Ever since I've moved to university, I have been so busy that I haven't had the time to sit and 'miss' anything. Well, apart from my family! It is only recently that I've started to miss activities I used to do on a regular basis and places I used to visit. One thing is particular is baking - my boyfriend and I would bake all the time when we were together in my hometown and I miss the comforts of making my own goodies, decorating and enjoying them. Therefore, when Cake Angels sent over their large goodie box of Halloween, Christmas and seasonal sprinkles, I just had to get my uni girls together to bake some spooky treats...

Cake Angels

Cake Angels are a company that specialise in all things baking - from sugar decorations, to sprinkles and marshmallows, Cake Angels have a topping fit for any occasion. When they sent me the toppers from their Halloween collection, I just had to make some cupcakes. Despite not having scales and a mixing bowl, the overall decoration of the cakes turned out incredible thanks to some icing and some fabulous Halloween icons to give our cupcakes some life. I NEED to get my hands on their zingy lemon frosting and bake myself a delicious lemon cake - my absolute favourite! I've been craving lemon cake as it reminds me of home and being with the people I love so that's next on my list to bake. The wonderful team at Cake Angels kindly sent over some Christmas sprinkles so be prepared for more videos and posts as I'm sure you will be seeing a lot of them on my social channels! As for the aesthetic, the brand flaunts cute, girly and colourful - I love how bright the design is and how the sprinkles are held in gorgeous little jars topped with pink screw lids. 

I also made a video on my Youtube channel where my best friends and I at university made some 'student halloween cupcakes'. I say student because despite having all the ingredients, we lacked the equipment to measure, mix and produce our desired cupcakes. This led to inaccurate measurements and a hilarious fail. Cake Angels managed to pick our spirits back up once the discoloured goods were taken out of the oven. Megan, Hattie and I decorated with butter frosting, skulls, eyes, ghosts, Halloween sprinkles and more until we had a collection of mini spooky cupcakes. Cake Angels are such a great gift idea - wonderful for families or friends, as decorating cakes is always fun!

You can watch it HERE.

HALLOWEEN STUDENT BAKING VIDEO

Do you love baking as much as I do? What is your favourite thing to make?

Lots of love

Char x

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This post is in collaboration with Cake Angels; however, I have not been paid for this content and all opinions are honest/my own.

Change is a scary thing. My whole life I've been a creature of habit - as soon as I find something that I like and works well,  I stick to it. Whether it be something small like a food habit or purchasing a repetitive skincare product to something more significant like a scheduled everyday routine; I used to always shy away from trying something different. 2017 is the year where change has had a HUGE impact on my life. There are both small and large portions of my life that have changed significantly within the past 10 months and I've decided to dedicate this post to CHANGE, and why adapting to new, different things can be exciting and refreshing.

Before I get into the main body of this post, I thought I would highlight the incredible photography of my favourite Autumnal outfit this year. All images are taken by the wonderful John Roberts who I have linked here and will at the end of the post. Make sure to check out his pages to see all his work and contact him on his site if you wish to purchase or looking for a photographer!

It's time to get personal...Whenever something new occurred or disrupted my usual pattern, I would have a panic attack. My brain would overthink uncontrollably, I'd go into complete meltdown and it was impossible for me to relax or take the change as it comes. It has always been difficult to get over my fear of 'change', as it always reminded me of a time in my life where changed had previously happened and sent my body into shutdown mode. Sometimes it wasn't even change that gave me anxiety, it was even fresh starts. A significant memory that sticks out was moving from 2015 into 2016 - as soon as the new year started, my mind entered overload. I couldn't concentrate at school, I would cry every single day and isolate myself in my room. Fortunately, I was able to consult a local counsellor who recognised my problem and aided me to recovery. It all sounds very serious and at the time I honestly didn't think it was - I always told myself I was overreacting and it's probably just 'hormones' but nothing I ever felt seemed normal. After spending a lot of time talking about my problems with various people (I CANNOT RECOMMEND THIS ENOUGH IF YOU FEEL ILL OR WANT HELP) I built up the courage to defeat the voice in my head telling me I would never be able to have a 'fresh start', 'adapt to change' or even 'move on'.

2016 was such a difficult year for me. I felt like everything that could have possibly gone wrong did and I couldn't see myself achieving anything or getting better. How wrong was I?! This year I have pushed myself to be as successful as physically possible, getting to the next stage in my life and moving onto a better chapter. I'm already so proud of the progress and comparison from where I am now to where I was this time last year. It is crazy that my perspective on life has blossomed; I look at opportunities completely differently and am more than happy to try something different. Don't get me wrong, I still love organisation and a somewhat fixed everyday schedule but I will say yes to helpful opportunities, sign up to new things and push myself to overcome my anxiety in public settings. I used to cower at speaking to people in the bank, on the phone or asking for help/advice but now I see the good that comes with reaching out to people. 

The turning point of my happiness came quite recently when I moved out to university. I was terrified, to say the least, of fending for myself and truly being thrown into adulthood. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't an immature eighteen year old in my hometown...I made some incredibly mature decisions back there. However, I was ridiculously anxious to speak up for myself and more than anything, worried I wouldn't find the complete fulfilling happiness that I desired. My dream was to move to university, find friends that were going to be long-term, enjoy learning my forensics course, somehow become successful at 'adult-ing' and be content with life. Now I am so happy to say that I feel exactly this. Although there have been some minor struggles (for instance, I can't cook for sh*t), I have seen a massive change in my behaviour and for that, I give myself a pat on the back! I've pushed myself to speak up in seminars in large groups of people, made the first move to talk to new people in social environments and even placed an application for the University's student blog - which I managed to get approved! Everything is looking up and I cannot wait for my future years at university. There are lots more exciting things to come and many an experience to share...

Thank you for sticking by me and always supporting my content.

Testing new makeup out is something that I love to do in my spare time. I seem to have neglected beauty on my blog over the past couple of months as I've had lots of stories to tell and many an outfit to share. However, there have been some recent beauty ranges that have come out in the high street and online that I've been dying to get my hands out. Fortunately, the wonderful PR team at Avon kindly sent me one of their new beauty ranges...

Avon have recently launched a new lipstick range - something that I was not expecting at all and something that I have fell absolutely head over heels for. Avon's new range of mark lipsticks consist of 23 shades; 12 of those having a glossy 'shine' finish and the other 11 leaving a matte coat on the lips. Covering a complete range of nudes to purples, this sleek range covers all bases and I'm so excited to be sharing with you Avon's latest beauty launch...

One month into university and I'm feeling more stressed than ever. After being welcomed into the first two weeks with excitement, socialising and a drink in hand, it has come to the time where everything is getting a bit on top of me. I'm currently staring at the 5 deadlines on my pinboard behind my laptop screen... all dates requiring to be met by the end of November. Stressed, to say the least. Meeting deadlines is ridiculously strict at university - one minute late and points can get deducted from your final mark. In terms of meeting these deadlines, I'm well underway but just the word makes me instantly panic. To ease this feeling and reduce my inner stress, I have been doing a few things recently to help me keep a balanced lifestyle and maintain my initial happiness when I first moved to Lincoln.

Phone Cases : CASEAPP

Discount Code : SCARLETS20

What do you do to de-stress? 


Lots of love

Char x

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The products in this post were gifted for PR purposes; however, I was not paid to share them and all opinions are honest/my own.

LIFE UPDATE. It's time to give you the low down on all the crazy things happening in my life right now. I've left my hometown, moved to university and started my first few weeks of lectures. I'm currently living within halls of residence in the beautiful city of Lincoln and studying Forensic Science (BSc) at the University of Lincoln. Despite the drastic change in lifestyle, I'm adapting and learning about adulthood whilst in the midst of piles of reading and work to accomplish. Not going to lie, it has been a pretty stressful experience but it has been totally worth it. I'm completely obsessed with where I'm living; I've made some incredible friends, discovered some new places and have a ridiculous amount of new experiences within the space of a month. University is such a strange place and I cannot even explain why but I love it nonetheless. 

If you know me, whenever there is an opportunity to try something new or travel to a new place, I'm totally up for it. As I've grown older,  I've developed this desire to not only travel, but say yes to any new experiences (as long as it is under reasonable circumstances and achievable). This Summer, my boyfriend and I went to Mexico and ticked multiple things off our very long bucket lists. We even managed to go on this incredible excursion where we zip lined through the Sierra Madre mountains in Puerto Vallarta, ride mules up the steep hills and hop on a speed boat. After being completely energized and filled with adrenalin/happiness/utter satisfaction, we knew that we had to go ziplining again. Fortunately, I came in touch with the wonderful team at Zip World; they kindly allowed us to travel to their home in North Wales to partake in some new incredible experiences, surrounded again by nature.


Our first trip was to the Fforest Coaster - one of Zip World's new editions to the various adrenalin-packed activities you can pick from. This is the perfect treat for the entire family - I honestly believe anyone from kids to parents will enjoy this experience. Although warned about long queues and waiting, patience was not a concern once we'd stood in line. The coasters move quickly and the team are very efficient in instructing each new 'driver' on how to control the cart. The 'coaster' is actually designed as a single rider toboggan, or in pairs for younger riders, giving the ride a traditional feel. Running on rails, the toboggan takes you into the tree tops, to the heart of the woodlands; once you've reached the highest point, you are completely in control. There are breaks equipped on either side of your seat alongside signs as you rapidly swerve through the forest - the experience is completely what you make it and you can tailor it to your own needs. I looooved going as fast as humanely possible, my hair flowing wildly and panting excessively once finished. You get to experience the coaster 3 times for what you pay which is amazing - each ride lasting roughly 8 minutes.