Wardrobe Basics

Being a student and always on a tight budget I am constantly on the lookout  for ways to get the most out of my wardrobe with minimal pieces. These pieces are great as they are trend friendly (you can always introduce prints, textures and cuts to the look) so you don't find yourself getting a new wardrobe every season.

Basic Tops
These basic colours will match most things in your wardrobe and can be done up or down



White Top From Glassons



Black Top From Glassons



Grey Top From Glassons

Basic Pants
Skinny is the way to go as you can put them into boots and they fit your frame well.



Dark Wash Jeans From Levi's



Medium Wash From Levi's 



Black From Levi's


Jumpers/ Sweaters/ Cardigans




Blue knit cardigan to transition from the seasons
Asos



Invest in a nice black coat as they never go out of trend
Asos



A blazer for more formal occasions
Asos



A casual and neutral jacket to go with everyday wear
Asos

Dresses
Buy dresses which are versatile and can be worn both during the day and night

Alchester Dress

Jack Wills 

Lace pink dress
Pagani



Simple black dress
Asos

Bags
Go for neutrals as they match almost everything.



Brown Satchel
The Cambridge Satchel Company



Fiorelli Jasmine Triple Compartment Bag

Asos

Shoes

River Island Goldie Side Fasten Boots

Asos

Toms

Asos

Dune Jewel Tan Gladiator Sandals

Asos

Forres Brogue Boot

Jack Wills

Accessories 

Go wild here as these are the most adaptable to the trends/seasons.

Cath Kidston Kentish Rose Wool Scarf

Asos

Beta Queens Guard Scarf

Asos

Minkpink Hear Me Roar Waisted Belt

Asos

Aztec laptop case

Asos

Profound Aesthetic Floral Snapback Cap

Asos

Crunchy Lemon Muffins

Ingredients:

2 cups self raising flour
3/4 cup sugar
75g butter
1 cup milk
1 egg
grated zest of 1 large or 2 medium sized lemons
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 200c for 10 minutes. Place rack just above the middle of oven. Coat 12 muffin holes with baking spray. Stir flour and place in a large bowl. Add first measure of sugar and using a fork, toss.
Put butter in a small microwave proof bowl and microwave until melted but not hot. Add milk, egg, lemon zest then whisk with fork until combined. Tip mixture into dry ingredients.
Mix gently using flat bladed stirrer until dry ingredients are dampened but mixture looks rough. Spoon mixture into muffin holes. Bake for 10 minutes until tips lightly browned and springs back.
While muffins bake, use small bowl to put juice and second measure of sugar. Use a pastry brush to apply sugar and lemon to hot muffins in their pan.

Review: Macadamia Natural Oil Hair Mask

From the first glace this hair mask looks very rich creamy and lathering and I can honestly say it performs in the exact same way. The tropical coconut themed packaging reflected the smell as it smelt very fresh and floral-fruity.

The Macadamia Natural Oil Hair Mask can be purchases in two sizes 250g and 500g (I believe I have the smaller one) and requires only a pea size during application. It is a great investment as this product will last you a very long time, most likely over 6 months. This product is a bit pricy compared to other hair masks on the market today, however has definitely proved to be worth it. Since the first use I noticed a very big difference in my hair, not only did it smell amazing and have a shine, it made my hair so much easier to brush out and worked amazing as a detangler. I have long dark two textured hair and I can say it noticeably controlled the frizz in my curls without making them look greasy as well as create locks in my wavier sections. I followed the directions on the package and left it into clean damp hair for 7 minutes once a week. I combed it in however felt i had a lot of hair fall? However i'm sure this is because i don't usually comb my hair in the shower :/

Overall i am in love with this product and will definitely consider repurchasing it. I will continue using this product and maybe do a post later on during the year to update my feelings towards it.

Until then be sure to stay updated with our other reviews!

Lush Products Review

A couple weeks ago I went out into town and popped into Lush - I couldn't resist! I picked up a couple of bath items, Melting Marshmallow Moment Bath Melt and Karma Bubble Bar. Then last week I picked up the Jackie Oates Colour Supplement to use as a concealer/foundation. Here's a little review on the products!
Melting Marshmallow Bath Melt - I actually googled how much of this I was meant to use, and I found out you could use half or the whole thing, so I chose to use half because I wanted value for money here! I popped half in, and it melted after about 5 minutes. It smelled very yummy, but in all honesty it didn't last long! I feel like I would have needed to use a whole one. They aren't the cheapest things ever, so it was slightly disappointing.

Karma Bubble Bar - I've used about 3/4 of this Bubble Bar so far. The first time I used it, I crumbled about half into the bath into hot running water. My first impression wasn't that great because the bubbles don't last long at all! I would say they only last five minutes before they disappear partly or fully. I feel like you might need to use a whole bar for a decent bubble bath like the bath melt, and at $8.90 a bar, that ain't so good! Like all Lush products, this bar smelled really nice but I think it needs to be more long-lasting or cheaper for me to purchase again.

Jackie Oates Colour Supplement - I have a really, really hard time finding a light shade of tinted moisturiser/BB cream or light coverage that doesn't make me look orange or darker than my pale skin tone. I have tried this for a few days so far more as a concealer (covering spots, red marks around the nose and chin area and my t zone). So far I have found that it's a great base for people with fairer skin tone, and while it's a teeny bit drying and not very moisturising, it's good for colour and makes my complexion look a little more glowing. I'd advise pairing it with a good moisturiser on the dry bits of your face because I've found while it's good for my cheeks (which aren't dry), other areas such as my chin and forehead need more moisturisation because it's not as easy to apply.

I hope you've enjoyed reading these reviews. I'd love to review some more products when I stop by the store again sometime.

Lemon Slice

Hello! It's Emma here, and today I'm going to show you how to make lemon slice!

For the pastry base:

125g softened unsalted butter
1/2 cup icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 and 1/2 cups self-raising flour
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

For the lemon filling:

3/4 cup plain flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup ground almonds
3 eggs
1 cup caster sugar
3/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
icing sugar to dust at the end

Firstly preheat the oven to 180c and grease and line a 16 x 26 cm slice tin. I'd advise using a little butter to grease the tin and then the baking paper will stick firmly into the square shape as it sticks to the sides.

Beat the butter (ideally leave out for a couple hours to soften or heat in the microwave in 10 second bursts - but make sure it doesn't melt!) and icing sugar in a mixing bowl until pale and creamy, then add the vanilla essence.

Stir in the self-raising flour and 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest (remember to leave 2 teaspoons for the filling). Press mixture into prepared tin. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden.

Press mixture into prepared tin. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden. While it's baking, you'll have enough time to do the filling.

Sift the plain flour and baking powder in a bowl and then add the ground almonds. In a separate bowl, as pictured beat together the 3 eggs, caster sugar, lemon juice and the 2 tablespoons of grated lemon zest. Stir the egg mixture into dry ingredients. If you want a smoother mixture and no lumps of flour, add the wet mixture in parts.

If there are any lumps in the mixture, mix it more until all gone. Allow 5 minutes for the base to cool down from the oven, and then pour mixture over the base.

The original recipe says to bake the slice for 20 minutes or until firm, but I found it takes more like 50 minutes to fully cook through the middle. Ovens may vary, so I'd advise to check around the half hour mark.

The crust is buttery and crumbly, and the filling should be moist and full of lemon flavour. If you've enjoyed this post, let me know if there's any other baked goods you'd like me to do.

Best Bakes

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Choc Chip Cookies

This was my first time making these cookies, and oh my golly god they turned out amazing! If your eyes aren't convinced just yet then you better make these and let your taste buds decide...

Makes around 22 medium sized cookies

Ingredients

1/2 C Softened Butter
1/2 C Brown sugar
1/4 C White Sugar
1 Egg
1 Tsp Vanilla
1/2 C Peanut Butter (Chunky or Smooth)
1/2 Tsp Baking Soda
1/2 C Rolled Oats
1 1/4 C Flour (more or less)
1 C Choc Chips
1/2 C Chopped nuts (optional)

Method

1. Mix the sugars, egg, vanilla and butter until combined

2. Add peanut butter and soda and mix again (if you can melt the peanut butter, this will allow it to mix easier)

3. Add the oats then mix

4. Add the flour gradually, you want a soft dough that is not sticky. Add more flour until the right consistency

5. Mix in the choc chips and nuts

6. Roll the dough into the size of a ping pong ball then flatten in between your palms.

7. Bake at 180 Degrees Celsius for 10 min (more or less)

BEST EATEN WHEN WARM!