A/W Haul Part 2

A couple of weeks ago I posted part 1 of my autumn haul (here) so this is the second part. I have needed some new winter jumpers so that is mainly what this is so not particularly exciting!

Most of this is from Primark as I don’t really see the point in buying a £40 jumper when the Primark ones are just as good! So the first one is this lovely chunky turquoise blue jumper which actually looks a lot lighter in this picture but it really is such a lovely mint colour.

Also from Primark I picked up a couple of thin knit jumpers in the same mint blue colour and another in a dark blue with coloured fleckles in it. These are great for uni when I just want to chuck something on!

The other tunic top I got a little while ago from Vera Moda when I went on a shopping trip to Westfield. I really like this as it’s a nice smart top but I haven’t actually worn it yet, which is really bad! I think I kind of forgot about it! I will make sure I wear it this week haha.

Then I also picked up another pair of skinny jeans from Primark in a dark blue as they are so comfy! The studded shoes are from Primark too, which I know aren’t the most practical for the cold weather but I can suffer cold feet for these gorgeous shoes!

Nivea Express Hydration Primer Review

I had seen this advertised on TV a few times and thought it sounded like a great product so I was eager to try it out. The product is a primer and moisturiser in one which is great if you’re like me and rushing around in the morning and don’t have time to be applying lots of different creams and products! I don’t know why anyone else hasn’t already brought one of these out. I hadn’t actually tried any products from Nivea before, (crazy I know!) so it was definitely time to.

The product comes in two types; one for dry/sensitive skin and the other for combination/oily skin, which is the one I bought. The jar is really nice, although I will say it is quite heavy as it is made from glass, so not great if you want to take it out with you. The actual moisturiser/primer is really light and smells really nice. It has more of a gel texture and is not creamy like a normal moisturiser, but you only need a small amount and it sinks into the skin really quickly.

I have been using this over the last week now and I definitely really like it. It has kept my makeup in place all day and is really moisturising. It is usually £4.99 but currently£ 3.99 in Superdrug which is a great price so be sure not to miss out!

Weekend catch-up

I hope everyone has had a nice weekend, I love that with the clocks going back today the day is going nice and slow! Last night my boyfriend and I went to see Skyfall at the cinema which he really wanted to see and I don’t mind the Bond Films with a bit of Daniel Craig too and really enjoyed it! Then today I have been spending the day cooking butternut squash soup and a beef stew and catching up on X-factor and Take Me Out, so a nice little Sunday!

I also had some pretty amazing news on Friday. Back in August I entered a competition on the Batiste Facebook page where they were giving away prizes to be in their next magazine ad campaign and 2 people could win branded batiste Vespa’s, and guess what? I only went and won a Vespa!! I was completed shocked when I had the phone call on Friday and still can’t believe that in a few weeks they are going to be delivering it to me! I don’t even know what I am going to do with it because I don’t have a license to ride it and then I’d need to get insurance, tax etc. But I will wait and see once I have got it! Oh yeah and its bright pink haha!

Vespa - This isn't the actual one but in case your not sure what it is!

I also won a competition with Fashion Vouchers for the blog post I did a little while ago here. I won £50 to spend on the BooHoo website and I made an order this week for some goodies, so hopefully they will come this week and I can show you all! If that wasn’t enough I also won a comp with Pop Couture and I love Cutie Pie where I got the jumper shown in the picture and I think I am going to get a necklace. So guys get entering competitions because they are definitely worth it and great when you win!

Jumper from Pop Couture here

So I have had a pretty good and lucky week which has been nice when I keep getting stressed out with uni work and panicking with how much time I have to do stuff!

Does anyone else enter competitions or have you won anything recently? 

Comfort food

There is nothing better than eating comfort food in the winter months... well I think so anyway! It’s so nice to come in from the cold and darkness outside and sit down with a bowl or hot soup and crusty bread or stew and dumplings! So one meal I have made lately is sausages with smoky bacon and cider, served with creamy mash and it is a lovely comfort meal to have. Although I have only made this twice so far, it really is a favourite. Here is the recipe for this really yummy meal.

To serve 4

Ingredients

8 pork sausages

Olive oil

6 rashers of streaky smoked bacon (chopped)

I onion (halved and sliced)

1 tablespoon plain flour

450ml cider

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Handful of parsley (optional)

Mashed potato

Method

1.       Heat 1 tbsp oil in a casserole. Add the sausages and cook until browned all over. Then set aside.

2.      Add the bacon and onion to the pan and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden. Sprinkle over the flour and cook for 1 minute.

3.      Then stir in the cider. Simmer for 2 minutes and stir in the mustard.

4.      Add back the sausages. Simmer for 20-30 minutes until sauce has thickened. Then add the parsley and serve with mash.

It really is a very simple recipe and is great as you don’t need many ingredients. I don’t drink cider so I am not very familiar with the different types, so I just used Strongbow which tastes really nice but you can use whatever you like... I may try a darker cider another time to see how the taste differs.

What are your favourite meals in the winter?