Mint Choc Chip Cupcakes & Recipe

I have had a bottle of Creme de Menthe lurking in my room, since the boyfriends 21st when we made After Eight shots (layer Kahlua, Creme de Menthe, and top with Baileys) I love Creme de Menthe but other than those particular shots I struggle to use it with or in anything else (though I have just had a fairly obvious brain-wave to put some in a hot chocolate). I fell in love with the bottle as well though, so it has been decorating my shelf for a while.

Very First Outfit Post... The Interview

Black Body Con Dress from Next: £35 

Skull Scarf from Primark: £4

Beige Blazer from Primark: £14

Skull Sunglasses from Primark: £2.50

So following my last post on my Primark Haul, I promised I would show you my new jacket on the day of my interview. Well I got a little bored so I decided to put all the things I was going to wear on as like a trial run, just to make sure that on Tuesday morning I wasn't dashing round like a mad thing when I realised that what I had initially planned to wear just wasn't going to work. I'd like to think other people trial their outfits and it isn't just me being mental? And so my first outfit post was born, eep. I feel pretty embarrassed actually, it feels a bit silly posting photos of my self posing. And it felt incredibly self conscious to set my camera up and vogue-ing around my bedroom on my own. But I promised, so here it is.

The photograph unfortunately doesn't show my dress up very well at all, my Mom actually bought this for me for Easter (too old for eggs now, apparently) from Next. The dress is high neck and sleeveless, body con and mid-length. What you can't see from the photo is that it's also like ribbed? ("For your pleasure." F.R.I.E.N.D.S reference anyone?) I always think of Next as a more 'mature' shop, in comparison to places like Topshop or Urban Outfitters which are usually where I end up buying my clothes, so I suppose this was kind of fitting for my first formal interview. I was actually really surprised by how many things I really did like, maybe hitting 22 has given me a new appreciation for what I deemed as a "mature: shop or maybe I just grossly under-estimated Next? I have had other interviews, though for bar jobs they tend to be quite informal, and for my Art Degree the interviewees tended to show their creative flair through their outfits (or risk being deemed normal boring?). But for this interview I needed to look a little more professional, which means I needed something to look a little older than 16 which is how young I tend to look (exaggeration, but still) so I'm thinking this might do the job.

I'm hoping I'll be able to dress this up for some formal occasions or for future job interviews. Or hopefully when I'm teaching? Fingers, toes, and all other possible appendages crossed.

Primark & TkMaxx Haul

Now as a lowly student, surviving on the very remnants of my loan (next loan is due next week, Monday to be precise) and minimum wage from a very part-time bar job, my current allowance to spend on clothes is next to nothing. So when realising I needed some new shoes and a blazer to go with the 'interview dress' for next week, the only place I could really justify was a trip to Primark (but maybe I popped into TkMaxx on the way)!

"You can put make up on your eyebrows!?" A Brow-Zing Review

Recently me and Lily had a discussion about how much we love Benefit's Brow-Zing and that lead us to talking about how funny this video is (and Jenna Marbles in particular), specifically

 "You can put make-up on your eyebrows!?"-2.20min

Insight into the Studio

It's only recently that I've learnt how important having being in the studio is to my productivity. It's a really important part of the 'creative process' (cringe) to be involved in and around other people who you can bounce ideas off as well as having a space of your own to reflect and organise your thoughts. 

As a request from the ever brilliant Emma of Fin De L'Histoire (a life/art/study abroad blog) I am going to give you a sneaky peek at what is going on in my little section of the studio. Not because the work is particularly secretive, but because I'm not about to bore you with a full on post on my practice.

Panic Posting

So in lieu of coming back to Leeds I kinda went into panic mode. And by panic mode I mean thoughts like-

 'What if I can't do any work in the studio?'

 'Everyone hates the work I make anyway' 

and such madness as 

'What if I leave the house and I am attacked by a giant groups of yobs!?' 

(I don't particularly live in the nicest part of Leeds, some have referred to it as 'The Ghetto of Hyde Park')

and other such excuses ('But it's reeeeally cold!). Apparently I had suddenly become and elderly lady with a phobia of youths today and the outside world. I'm quite an anxious person actually and if I let these black holes envelope me I just become mega counter productive. So today I decided to finally break it and actually leave the house today.

Harts + Crosses

So another item I gained this week was my Harts + Crosses necklace that had been delivered to my home address. I had a browse of the jewellery site under recommendations from LLYMLRS as she had worn some of their jewellery on one of her outfit posts, and I found this cross necklace on sale! I'm really 'in to' crosses, I know they have been a big fashion thing for a while but my love affair with anchors and crosses continues, regardless of fashion clichés. My boyfriend has worn a cross since I've known him, not so much a religious thing, more being super indie in a band kinda thing (he'll kill me for saying that) but yeah he's worn one for years so he was obviously ahead of the trend without even knowing it.

Anyway, I had to have it. 

A Little Time Out, Confetti Nails and Apocalips

Easter Weekend at Home

Apologies for my lack of blogging, I went home to Birmingham and didn't take my camera. I had been majorly stressed with Uni and work and decided the best thing to do was to take a week out and enjoy some home comforts. Though it didn't exactly turn out that way starting with 3 hour coach journey at 7 in the morning post night-shift. Then a train from Birmingham to my home town. Then a week volunteering as a Art Teaching Assistant in a High School. Phew! Not to mention numerous evenings out with family and friends, safe to say it was more relaxing to come back to Leeds and my little house.

Anyway I found some new things while I was at home so I better get writing!