Just a heads up to let you know i started a Youtube channel. Eek, scary. I am the biggest vlog watcher.  I'm addicted. I binge watch them - just like TV series. 'What i eat in a day' videos are fast becoming my favourite too, they give me so much inspiration. So my channel will be mix of vlogging, recipes & full days of eating. Just to share a bit of my life with you - a rather boring student life most of the time if i'm completely honest with you. But i am getting so much better at the whole vlogging thing and in public too!

So, I would really appreciate it if you could give us a cheeky thumbs up or a subscribe. Leave some comments & your own channels below!



I have 2 more vlogs recorded ready to be uploaded. So please give them watch. Let me know what you think andddddddd.. don't forget to leave your links below!

The Body Shop - I often use The Body Shop for shower-gels and body lotions/moisturiser already. They're the products i most often get as gifts and the shop i have been visiting since i was a wee child. I use a lot of their body butters, body lotions, shower gels and dry oils as my go-to daily options. As far as i am aware the products i use most often (some pictured above) are vegan - based on this list here.

Nip + Fab - Another cf brand. Unfortunately their Pistachio body butter isn't vegan but, they do not test on animals. This is by far my favourite smell body butter wise, it is a much better alternative to the Laura Mercier Creme de Pistache range. I also have their 'Dry leg fix' which is vegan. They have a list on their FAQ's of non-vegan products which is amazing. I will be trying more from this brand, i'm particularly interested in their glycolic range.

Lush - Another 'go-to' for shower products. I use 'Snow Fairy' (obviously, my favourite) and the 'Comforter'. I know lush do many more products such as face masks, makeup, haircare and bath bombs which i have used before. But my favourites are the shower gels/soaps.

L'oreal Ever Pure - I use the conditioner from this range. It is my favourite and the best i have ever used. Unknowingly, i got this because it was sulphate free. I know it's controversial because the brand does test on animals but, this line is cf and vegan and very affordable which is great. I will probably try out some other cf/vegan conditioners now though but, i do like this haircare line.




NYX - This is a brand i honestly adore and have done for years. I've been ordering their products from America before they were so easily available in the UK. So my excitement is real now i can just get it from Boots. I use their lip products regularly, their brow gel and 'above and beyond' concealer. In my stash, I also have their 'Stay matte but not flat' foundation and translucent powder. So i'll be using these products from now on. I'm hoping this foundation will fulfil my foundations dreams so i can use it to replace my non cf foundations. If not i'll be on the search for a new cf foundation. But, overall a great cf and very affordable brand. Vegan list here.

Illamasqua - I use a few products from this brand. On a daily basis i use their brow gel - it's amazing, long-lasting and easy to apply (and vegan). So i have no problems with finding a cf eyebrow product. I have this lipstick palette which I can use instead of MAC whilst travelling. I'll look forward to trying more products by them. Full vegan list here. They will email you a list if you ask.

Wet n Wild - I don't use a lot of their products but, their eyeshadows and nail polishes are pretty great. Full vegan list here. So i may look into buying some more of their products.


The Balm - Oh yes, hell yes, the best highlighter and it is vegan/cf. Like many other #bbloggers i adore my 'Mary Lou Manizer' so, this makes me happy. Check out this list for vegan products from this brand. I think i'll definitely stick to their highlighters.

Sleek - Another brand that commonly pops up in my makeup bag, especially the contour/face form palette, blushers and eyeshadow palettes. So i have no worries that i'll be able to find a ton of great cf options quite easily. The eyeshadows/true colour lipsticks are not vegan based on this blog post but, i will definitely keep repurchasing the contour kit.

Barry M  - Another affordable cf brand which is featured in my collection quite a lot. Especially their lip liners and nail polishes. They do label their products so you can check they're vegan online easily. Most of their 'Nail paints' and 'Gelly Hi-Shine' polishes are vegan - my favourite. So i'll have no problem when purchasing cf nail polish especially with the large range of colours available. I'll be looking to try the 'Coconut infusion' ones soon.

MUA - I am over the moon to find the brand on this cf list. I own so many products from this brand already. Like so many. Their lip products, blushers, eyeshadow palettes, concealers.. The list goes on. Again not all of their products are vegan. So this is something to think about when i consider repurchasing.


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Rice Dream Vanilla Milk - I have been going on and on about this milk on twitter. I have a weird obsession with it. Like it's getting a bit strange how much i enjoy it. It's honestly the nicest tasting non-dairy milk i've ever tried... and i've tried them all. It's so good i drink it straight from the cart
on. But it's perfect in baking, in coffees (you don't need added sugar/sweetener), tea, with granola, to make nice cream.. you get the picture. It's good. Try it.

BeLoved Date Nectar - Another foodie product i've been obsessed with. I use this for breakfast every morning on top of nicecream or oats. I don't know what else there is to say about this.. it's just pretty damn tasty. If you like sweet stuff that is. It tastes just like caramel but, much healthier for you obviously. What's not to love.

Acai Bowls - If you follow me on Instagram you'd know i've been loving these. I had my first one in May and continued to have them almost daily after that. I'm hoping to share a recipe soon but if you basically throw some frozen banana, frozen mango and acai powder into a food processor then you'll be good to go. Then you can get fancy with the toppings, i usually add some, granola, fresh fruit, & desiccated coconut. But basically whatever you fancy. It's a pimped up version of nicecream. The perfect breakfast now were finally getting a bit of nice weather in the UK!

Apivita Cleansing Gel for Oily/Combination Skin  - I picked up a couple of these mini bottles when i was in Crete last year as they are a classic Greek brand. I'd heard so many good things about the brand beforehand and this cleanser definitely lived up to my expectations, unlike the Korres Pomegranate face soap - but that's another story. This is what i would describe as the perfect cleanser - it removes makeup easily, doesn't sting the eye and doesn't dry out my skin. I hate cleansers that sting your eyes ,it really makes me feel like they're unsafe and the ingredients aren't very good for sensitive areas like your face!.Safe to say i'll be picking up a full size bottle of these when i'm in Kos next week ;). If you can get your hand on this brand i'd recommend you giving it a go.

NYX Liquid Suede 'Sandstorm' (right of picture) - This has been my go-to lipstick since i got it at the end of April. I wore it in this fashion post. Described as a true nude it is the perfect brown lip shade which suits a wide range of skin tones. Its got that cool undertone so it's quite grungy. At first i wasn't sure it would look right on me but you have to wait for it to dry. This is seriously one of the most long-lasting lip colours i've ever tried. It's just the one lip product i reach for when i'm in a rush and know i'll be out for a few hours.

BLOGGER FAVOURITE.. 

The best part about being a food blogger is getting to taste all of the recipes first right? Well i definitely wasn't saying no to one (or two) or these brownies for breakfast. Yes, for breakfast. This morning i had the perfect morning - i rolled out of bed at 8am (a lie in for me), made me a vanilla coffee & munched on two of these brownies in-between photos. Now I'm sat in bed writing this post. One reason i enjoy a being a student and mainly doing work from home. It means i don't have to get dressed and i can slob around in my pjs until whatever time i feel like i should probably make an effort, brush my teeth and put some actual clothes on.

I thought i'd share with you my recent purchases i picked up whilst in Edinburgh for the day which, resulted in my arm nearly falling off as i rushed to the train station. It wasn't a good look. But, i adore shopping in Edinburgh. It always ends with me spending far too much money...

You know when you're feeling like being super naughty and scoffing your face with chocolate.. well here is a healthier version of a Bounty. Chocolate and coconut - two of my favourite things. These mini sized treats are vegan, dairy free, gluten free & contain no added sugar (dates are sweet enough). Perfect right. You can scoff a few of these guilt free. What makes them even better is they take less than 15minutes to make. Simply throw a few ingredients into a food processor and there you go. You can shape these however you like - add a few nuts and shape into raw brownies.

I love making these as the ultimate revision snack and the ultimate procrastination tool. This recipe makes 12 balls so they last a good few days as an inbetween revision snack or a little dessert. We all know now i have a massive sweet tooth (i've mentioned it enough) so just one of these make a perfect little post-meal bite. If i hadn't run out of dates i'd be making these again tomorrow. 

- 150g pitted dates (i used Deglet Nour but Medjool would be great. If you only have dried ones just soak them for 15minutes before).

- 1tbps of your favourite nut butter.

- 2-3tbps of cacao powder (depends how chocolatey you like them - adjust to your preference by giving the mixture a little taste test!).

- 2-3tbps of desiccated coconut (again this depends on taste preference).

Instructions 
Give the dates a few pulses in the food processor until they are a smooth(er) sticky consistency. Next add in the nut butter and cacao (or cocoa) and blend until it is all mixed together. You can add coconut at this point if you like.
Next shape into balls, i just use a teaspoon to make scoop it out to make sure they're relatively similar in size.
Then roll in desiccated coconut.

Store in the fridge for 3-5days. Or in the freezer for a few months (they won't last that long though). You can eat them straight out the freezer or leave them 5mins to soften.

Its exam time. Its absolute madness. You've spent all day, everyday holed up in your room under a mountain of papers but, you still don't feel prepared. Does that sound familiar? We've all been there. Finally in my 3rd year at university i've developed some coping strategies so i don't get too hung up on exams and stress myself (and everyone around me) out!

Confidence and self belief that you can smash it:

As much as i really don't want to be talking psychology now after revising this stuff for the past two weeks, i'm going to mention a theory here thats quite appropriate. The idea of 'self-efficacy' (Bandura, 1993) - this is the belief in your own abilities to manage well in a particular situation. Some people feel fine with exams, they're like 'yes, i can do this!' others don't have confidence in their abilities when it comes to exams. So my first tip is to conquer this. Tell yourself you can do it until your blue in the face. Although this also comes with time and practice, the more you do exams the more you feel like you can handle them. I like to tell myself it's not so serious and imagine it is like a mock, this takes of the edge a little bit. Self-efficacy has been found to contribute to academic success (Zimmerman, 2000) so it is hugely important to build that confidence and belief that you can handle it!

Find what works for you: 

Theres not point me sitting here telling you what i do, you have to do what helps you learn the best. Some people prefer mind maps, some people prefer fully written notes, and others prefer Q-cards. Personally i do all 3 as writing things out a million times really helps. But what is important is that you find the approach that works for you, of course this comes with time. Have a little play around and see what techniques you like best.

Be prepared:

Believe me, self-belief is a lot easier if you have actually done the revision and preparation.
I personally print out monthly calendars, set out all the exam dates and then look when i need to start revising. I will make a checklist to ensure i have covered everything i need to do. I'll then start my notes, practice past questions and create some small Q-cards nearer to the time for 'quick practicing' and remembering names/theories.  This way i know i've done everything i need to do. Don't leave it til the last minute and leave things out. This will just get you stressed and feeling unprepared which isn't good when walking into an exam hall.

Relaxation: 

This is something that has helped me tremendously these past two years. If you're anything like me and you're an absolute nightmare when it comes to exams then these tips are necessary for keeping yourself and the others around you sane.

You are worth more than an exam grade: 

Yes exams are important, yes we want to do well. But realising that you are defined by more then a grade is incredibly relaxing and calming. As my nan always says "All you can do is your best". Nan's know best. So just remember that when you're sat in the exam hall. It isn't the be all and end all. Love yourself, look after yourself, be happy and just try your hardest. *cheesy*

Bandura, A. (1993). Perceived self-efficacy in cognitive development and functioning. Educational Psychologist, 28, 117-148.

Zimmerman, B. (2000). Self-Efficacy: An Essential Motive to Learn. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25(1), pp.82-91.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/sleep-newzzz/201508/the-crucial-benefit-good-sleep-you-might-be-forgetting

http://www.theprintedparade.com/deal-exam-stress/