil but it was very tasty. The chips were triple cooked and were absolute perfection. Crispy on the outside yet fluffy on the inside, everything a great chip should be. I'm not normally one for sweetcorn or coleslaw but I had a little try and OMG I think I've been converted. The sweetcorn was very, well, sweet and there was something about the coleslaw that brought the whole dish together and it meant that it didn't need a sauce, as I'm normally a peppercorn sauce kinda gal.

For dessert, because the other two courses just weren't enough, I went for the classic chocolate fondant. All of the desserts came in this cute little jar thing and the fondant had cream on the bottom and was then topped with ice cream. Although it did look good, it made it awkward to get the cream out and also that bit of the cake went ice cold as apposed to the nice warm cake that was on top and still dry. The cake was moist and soft but I couldn't tell if the middle was gooey because it was in the jar and everything kind of melted into one. It was super tasty though and a bit too rich as I couldn't finish it. The little spoon was full of skittles which was a nice little edition too!

Vice 3 Night Look

Two weeks ago I posted a blog post and a video showing a spring makeup look using the Urban Decay Naked 3 palette. I really enjoyed filming and editing the video so I thought it would be cool to do a night time version which meant that I could focus more on the eyes. It went really well, although I did realise that my memory card can only take around 20 minutes of footage which isn't great when I spent 15 minutes on my eyes! But we live and we learn. I love using the Urban Decay Vice 3 palette to do a smokey eye as there are so many colours and because the pigmentation is so good you can get a really great smokey effect. Here's a list of the products I used:

The Body Shop Instablur Primer

L'Oreal Infallible Foundation // 11 Vanilla
L'Oreal True Match Concealer // 02 Vanilla
Rimmel Stay Matte Powder // 002 Pink Blossom
Sleek Brow Kit // Dark
Maybelline Brow Drama // Medium Brown
Mac Paint Pot // Painterly
Urban Decay Vice 3 Palette
L'Oreal Super Liner // Black
Rimmel Kohl Kajal // Jet Black
Benefit Roller Lash Mascara
Soap and Glory Solar Powder Bronzer
Mac Satin Blush // Immortal Flower
Maybelline Eye Studio // Golden Beige
Rimmel Lasting Finish Lip Liner // Spice
Mac Lipstick // Kinda Sexy

Round Up #2

Family Visits

Over the past few weeks I've been visited by various family members and I have to say it was well needed. Even though I leave uni tomorrow (*sobs*) it was nice to see some familiar faces and most of all, to go out for some really good food which will be making an appearance on this blog in the next few weeks.

Birthday Celebrations

Everyone seems to have been born in May/June! But I'm not complaining because I've been enjoying all of the birthday celebrations. In the past few weeks I've been out wearing nothing but cereal boxes and carrier bags and I've been to Las Iguanas twice! Loved it, it's going to be hard to readjust to normality and not be going out for food multiple times a week. However, I do think that my body is in serious need of a detox.

New Eye Look

For the past week there's only one eye look I've been rocking day and night. It's a purple smokey type eye that takes me just minutes to do. The Kiko in Nottingham opened a few weeks ago and I bought a few little bits (haul coming in a week or two) and my most used product is the eyeshadow stick in the shade 05. All it takes is a few swipes on the lid, blend it through the crease, take it under the eye and done. It leaves you with a wet look eye that took no time at all and I'm loving it!

How To: Pack

This is the first post in hopefully a long line of 'how to's' on a Thursday on this blog. This little series will feature anything and everything, from subjects like today, packing, to maybe food related ones like how to make a cake. Who knows, the opportunities are endless! Anyway let's get into it!

I think that when it comes to packing I'm not too bad. Whether it's for a holiday or going to and from uni I don't think I do a shabby job. But there's one thing that I think is the deal breaker when it comes to a successful pack, lists. For a few weeks prior to the packing event I create a list and whenever I think of something that I need to take I write it down. By doing this as soon as think of something it means that I won't forget about it when it comes to packing later on. I also highlight all of the things that will be going in my hand luggage or in my bag if I'm going home from uni on the train so then I know what I'll be putting in more last minute.

If I'm packing to go home from uni I try to put all the things that come under one category in the same box, e.g. clothes will go in one suitcase, kitchen stuff in a box, etc. That means that when I eventually move back to uni I won't have to unpack the kitchen box and then repack it, I can just store it somewhere from June to September. Also I wrap my plates and mugs inside some of my clothes so that I don't need to use any newspaper or bubblewrap. My packing product of choice is definitely a box compared to a suitcase. I don't know why but I just think that it's easier to pack in a box and not have to think about overfilling it too much compared to a suitcase.

Hope that was helpful. I'm currently starting to pack up my room and the sadness is unreal. Also it's too hard I have too much stuff.

George's!

If you read my last (and very first) round up you'll have seen that I finally fulfilled my Nottingham dream and went to George's fish and chips. Let me tell you now, it was incredible! I'm pretty sure that it's just a Nottingham restaurant and the whole theme is by the seaside so everything on the menu is something that you could get at the seaside. Everything also comes on traditional fish and chip things, like the fish came on a plate but the plate was on a silver tray and it just looked so cute! Also on the mezzanine level there were little beach huts and it looked like you could reserve them and then eat your meal in a little hut, how cute!

Anyway let's get on with the food! We skipped starters and went straight onto the main and I thought I can't go to a fish and chip restaurant and not try the whole thing that it's based around! I chose the cod and I'm pretty sure that on the lunch menu they had both cod and haddock but I had no idea what kind I normally have when I get fish and chips at home. They asked me if I wanted beans with it so I said yes and the only gripe I have with this place is that they charged me £1.60 for the beans. I think that 1. Thats's a little pricy for a small pot of luke warm beans and 2. They should have said that it was going to be extra. Anyway back onto raving about this place. The fish was gorgeous, soft and tasty and the batter wasn't greasy and was nice and crispy, right up my street. Normally I don't like chips from the fish and chip shop but these were like a mixture of those chips and normal chips, soft on the inside and crispy on the outside. To go with the fish they had a lemon and herb salt and it seriously make the fish lemon-ey and really added to the flavour of the chips as well. Overall this was super nice and I'd definitely have this again.

For dessert I had one of the best and most bizarre puddings I've ever had. Doughnuts with raspberry and chocolate dipping sauces topped with candy floss. What could be better? The doughnuts were warm, super soft and were falling apart (in a good way of course). Both dipping sauces were good but I think that raspberry comes out on top, it's a bit like jam but a bit like sauce, bizarre but it works. The candy floss was delicious as well and was a nice little addition to the whole dessert, but the part that touched the warm doughnuts crystallised and went a bit funny but luckily that didn't happen too much. I'm definitely going to have this dessert again when I go back (and don't worry I will be going back!).

Single Eyeshadow Problems

The idea of going into a shop and buying hoards of single eyeshadows really satisfies me but when I get home it's a completely different story. I don't know if it's just me but trying to use them in my every day makeup just seems really hard! With a palette, everything is set out for you and you know what goes with what, etc, but trying to pair single eyeshadows together or fitting them in with a colour from a palette just seems wrong. Also the size of a single shadow just seems way too much for one person to use in their entire lifetime! They're always so big and I don't know why but I buy colours that are a little weird and hard to wear so I only ever use a bit of them at a time. These issues have kind of put me off trying out a 'make your own palette', like the Mac palettes. Although it will be in a palette form, I don't know if my brain can think of them as altogether rather than just the separate eyeshadows that I'd have bought them as, which is a real shame as creating a palette of shadows where I like everyone would be a really good thing. If anyone has this problem then please tell me because I feel like I'm just a weird single eyeshadow hater!