OOTD - A pop of Rouge

So here it is, my very first outfit of the day post! It was a pretty overcast Autumnal day here in England, so I opted for a simple outfit featuring my new favourite snuggly jumper and a pop of colour on the lips. 

Jumper - Miss Selfridge

Trousers - River Island

Bag - Primark

Lips - Maybelline colour sensational lipstick in Neon Red

Do excuse the awful poses and I somehow managed to completely miss my shoes - black primark flats just so you know! Hope you liked my first OOTD post. 

Lauren x

Good Morning!

Good Morning.. well nearly afternoon!

As its my day off I have spent my morning catching up on all of the new videos in my subscription box and reading my favourite blogs along with some yummy porridge and a good old cup of tea (bliss).

I have recently started a new job and have been a tad overwhelmed, unfortunately my blog and youtube channel have taken a back seat because of this. Hopefully I can get back into the swing of things soon, I'm filming a couple of videos today and planning my next blog post. 

I hope everyone is enjoying their Wednesday - mid week woo!

Lauren x

Autumn/Winter Wishlist featuring River Island

So I happened to be browsing the River Island website when I came across some amazing pieces for the upcoming Autumn/Winter which I had to share with you all! They're all great staples for every woman's winter wardrobe in my eyes.

Oversized coat | Faux fur snood | Peep toe platforms | Rib tube pants 

This oversized check coat is exactly what I've been looking for, at £65 I think its such a reasonable price and you can wear it with anything so it will be well loved throughout the colder months. Then theres this black faux fur snood, whats not to love?! I couldn't post a fashion wishlist without mentioning a pair of shoes I'm lusting after, these peep toe platforms are perfect and I can't wait to get my hands on them. Lastly is this pair of ribbed tube pants, I've been meaning to get my hands on these for some time now as they are just so wearable.

Whats on your Autumn/Winter fashion wishlist?

Lauren x

Change

The past year has been one of the most challenging for me in my 21 years. I experienced heartbreak for the first time, lost a couple of my "closest" friends and I hated my call centre job. 

In the last three months I have turned my life around completely. I'm happily single and focusing on me, I value my true friends and I have a new job! I've also done something that I never thought I would have the courage to do and it was the best experience of my life (TRAVELLING!).

All of these experiences have made me who I am today and I have never felt more happy and positive than now. I have such an amazing family who have supported me this past year and my Mum has taught me how positivity is key. She is such a strong woman, all I ever want to do is to make her proud and spoil her as much as possible. 

I wanted to write this blog post as I know everyone has their own struggles in life, and if you're going through a rough time at the moment just try and stay positive and surround yourself with people that love and care for you! 

Thanks for reading,

Lauren x

[image from tumblr]

Mug Cakes

After seeing these pop up on my instagram feed constantly, I decided to attempt (alot of focus on the word attempt here) to make Mug Cakes! Now I try and live a healthy lifestyle which includes eating well, but my sweet tooth definitely gets the better of me at times. Mug cakes are known to be quick and healthy-ish desserts so thats why I decided to give them a go - with no idea how they would turn out!

 The first attempt was a Banana and Coconut Mug Cake.

Ingredients 

6 tbsp self raising flour

1 medium egg

2 tbsp greek yoghurt

4 tbsp unsweetened almond milk

1 mashed banana

1 tsp desiccated coconut 

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp sweet freedom natural sweetener

1/4tsp cinnamon

You mix all of the ingredients in the mug that you will be using and then place in the microwave for around 4-5 minutes, and thats it - Done! 

The second attempt was a Chocolate Mug Cake, using all of the same ingredients (minus the banana, cinnamon and coconut) and adding 1 tbsp of cocoa powder and I added 2 squares of Lindt Srawberry Intense dark chocolate. 

The texture is not what I was expecting, its a very spongy type of cake and very filling too! To be honest I would much rather have a slice of homemade cake but if you want something quick and filling then you should definitely give them a go. 

Hope you enjoyed this type of post! Have you ever tried making Mug Cakes? Let me know in the comments.

Lauren x

Autumn Wishlist

Todays post is something a little bit different from my usual travel and day out posts, I wanted to share with you some products that are firmly on my Autumn wishlist. So its mostly beauty products but I am thinking of doing some more of these based around the Autumn season, possibly a fall fashion wishlist?

Yankee Candle | Nars eyeshadow palette | Origins moisturiser | Nars lip pencil

Firstly is this Vanilla Chai Yankee Candle, I never used to be a fan of the more spicier scent as I'm used to my warming vanilla scents. As it says in the name its got a bit of both in this candle, its a rich scent made of ginger, cinnamon and vanilla. Its 'THE' Autumn candle for me and I can imagine burning it snuggled up on the sofa with a blanket. 

Oh Nars, I am obsessed with this brand at the moment. This is the Ride up to the Moon palette and its made up of six warm neutral eyeshadows. The colours look gorgeous and I can see myself using this palette pretty much everyday what with all of the different looks you could create.

I've been meaning to pick up this Origins GinZing moisturiser for ages now! It smells amazing and leaves the skin feeling hydrated and radiant which is definitely a pick me up I need for my skin at the moment.

Lastly, its Nars again. I tend to play it quite safe with lip colour but this Autumn I want to venture out and try this Velvet Matte lip pencil in Mysterious Red. Its a gorgeous deep crimson red and I love the matte look on the lips as it gets colder.

Whats on your Autumn wishlist? Let me know in the comments!

Lauren x

Harry Potter Studio Tour!

Most of you probably don't know this about me but I love Harry Potter. I feel like I grew up with Harry, Ron and Hermione. I remember when I was around 7 or 8 in school and my teacher would read a chapter from the first book, The Philosophers Stone every afternoon. From then on I was hooked, I remember buying every book on the day of its release and reading it as quickly as possible! For me the films brought the characters and the storyline to life and I could happily sit down and watch them all back to back.

Back in May this year, me and two other of my friends who share the same Hazza P love decided to go to the Warner Bros studio tour of the making of Harry Potter - and we all thought it was amazing! The set designs, costumes, props, everything was fascinating to me. Another thing you might not know about me is my passion for prosthetics and film make up, it would be my dream job! So seeing some of the prosthetics and all of the work that went into each character was unreal.

If you get the chance to go to the Harry Potter Studios I would definitely recommend it, you can even try some yummy butterbeer too! Or you could take your pick from a vast selection of wands, robes and so many other gifts they have to offer. I decided a Marauders Map mug would be perfect for a big cup of tea when I fancy it. 

Lauren x

España Part 12 - TOLEDO/MADRID

This is the last part of my Spain posts - wah! We departed Cordoba and had a long drive back to Madrid, we stopped for lunch in the picturesque Toledo. Then it was back on the coach for our last journey back to where we started. We had our final supper at a restaurant in the Plaza Mayor called Los Galayos and I - of course had the traditional Spanish meal of paella! After dinner having had a few too many Mojitos we all made our way to Puerto del Sol to meet up for the bar crawl. It was such a fun night and everyone made the most of it, I remember getting back to the hotel and it was 5am! The next morning we all said our goodbyes and departed our separate ways - which was harder than what I thought! 

All in all the experience was amazing! I met some wonderful people from all over the world, some were Australian, South African, Canadian, American.. and many more nationalities. We all still stay in touch and keep each other updated on good old Facebook. The tour was with a company called Contiki and I can honestly say I would definitely recommend their tours to others - well the Spanish Spree anyway! I am already planning my next tour - American and Canada you're next on my list.

I hope you enjoyed my España posts, I love travelling and I want to share all of my experiences with you! 

Lauren x

España Part 11 - CORDOBA

After seeing the last of Seville we made our way to Cordoba. Cordoba is steeped in history and way back in the 10th century it was said to be the most populous city in the world. One of the things I remember about Cordoba is how humid and hot it was, as is the majority of the Andalusia region! 

In the evening we headed to the Mosque and Cathedral of the city and explored inside, the architecture was spectacular. Some of the tour group headed to the Ancient baths, the rest of us decided to explore the Jewish Quarter and have some dinner. 

My time in Cordoba was finished off with frozen yogurt, do I need to say anymore?  (And no they weren't both mine - promise!)

Lauren x

España Part 10 - SEVILLE

The next stop in Spain was the beautiful city of Seville. We arrived late afternoon so after a quick freshen up we headed for dinner and drinks. After a wander around we found this amazing restaurant that served the best pasta I have ever had! Stupidly I forgot to write down the name but it was so good we went back for lunch the next day. We then found ourselves in a bar offering sangria for 1 Euro - it was a no brainer.

The following morning was spent on a walking tour around the main sights of Seville. First up was Plaza D'Espana and it was stunning! I've never seen anything like it, the design and architecture is beautiful. Secondly was a tour of the infamous Bullfighting museum where they still hold bullfights today. We then made our way back to the river past the Gold Tower and finished off the walking tour in the scenic Santa Cruz.

I would have loved to explore more of Seville as its such a beautiful city with so much to see and do, but it was time to for our next stop, Cordoba.

Lauren x