Ok everyone I have an announcement to make: Jared and I have finally moved into our new house!

We finally moved in on the 28^th October and I hope you’ll forgive me for taking so long to write this post. As I’m sure you can imagine, it’s been pretty hectic and I haven’t had time to do anything other than work on the house. 

We celebrated our first night with a picnic on the floor because we were too tired to cook. It was a pretty sweet meal though, knowing all our hard work was worth it in the end. 

By the time this post goes live, we will be returning from a trip to Birmingham to collect Jared’s stuff from his parents house. This is our final phase of moving stuff and then we can finally consider ourselves settled.

So we spent a week moving our stuff very slowly each evening, one car load of stuff at a time. Eventually we only had the absolute essentials at my parents house. By Friday evening my room only had my bed and my empty wardrobe left it in. It looked like I had just moved in, rather than moved out.

That was the worst part as I felt all over the place and quite emotional about the huge change that was about to take place. I was desperate to just get on with it as I knew it would be fine once I actually moved. It finally dawned on me how a big a moment this was and how permanent this would be.

On Saturday Jared and I took our bed apart and reassembled it in our new room. My Dad very kindly helped up move my wardrobe and mattress and did all manner of small jobs like helping put up curtain poles and installing our new cooker (thank you Daddy, you're the best).

It was all going so swimmingly until we started to reassemble our TV. Jared’s sister very kindly gave us our TV for free just after we graduated last summer. She had bought it second hand at uni and then moved to a house where it wouldn’t fit. Although a 50 inch plasma looked ridiculous in my bedroom at my parents house, I can’t afford to turn down a free TV. It worked fine but the only downside was the stand that it came with. Not only was it ugly but it didn’t seem sturdy enough to hold the weight. But the previous owner had removed all the attachments you needed to fix an alternative.

On top of all of it’s other negatives, the stand was also a right faff to take apart and put together. After an hour of aggravating messing about, the TV was finally back on its stand in our new house. At which point there was an almighty crash as the TV fell off onto the glass stand which shattered into millions of tiny shards. To cap it all the TV landed on a leg from the stand and smashed the screen. Pretty disastrous all round.

It took us an hour to carefully pick up all the tiny pieces of glass and hoover the whole room. At which point we discovered that it wasn’t our fault that it happened. The metal bracket on the TV had physically sheared off, causing the TV to fall. So it was basically an accident waiting to happen and I’m mostly grateful it didn’t fall on anyone. 

My parents very kindly let us borrow their TV from their bedroom (after they had finished laughing), while we waited for our new one to arrive. As we didn't have a stand now that our old one was in a million pieces we had to improvise! 

The plus side is we now have a lovely new 4K 50 inch Samsung and it is so so nice *inserts heart eyed emoji*! Watching Blue Planet 2 on it is pretty out of this world compared to our old one.

Our spare room is still an absolute mess and will only get worse once we bring all of Jared's stuff back from Birmingham. But I'm just calling it a work in progress ;)

The best thing is that our cat Boo is now feeling settled and at home here. I love her being here as it reminds me of home and it's hard to feel stressed when a cat is asleep on your lap.

Actually living here feels very strange and although all of our stuff is here and we both feel comfortable, it doesn't yet feel like home. It feels like we're staying in a holiday cottage for a few weeks and then we'll be going back to my parents house. I guess that will change with time as we get used to it. 

If you have any tips for making a new place feel like home, let me know!

Review of Waitrose Pure Shampoo & Conditioner

Having curly hair means that you are forever searching for the miracle product that will give you the perfect princess ringlets. I’ve tried countless products over the years and have found the best approach is to try and stop my hair from getting dry in the first place. 

On of the biggest changes I’ve made is to stop using shampoo with sulphates in as they can strip the hair of moisture. I made the switch about 3 years ago and have tried various different brands. 

While there are now quite a few brands on the market a lot of them tend to be quite expensive. Even the cheaper options can cost around £5-7 for a pretty small bottle. When you have as much hair as me you can get through them at an alarmingly rapid pace and the cost soon starts to add up. 

I’ve been looking for a more budget friendly option for a long time when I spotted these in Waitrose the other day. Honestly who knew Waitrose was such a treasure trove of own brand beauty products?

The shampoo costs £1 for 250ml which is pretty excellent value. 

I’ve spotted a lot of negative reviews complaining that this doesn’t lather well but this is often the case with sulphate free shampoos (and it even states this on the back) so I don’t think these reviews are very fair. The whole POINT is they don’t contain sodium laureth sulphate which is the ingredient that causes products to lather.
 

I found that this left my hair feeling clean and soft, without feeling stripped. It does produce a gentle lather but if you’re not accustomed to SLS free shampoos it might seem like a lot less than you’re used to. It rinses out well easily and hasn’t irritated my scalp.

Before I purchased this shampoo I had to make do with some normal shampoo that Jared was using for a couple of washes as I had run out. I noticed I had an incredibly itchy scalp with a lot of dandruff. I even had a few scabs in some places. The Waitrose shampoo has cleared this up in a couple of washes and my scalp is now back to normal. I can only assume that I was irritated by something in Jared’s shampoo. 

I picked the Dry & Damaged conditioner as I’m always trying to moisturise to prevent frizz. This is £3 for 250ml which is still excellent value.  This is a no frills conditioner that left my hair easy to brush and feeling soft. When my hair dried the curls were nicely defined with minimal frizz. In short this performed as well as some more expensive products I was using.

Both the shampoo and conditioner are free from fragrance, sulphates and parabens so they are ideal for those with sensitive skin. They are also suitable for vegans and are cruelty free so should appeal to a wide range of people. 

If you are looking for a good value shampoo and conditioner that is also kind to your hair I would highly recommend this one!

Mini NYX Haul

Like most of the blogging world I got really excited when my local Boots recently opened up a HUGE NYX counter. Finally I could get my hands on all the goodies everyone is always raving about. 

But since it opened I've been on a strict saving plan and haven't really been able to splurge on a good Boots Haul. 

On top of that every time I go near that counter is surrounded by 14 year old girls in their Kylie Jenner crop tops and leggings grabbing everything all their favourite Youtubers recommend. Not gonna lie I feel a bit intimidated by the amount of choice there is as well as Nyx offers A LOT of products and it's in very plain packaging so it all looks similar and I can't get close enough because of all the people to have a good look at anything. 

I wanted to share with you the few things I have tried from there so far because I've been really impressed with all of them. 

1. NYX Retractable Lip Liner in Nude - £5.50

I love a lip liner to help get my lipstick applied really evenly and neatly. I cannot be bothered with lip liners that need sharpening and I really like Rimmel's version of these too. Considering the price this gives a really opaque finish that lasts really well. It's also a true nude for me which I haven't previously managed to find from other brands. I love using this on its own with a nude lip gloss on top or under any lipstick. Because its so close to my natural lip colour it works with every shade of lipstick including darker vampy colours. I also use it under lipgloss/lipstain hybrids like the YSL Glossystains and find that it helps create a more even colour throughout the whole lip as they tend to be a bit patchy. Overall I am really pleased with this and I haven't taken it out of my handbag since I bought it. 

2. NYX Born to Glow Liquid Illuminator in Gleam - £7.00

I picked this up because it looked like it could be an excellent dupe for the NARS Illuminator in Orgasm which I've wanted to try but couldn't really justify spending the money on. Like the NARS one this is a versatile product that can be used as a liquid highlighter or mixed in with your foundation or moisturizer to give a subtle overall glow. This is a really lovely soft rose gold and I don't currently own anything else that is a similar colour. I've mostly been used it mixed in with my foundation for a daytime look that I can wear to work and it definitely adds a little extra to my normally tired looking face. Overall for £7 I'm glad I picked this up because its a fraction of the price of the higher end version.

3. NYX Micro Brow Pencil in Ash Brown - £8.00

Another product that seems like an excellent dupe but this time for the ABH eyebrow pencils that are around twice the price. This has overtaken my previous favourite eyebrow pencil (the Soap & Glory Brow Archery one) as I think its a better colour for me. Unlike the S&G which only comes in two colours the NYX comes in 8 different shades ranging from pale to auburn to black so there should be something for most people. I have mouse brown hair that I colour to be darker but my eyebrows are naturally paler than my head hair so I need something brown, but not too dark or warm toned. Blonde pencils tend to be too light and not ashy enough so Ash Brown is literally the perfect colour for me. Like the lip liner this is a twist up pencil so you don't have to sharpen it (WIN) and it also has a really good spooley on the end. I have a couple of sparse patches right in the middle of the arch of my brow and I find that this easily masks them without looking too harsh. I like a natural brow and it seems you can be as bold or lighthanded as you like. It also stays put all day without any setting gel on top which is a definite  bonus for morning when I'm in a rush. This is the 3rd one I've purchased and they've lasted around 2 months each of daily use so they're definitely excellent value for money.

Top: NYX Born to Glow Illuminator in Gleam, Middle: NYX Micro Brow Pencil in Ash Brown, Bottom: NYX retractable lip liner in Nude.

That's my small but well loved collection of NYX products. Let me know if there's something else I should try and elbow the teenage girls out the way to get my hands on!

How to make your student room feel cosy

Ok so your student room isn't quite the cool and happening Pinterest worthy space you daydreamed about when you were applying to uni.

Chances are there's some curtains with a questionable pattern, a dodgy looking stain on the floor and walls that are covered with generations of students worth of blue tack. And it really doesn't matter if you're in halls or are renting privately. Unless you've got shed loads of cash to spend on rent, which lets face it isn't most of us then your room is likely to be a bit of a craphole. Chances are its probably a tiny craphole as well.

During my four years at uni I lived in a tiny room in halls, a disgusting student house and spent my final two years in a pretty nice terrace with an absolute gem of a private landlord (hence why I stayed).

But it need not be a grim and depressing place. With a bit of ingenuity and some inspiration you can spruce things up and put your stamp on the place in ways that won't lose you your deposit.

1. Throws. Get several in nice fluffy textures. An absolute must is to use one to cover the grotty chair that sits with your desk. Of the three different houses I lived in, one had a sticky brown stain, one had ancient chewing gum glued to it and one had cigarette burns. The same throw covered all of them and made it somewhere nice to sit at the same time. Easy to do and makes a massive impact. Put another one over the bottom of your bed, instantly makes the whole room feel cosier. You'll probably need it to survive the sub zero temperatures of the average student house.

2. Fairy lights. A classic but so useful. Primark does a range of absolute bargain ones that are not only pretty but importantly are battery operated so you can have them in your room without your landlord/student housing nazis losing their shit over them. Wind them round your headboard, drape them over your mirror, display them over your noticeboard or desk... Just be liberal with the fairy lights! Try and get ones that are natural light rather than white light as they give a softer effect.

3. Lighting. Following on from the previous point good lighting can totally transform the feel of a room. Creating soft pools of light changes the whole feel of a space and its easy to do. A bedside lamp (alongside your fairy lights) is a good start - but if you can possibly stretch to it and have the space a floor lamp is a great idea. My parents gave me their old one and I put it on a timer so that it was always on in the evening. Nothing makes a room look uglier than harsh overhead florescent lighting and having soft low level lighting will make your space much more inviting.

4. Rug. Use it to cover the industrial carpet that seems to feature in every student house. As much as you would love to rip it up its not an option but a rug can be a good compromise. Small ones are actually pretty inexpensive (H&M Home have some great ones at the moment) and a nice neutral tone means it can help tie the room together. Its also nice to step out of bed onto a nice soft rug and helps make the space feel yours. The best part is you can roll it up and take it with you everytime you move which you can't do with an actual carpet.

5. Picture frames. Get a few nice ones (Wilkos and IKEA do excellent ones that only cost a few pounds, TK Maxx and Homesense slightly more elaborate ones that are still good value) and frame your favourite pictures. Or some cute slogan postcards from Paperchase. Or your favourite quote that you hand wrote. Put one on your windowsill, on your bedside table, on your desk. It'll help you feel at home and help get rid of the anonymous feel that most student rooms have.

6. Fake flowers. Good quality ones can actually look pretty nice and they need zero care. IKEA and Homesense would be my recommendation. A few fake flowers in a £2 jug from Sainsburys add a nice feminine touch. Of course a small potted plant on your windowsill or heck, even actual real flowers (Waitrose reduce theirs to a few pence after 8pm) are also excellent. But fake flowers will ALWAYS be there to brighten up your room so they're worth getting.

7. Cushions. Ignore anything any man in your life says about cushions being pointless, the more the better. Its easy to create a nice tiered effect on your bed with just a few cushions that makes your room look more boutique hotel and less student squat. Add in a pretty focal cushion and you're good to go. I also liked to have one on my desk chair to make it a bit comfier. And because my cushion obsession is a bit out of control.

8. Good quality bed linen. I'm going to be straight up here and admit that both of my Grandmothers bought me a nice duvet set when I went to uni which I am very grateful for (and I'm still using them now). The price is less important than how it looks in this case. The bed is likely to be the focal point of your room and taking the time to choose nice linen that compliments the other aspects of your decor will dictate whether the room is a mish mash of styles or not. Choosing two that are different yet enhance different parts of the style you're going for is a good idea because then you can change your room up each time you wash your sheets.

9. Add furniture. Once you leave halls chances are you'll be living in a student house where all the furniture you'll get is a bed, a desk and a wardrobe. Most student landlords don't even think about how a normal person can store all their possessions in one room with nowhere to put anything. Adding a bookshelf, some drawers, or a bedside table, (depending on the amount of space available) can make the world of difference to the amount of storage you have. You needn't blow your entire overdraft on this though.

First off see if any friends or family have anything they want to get rid of. My Nan gave me a chest of drawers and a mirror, my Mum took me on a trip to IKEA to get a £20 set of drawers which doubled up as a bedside table.

If that isn't an option there will be loads of people in your city looking to shift stuff they don't need and a lot will deliver it for you if you ask. Gumtree, Freecycle, eBay, Craigslist, Facebook... the options are almost endless.

Not to mention local car boots and other students. Final year students will often sell their furniture or even give it to the new tenants so its worth keeping an ear out. One of my friends bought two sets of drawers for £30 from someone she knew who was graduating and then sold them onto the next person who was renting her room. Win win because she didn't have to find someone else to get rid of them and the person buying them knew they would fit in the room.

Of course you can also use this to furnish the rest of your house, perhaps with a second hand TV or an extra chair. During my time at uni we acquired everything from an electric organ which we kept in our kitchen at halls for as long as we could get away with (which my flat mates carried up 8 flights of stairs) to an enormous trampoline we got off Freecycle which probably saw a lot of dodgy activity at house parties.

So there you have it, 9 quick ways to instantly improve your student room without breaking the bank.

Shop this post:
Lamp - Old from Tesco, similar one here 
Chest of Drawers - IKEA
Clock - Matalan 
Jug - Old from Sainsburys similar one here 
Candle - Amber Noir from Shearer Candles 
Photo frame - Wilkos
Perfume -Flora by Gucci
Slate Heart - Old, I think it was from Home Bargains similar here
Initial Coaster - Aspire Style  

18 ways to save money on buying high end brands

1. Make the most of offers. Brands often try to tempt you by offering free gifts when you buy certain products or spent a certain amount. Take advantage of this and only buy products when you're going to get a little extra for free. Its also a great way to try things and then you know if a product is really worth the money.

2. Get savvy with the sales and sign up for email alerts to your favourite brands. Then you'll be the first to know about them and should be able to pick up some bargains. Also they often send emails with special offers and discounts so its a really easy way to stay up to date with any potential deals.

3. Make good use of sites like Pinterest. It helps you develop your personal style which saves you money long term. If you know what you actually like then you waste less money on buying stuff you aren't really that fussed about. That leaves you more money to spend on that really nice coat you wanted instead of buying five really average T shirts you'll never wear.

4. Get comfortable with the idea of second hand. Sites like eBay and Vinted are great ways to pick up a bargain. People often sell on high end brands at significantly discounted prices.

5. Make good use of blog sales as people often sell virtually untouched or new clothes and make up at massively reduced rates. A good way to find them is to search 'blog sale' on twitter.

6. And blogs in general. Look at swatches and make certain it is what you want. Read reviews and see what other peoples experience with a product was. Doing your research on an expensive purchase is essential because you need to know if its right for you before you part with your cash.

7. If possible try to look at it in person/try it on in the shop before taking advantage of a better deal online. Particularly with perfume as its impossible to tell what something smells like just from a description.

8. Always check if you can earn cashback on purchases with sites such as Topcashback and Quidco. In the past year I've made over £200 from doing this so its well worth doing.

9. Make good use of comparison sites if you can. If you really want the latest iPhone then make sure you are getting the best deal for your money. Also take a look at your current bills and see how much of your current package you are actually using. You might be able to cut back and save yourself loads of money.

10. Sounds obvious but if you really want something but can't justify the money then ask for it as gifts. If its really pricey then you could ask for a gift voucher or cash towards it instead.

11. If you really really want something but its just too expensive then a dupe is a great way of trying it and seeing if you actually get on with it. For example you really want MAC's Ruby Woo lipstick but you decide to get a Rimmel dupe instead. If after a few months the lipstick has been hardly used or you're not too sure if the colour suits you then you'll know not to bother investing in the real thing.

12. Always be on the look out for any loyalty or reward schemes and save your points up for luxury items.

13. Learn what you can save money on. So if you don't find there to be any real difference between Maybellines Lash Sensational Mascara and Benefits Roller Lash then stick with what's better value. Then use your extra cash for items that are worth the splurge.

14. Always check sites like FragrenceDirect.com to see if they have your desired product for less.

15. Choose your most used brand as your favourite on feelunique.com and then you always get 10% off. They also offer free shipping on orders over £10 so its a great way of ordering your staples. I also recommend choosing a high value brand e.g. Chanel because you hardly ever find discounts elsewhere for brands such as these. Then if you choose to invest you'll save quite a bit of money.

16. If you're a student buy makeup from ASOS as you get 10% off. They stock some really big brands such as NARS and Benefit so the savings can really add up. If you're no longer a student then persuade a student friend to order if for you and give them the money.

17. Sites like wowcher and groupon often have really good deals on make up. For example reduced MAC lipsticks, heavily discounted fragrences and gift sets. I've saved considerable money buying feelunique.com vouchers and on my BirchBox subscription.

18. Outlet shops are often full of bargains and always have a good look in TK Maxx. You'll never know what you might find if you have a good rummage in there. For every ten smashed up eyeshadows there is a hidden gem lurking at the bottom of the pile.

If you have any other tips or tricks I would absolutely love to hear them!

Super Affordable Jo Malone Dupes from Waitrose Heritage Collection

Is there even a blogger in existence that isn't obsessed with Jo Malone?
Every time I walk past John Lewis I dive in there for a whiff and end up sampling absolutely everything. Every birthday and Christmas I debate over whether I should ask for anything from my (very long) wishlist.

But so far I never have because try as I might I *just* can't quite justify the price tag when I have loads of lovely perfumes and body products already. It just seems too extravagant. I mean I get that's the whole point of the brand but I need something a little more affordable.

And then low and behold I stumbled across some totally unexpected gems in the most unlikely of places. Waitrose.

Just to be clear, I don't normally shop in Waitrose (probably not a surprise as I can't afford anything from Jo Malone) but I do work opposite a very large branch and I tend to pop in there on my lunch break for random bits. Like emergency diet coke.

My absolute favorite Jo Malone Scent is English Freesia and Pear and the Waitrose Heritage Collection stocks a range of body products in this EXACT scent. It was not what I was expecting to find while I was looking for some Waitrose Essential shower gel. As soon as I opened the bottle and sniffed it I knew I had to buy it. I was even more excited when I realised there is a whole range of products in the same scent. There are also two other scents in the range which are White Jasmine & Peony and Orchid & Honeysuckle, which are lovely but cannot compete with my favorite fragrance of all time.

I snapped up the bubble bath, the body butter, the hand wash and hand cream. All for £12. Yes that's right. I worked out the purchases of the same products from Jo Malone would have cost around £150.

The packaging is actually really lovely and although its not as classy as the real thing from Jo Malone it is stunning in its own right with delicate floral patterns. To top it all the products are also superb and do exactly what they are meant to.

Overall I will continue to purchase this as a fantastic everyday alternative to the luxury brand. It might not have the indulgence and opulence of Jo Malone but it does mean that you can enjoy a little bit of that lifestyle every day. And without the hefty price tag.