QUICK & EASY CADBURY'S 'CRUNCHIE' BROWNIES

I love a good brownie. I like the way the outside of it is crunchy and then in the middle it is all soft and gooey.

So, I decided to root through the cupboards and see if there was anything I could use for baking. Luckily, I came across brownie ingredients along with Crunchie bars. I have never made Crunchie brownies before, so I thought that I would experiment! I am so so glad that I did. This recipe is so easy to follow, takes little time and makes delicious brownies!

Firstly, I preheated the oven to 180 C / gas mark 4. Following this, I crushed up the Crunchie bars and broke up the chocolate into small squares. I placed these into a bowl and put them to the side.

I then added everything to one bowl in the order shown above (excluding the Crunchie chocolate and the milk chocolate). I made sure to give this a thorough stir, so that the consistency was velvety. 

After I achieved the velvet consistency, this is when I added 5 of the 6 bars of Crunchie and the milk chocolate chunks. I made sure to mix fold these well into the mixture, so that the chocolate was hidden.

Make sure you have a tray deep enough for the brownie mixture to sit in, and that it has been greased of is lined with greaseproof paper. Pour in the mixture and place in the oven for 20-25 minutes.

When it got to around the 20 minute mark, I took the brownies out of the oven and topped them with the rest of the crushed Crunchie. I placed it into the over again for another 5 minutes, until taking it out for good.

Allow the brownie time to cool down and set. It may seem very gooey in the middle, but once it has cooled down it does set into a more dense texture, and it is also easier to slice!

Have you got any recipes you have discovered recently?

TOP 5 TIPS FOR MOVING HOUSE // STUDENT STYLE

So recently, I moved into my uni house for my second year. I'm not going to lie, I am not brilliant when it comes down to packing. Trying to put things into order and deciding what goes were is not by strong point! So the point of this blog post is for me to show you what I have learnt, and what tips 'n' tricks I have learnt within the process!

1. GET RID OF ALL OF THE RUBBISH YOU FIND: don’t lie, you're bedroom is full of pointless objects and items that you have acquired over your time at university. My room definitely was when I came to the packing stage. If I a honest, I think I could pass for being a hoarder! Getting rid of the things that take up unnecessary space in your room will not just one, make unpacking easier but two, also make the whole moving process and lighter for you in the long run!
2. DECIDE WHAT COLOUR SCHEME YOU ARE GOING TO GO FOR: there is no point moving if you do not know what colour scheme your new bedroom is going to be. I was okay with this, as I decided to keep the same colour scheme as the room in my halls. The colour scheme I went for was a mixture of pastel colours with a vintage twist. This colour scheme is so so easy to keep up with, as practically everything goes with each other, and it's simple to add little things  in too. 
3. BEGIN PACKING EARLIER THAN THE NIGHT BEFORE MOVING: I feel very hypocritical writing this tip, but it is something I learnt during the packing process! Me being as stupid as I can be sometimes, decided that packing the day before the moving day, was going to give me enough time to get everything together. I was wrong. It took me hours and hours and hours to get everything together, and I spent half of the time gathering boxes to actually put my belongings in, which links into the second tip…
4. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ENOUGH BOXES TO PACK WITH: again, I feel super hypocritical. Instead of having everything packed into big cardboard boxes, (which would have been waaay easier to move with) I packed everything into little boxes. I felt the need to use the big Pandora box that I had stashed underneath my bed, and filling every single Selfridges bag that I had hidden underneath my desk!
5. PACK IN SOME SORT OF ORDER: this will make things a lot easer when unpacking. You will be able to go through an order of one box at a time, instead of rifling through different boxes making the process a lot harder than it should be!

So there are the top 5 tips of mine for when moving. These will literally be a lifesaver… especially for a ditsy person like me!

Do you have any other tips for packing?

MAC // 'DIVA' LIPSTICK

I have always had the opinion that a bold, red lip did not suit me, so for a long time I have put it off and always chosen to wear the darker purples if I was going to an occasion or somewhere more special. 

Spending the majority of my time around the MAC counter in Selfridges, I came to the conclusion that it was about time to ditch the dark purples for a while, and invest in a dark red lip colour. I was quite fussy however when I had to choose. This is because I didn't want to settle for a bright red lipstick, but instead a darker 'vintage vamp' type of colour. This is because I wear a lot of dark gold colours on my eyelids and I thought it may look better.

I picked up 'Diva', when I accidentally found myself standing at the MAC counter one afternoon. My flat mate wanted to start her own palette, so I saw this as the perfect opportunity to question the beauty guru's and see what colour would suit me best.

'Diva' is a very dark red colour, and comes off the bullet as a matte finish. I prefer matte finish lipsticks as they seem to last longer on the lip, and even when they begin to fade they always leave a stain which I also believe to look quite flattering.

Trust me when I say you do not need a lot of this product at once. I made the mistake of applying a little too much the first time that I wore it, and it just got everywhere. I advise to use a lip brush at first for precision purposes, and then go in with the bullet itself to deepen the colour if you wish. The colour ended up staying on all night, no matter how many drinks I had or what I had to eat. I wore this colour with a gold eye look, and even though some may say that it's either 'lips or eye' I thought the look went really well! Definitely one of my statement lipsticks in my collection I would say.

The online link to 'Diva' can be found HERE, and the lipstick retails for a price of £15.50 which is definitely worth it!

What bold lip colours are you loving at the moment?

MAC // 'DERVISH' LIPLINER

Since Kylie Jenner made an appearance with her fabulous lips, everyone wants one of those 'nude' lipliners to copy her looks.

I made my way to Selfridges in search of a lipliner that I could wear everyday, underneath different lipsticks just to enhance my natural lip line. I myself have been blessed with quite full lips (thanks momma!) so I never had the intention of making them look overly big, I just wanted a more prominent lip line underneath my lipstick.

When I got to the MAC counter, there wasn't a nude lipliner that caught my eye. Dervish was the closest to a natural nude that I could find, with a slight pink undertone to it. I wear it underneath any lip colour because of the basic colour that it is. 

Dervish is extremely loved as you can tell! I honestly wear this near enough every single day- unless I'm having a makeup free day that is. The lipliner itself is a soft nude with undertones of pink and a tiny bit of brown. It has quite a velvet finish, with a little shimmer being added to it. Originally I wanted a matte lipliner, as I thought that it may stay on better. However, this lipliner doesn't seem to want to budge underneath the lip colour that you may be wearing. 

It also doesn't change the colour of your lipstick either which is a benefit, as I thought that because I wear it with so many different lip colours that it would have an impact on them but it doesn't.

The lipliner retails at a price of £12.50 and you can obviously buy it online or from a counter. The online link is HERE.

What lipliner/lipliners are you liking at the moment?

BEING AT UNIVERSITY WITH DEPRESSION & ANXIETY

Photograph can be found HERE

When I submitted my university application last year, I knew exactly what I was going to be letting myself in for... And it was not within my comfort zone. 

Being a sufferer of depression and anxiety, the thought of branching out and going to university absolutely terrified me. I did not like the thought of moving away from my family, friends and small town into a city which I didn't know my way around, to be thrown into living with people that I did not know. Thinking of this led me to suffer more frequent panic attacks, and shutting myself away from everyone and everything. 

However, I was not giving up. University was what I wanted to do in order to achieve my dream.

Now that I have been at university for 9 months and being so, so close to finishing my first year, I would not have changed it for anything. I have made the most amazing friends whilst being here, created some of the most incredible memories, and if anything eased of those dark thoughts of depression. I have also had less frequent anxiety attacks and learnt to become a little bit more independent.

If you are going to university this September, and you too suffer from depression or anxiety, my advice is that you should not worry. Everything will fall into place, and find a way to make your university adventure absolutely amazing and special. Also, remember that each university offers support and guidance if you ever need it, so you will never be alone. And remember, make the most of everything. 

MY MINI HAPPIES // APRIL

After my quite low post yesterday, I thought that I would do a post reflecting on my mini happy's that I have experienced so far this month. 

I came home for the easter break

My intentions were to stay in Manchester at uni over the easter break, so that I could begin my revision for my May exams and complete any essays that needed doing. However, being in halls by myself eventually drove me to the point of insanity and I decided to come home for a week. I have loved being home; catching up with family and old friends, and having that little break that I think I definitely needed.

We experienced some warm weather

I am a sucker for warm weather, and I didn't expect for it to come so early in the year. For a couple of days whilst being at home, the weather was incredibly beautiful. I didn't pack the most appropriate clothing though for the weather as I didn't expect it at all, but I managed and I made the most out of the weather.

First little driving lesson

It has been nearly 2 years that I have been able to learn how to drive, and I have never gained the motivation to do so. My friend Tom took me to a car park and took me through the driving process. I proper enjoyed it, and it gave me the motivation to begin driving. I loved it. 

Easter eggs

Legally being an adult, I really didn't expect to get any easter eggs this year and I sure didn't mind that. But, coming home to easter eggs made me feel super happy as it showed that my family didn't forget about me when they were buying for my brother and sister. 

Tyler the rabbit

He may only be a rabbit, but I look forward to seeing him so much when I come back from university. Every time I see him his little character changes, and he becomes so much more mischievous. 

Going to see Skepta + special guests

On the 16th of this month, I am going to see Skepta and some of the cast from Boy Better Know. I cannot wait. I have been looking forward to this for a few months now, and I am sure it will be a night I won't be forgetting in a while!

So there are some of my mini happy's from this month so far. What have your mini happy's been?

EARLY SPRING FEELS

Everything pretty ends up coming out in springtime. Daffodils appear at roadside, lambs are being born, the sun (sometimes) shines down on the world making everything glow. However, I can't help but be very sceptical about spring as a whole. 

Whenever spring comes around I have this weird feeling inside of me. It isn't necessarily 'happiness' either, but a constant gloom building up inside. Over the past few years, this feeling has become more intense and I have never found out the reason behind it. Maybe because it is the first season of the year, or the fact everything is beginning to change again- which I hate. I loathe change but sometimes it cannot be helped.

Don't get me wrong, I adore photographing what spring has to offer- like the daffodils springing up in the garden, or just little trinket bits that I find in the garden. Being back from uni for the spring break hasn't really helped my mood either I don't think. I love being home to see my family and friends, but ever since I moved to Manchester I feel like my heart and soul belong there.

Coming from a very country place, I never thought being in the city would be my cup of tea but I was entirely wrong on this perspective. I crave the city when I am back at home, and the atmosphere it has to offer. I used to be such a home bird, and before I moved to Manchester for uni I never thought I would last being in the big wide world all on my own, but I love it. I love having that piece of independence inside of me and waking up to the noises of the city everyday. I adore the people I live with, and I thank the high heavens that I was placed with them in my halls, because they really are great and amazing people. I love them with all of my heart.

I do love my friends from back at home too though. They have been with the through school and sixth form, and I couldn't have asked for a better bunch of people to help me grow into myself, and find who I really am. They have shaped me to become the person I am today. This may be good and bad in some senses, but I do thank them a lot. Seeing them over the easter break has made my heart swell that little bit more, and made me realise how much I miss them when I am in the city. 

This time of year makes me reflect on life. I decide which the good aspects of life are at the moment, and I also dwell on the bad aspects. It cannot be helped, but I try and keep myself busy so that I do not dwell on the bad too much. Venting over my blog helps me to realise how much I have going for me, and how much room I have for improvements in my life.

I associate spring with the word 'new'. This could be because it is a new season, a fresh season and to some a happy season and a chance to look at the upcoming year and, and wait and see what it has to offer. I just do not pay much attention to this season and I cannot wait until summer arrives. This could be because of the opportunities I have planned out, but also because this brewing gloom inside of me will eventually disappear. 

I am sorry for such a low blog post today, but venting clears that little piece of my brain associated with darkness for a while, and helps me focus on the happy parts that I have to look forward to. 

On a happier note, meet Tyler my brothers new rabbit. Our old rabbit, Stardust, died from old age. He was 12 (in human years!) so he lasted quite a long time. Tyler is a baby which brings along his mischievous side. He is a very funny rabbit though and the whole family love him to pieces. Bringing Tyler into the family also brought happiness and something for the family to focus on. My brother also adores him and thinks the world of him, which is the most important thing. 

Again, I am sorry for such a sad post today but now that is out of the way I can focus on more uplifting posts for you all!

How has your easter break been so far?