University - Two weeks in

Good evening, can you believe it's October tomorrow?! Each year is getting faster and faster.

I thought I'd write these little updates about University, not just for myself, but for other people to get an insight to my life and my experiences of being a student.

Oh, by the way, I'm living at home. Future students, your experiences are going to be completely different because of where you live, what part of the country you live in, what University you go to, your personality, etc.

Last week was introduction week and this week, I had my first lectures. The Saturday before introduction week started, I became very nervous. I started to panic and shed a few tears. This happened for the next few nights, as well as being sick in the mornings (I hate that symptom of my nervousness). As with most things, it wasn't as scary as I thought. 
The connotations around fresher's week is that you go out partying all night, every night. I didn't go out once, not only because I was completely knackered, but because it's not my thing. I don't like crowds, dancing or alcohol. It sounds out of the norm to do (or not to do in my case), but quite a few people I've spoken to didn't go out either, for the same reasons as myself.

This week wasn't as scary as I thought it'd be either. Because my University is a small one, there's only 30-40 people in each lecture, so going into a classroom isn't as daunting as you see in the films. The lectures haven't been too hard to understand, but it's only the first week. I'm worried about writing future essays, because I don't believe I am good enough.

In terms of friends, I haven't really made any yet. I've been speaking to people, but I wouldn't call any of them my friends. I do think that living at home makes it harder to make friends. People who are living in halls seem really close with their house mates, which is understandable because they've already spent a lot of time with each other.  Hopefully, I'll have some friends soon! I'm not too bothered at the moment, because I'm used to not having them.

Overall, my first two weeks have been fine. Not great, but not terrible either :) and I'm proud of myself for having the courage to actually go. It's the little things such as taking a new journey and bus on my own, sitting on my own whilst waiting for a class and talking to complete strangers, that are helping me become more independent and confident.

I would appreciate no judgemental comments. You may think I'm doing something wrong, and if I am, I'll learn on my own.

September Favourites

I really should just call these posts 'New products I've tried and liked in *insert month here*' because if I did show you my favourites, you would be reading the same post each month! I rarely change my routine.

I would just like to say that I am sorry for the photo below. My camera is getting worse (or my expectations for quality are getting higher). I wasn't going to write this post, but I really wanted to blog, so I'm putting up with the photo.

Also, I haven't included a swatch of the blush or lipstick because of how rubbish the photos were, but I will be reviewing each of them soon, where I will include some :)

Remington Pearl curling wand- £25.49 from Boots (review coming soon)

This should actually be in my 'Favourite products of 2011' post. It's amazing. I curled my hair with it about a week ago (without hairspray. I never use it) and two days later, the curls were still in. The packaging is also very pretty.

Original Source Vanilla Milk and Raspberry shower gel- £1 when on offer (which is regularly), £2ish when not, from Superdrug, Boots and most supermarkets.

I love Original Source shower gels. I always use their Lime one and it's super duper yummy (very informative, I know). This one is just as delicious and smells of Strawberries & Cream sweets. I picked this up in Asda a couple weeks ago but when I was there last night, I couldn't find it. I really, really hope it hasn't been discontinued.

Accessorize With-Love Merged Blush in Starlet- £5-6 from Accessorize or Superdrug.

I added this to my virtual basket when Accessorize had an online (and in-store) sale. The main reason I bought it was because it was £2.50. I didn't actually think I'd get much use out of it. However, I have! The pigmentation is average, which can be built up, and it gives you a nice glow.

Maybelline The One by One Volum' Express mascara- £8.49 from Boots (review coming soon)

I won this from a Womans Own magazine competition and my first thought was 'Ahh a plastic brush'. I am not (well, wasn't) a fan of plastic brushes because years ago, I tried one that was awful. Plastic brushes have developed since then and this mascara has converted me. The one rule I have with mascara is that it must not clump. At all. I've seen some mascara reviews where girls say 'it doesn't clump' and when I look at the photo, I think their lashes look clumpy. This mascara coats your lashes One by One (shocker!). I love Maybelline's Colossal and Falsies mascaras, and this one joins the list.

17 Mirror Shine lipstick in Belle- £4.89 from Boots (review coming soon)

I'm not a lipstick wearer. In fact, I don't wear any kind of lip product regularly. A bit of lip balm here, some lip stain there, but that's all. So the fact that I've wore this out of the house a few times is amazing. It's a natural, 'my lips but better' shade and feels like a balm on. Sorry I don't have any swatches to show you today, but I will try and write the review as soon as possible.

My favourite shop of the month is... New Look!

This month, I've bought two pairs of jeans, four vests, a pair of heels (and soon to be a pair of boots) from them. All basics, but that's all I wear. I do think some of their jumpers and cardigans are over priced, but their shoes are reasonable (and loved by many), as well as their other basic items.

x

WHSmith bargains

I popped into WHSmith with the intention of purchasing a laptop case, memory stick and Filofax. While in there, I came across a beautiful range called 'India' and the prices of some of the products were amazing!

At least I came out with a laptop case, eh?

(I'm not sure how these photos are coming across, in terms of colour. I'm on a new computer so the screen brightness etc is different).

Photo frame £2.49, laptop case £2.99, A4 notebooks £2.49 each (all on sale).

What was weird was the fact that the A7 notebooks were £6.99 on sale and the A4 notebooks were £2.49!

The laptop case is absolutely beautiful. However, the fabric is delicate and I can see it fraying in the future. For £2.99 though, I'm not too bothered!

I also bought some other bits and bobs whilst shopping today, but they're not that exciting!

Tomorrow, I should have my September Favourites post up and next weekend I'll be posting a university post and a Lil Lets review.

x

ELF order and New Look heels

Good evening!

ELF and their offers! They're currently having their third 50% off sale in 3 weeks (Use code LAST50 by 8am Monday). I didn't buy from their first sale because I didn't know if I could afford to. By the time their second came along, I had some money in the bank. I bought things I needed, rather than things I wanted and would rarely use. 

So here's my boring but sensible order:

Studio Eyebrow Kit in Medium £1.75 (£3.50 full price), Mineral Eyeshadow Primer £1.50 (£3.00 full price), Eyelid Primer 75p (£1.50 full price).

The powder that comes in the Eyebrow Kit is a little lighter than my current one, but it still works well. I'm very impressed with the packaging, both the cardboard box it comes in and the plastic casing that holds the product.

Studio Complexion (x2), Powder, Small Angled and Small Precision brushes all £1.75 (£3.50 full price)

Apart from the Small Precision brush, these are repurchases. I love them! I think I've had 5 Complexion brushes now.

New Look heels: 

Platform Court Shoe £19.99

While in New Look the other week, I walked through the Wide Fit shoe section and spotted these. On the shelf they looked 'meh', but I tried them on anyway and liked them straight away. I'd been after a basic pair of suede heels for ages. I'm normally a size 7, but to my surprise, they were too big. I tried on a 6 in another colour and they fitted great. I asked if they had any size 6s in black, but unfortunately they didn't, so I ordered them online. There's still a small gap at the back of my right foot, so I'm going to get some insoles. They look a lot better in real life, compared to the photo.

So the moral of the story is, don't disregard the Wide Fit section! These are classed as Wide Fit, but they're not at all.

x

September's GlossyBox

If you are not sure what the concept of GlossyBox is, click here to read my previous review on the brand.

I was sent this box a few days ago, so I could familiarise myself with the products and write a review in time for you.

I've included this photo so people don't see the contents of this months box on their dashboards, which would ruin the surprise.

The HD Brows Eye&Brow Palette in Vamp (£19.95) was the first product I saw and recognised. It's definitely the stand out product of this months box and takes September's GlossyBox from not so good, to great. Inside the compact is a pointless applicator, but it also comes with a bigger brush, which is great. The powders (which can also be used as eyeshadows and eyeliners) are very pigmented and last all day. The shades are slightly too dark compared to my normal brow powder, but with a light hand, I can use both of the bottom shades. I'm not sure how well this palette will work with blondes though, but it can cater for the majority of brunettes and dark haired ladies.

As I said, I'm not blown away by the rest of the products. The Green People Day Solution 10ml (£3.60 for a 10ml sample tube) is light and absorbs into the skin well. It has a strong scent though, which is a little off putting. To me, it smells of Turkish delight. I like the scent of Turkish delight, but not this strong!

The Móa The Green Balm (£9.99 for 50ml, £4.99 for 20ml) sample is very small, but I do like the product. Móa says: 'Móa is a natural skin care balm with miraculous healing powers to soothe, nourish and renew dry, itchy skin conditions, bumps, bites, grazes and minor burns. Moa even works wonders after shaving and as a facial cleansing balm.' Don't you love multi-purpose products? Because it's a balm, the small sample should last a while if you are only going to put it on the likes and bites and small burns. It also has a minty scent, which I like.

Plum by Mary Greenwell 1.5ml (£90 for 100ml) is fruity, but not overly sweet. The top notes include peach, blackcurrent, plum, bergamot and lemon- yum! The scent is very strong though.

The Rahua Shampoo 20ml and Conditioner 16ml (£26 and £27.50 for 275ml) are OK. They do their job, but so does the 30p Tesco shampoo my mum uses. I am not a fan of the scent at all. Personally, I think it smells of musky garden.

As you can see from the above, scents play a huge factor in whether I like a product or not!

Overall, I like this months box. But that's only because of the HD Brow Palette. I've seen that other boxes included a full sized hair treatment as well. If I was a customer, I would be a little miffed if I received a sample and others received a full sized product. I know they can't please everyone, but it would be nice if everyone received the same amount of full sized and sample products.

Will I be subscribing? I would like to. I'll have to work out my finances and see if I can afford to spend £12.95 a month. However, if other boxes are like this one (where I receive a sample and others receive full sized products) I'll be unsubscribing straight away, because I don't think it's fair.

x

Ped Egg Giveaway Winners

Hello!
The 1st winner of my Ped Egg giveaway is Sophie! You have won the Ped Egg of your choice, which is the silver one.
The second winner, who has won the remaining gold Ped Egg, is Ellie.
Congratulations to the both of you, I am just about to send you an email :)
Please reply by 12pm Wednesday 14th September. If you don't, I'll pick other winners.
Thank you to everyone who entered!
x

Shop!

Good evening! I have some goodies to show you :) I'm building up my little wardrobe, so I should have a few shops coming up in the next couple of months. I still have to get dresses, tops, cardigans, hoodies, heels and more!

Sorry that the photos aren't of great quality. My camera is rubbish for taking distant photos, especially of clothes. Also, I couldn't find anywhere to photograph, so used my bed which is currently sporting my childhood bedding!

ASDA:

Parka coat £25.

The photo isn't doing it justice, which is a shame. I needed a light jacket/coat because I don't want to be carrying around my heavy Winter coat all the time!

Original Source shower gels £1 each.

Original Source shower gels are my favourite. I only buy them when they're on offer though (which is a lot of the time). I've been waiting for somewhere to put them on offer for ages, so when I saw them in ASDA, I picked up 4!

Primark:

Navy knitted cardigan/throw over with pockets £12.

This photo is terrible *sigh*. I was a little apprehensive about buying it because I tend to buy things for practical reasons, and as you can see, the sleeves aren't long enough to cover my arms and keep me warm. I decided to get it though because I will wear it a lot. It's bat winged, which is very flattering.

Pajama bottoms £5 each.

I love love love Primark pajamas! They offer a range of designs and the quality is good. I'm going to pick up a few more of these in different colours and patterns.

Hair ties £1 each.

I stocked up on my usual hair ties!

New Look:

Skinny jeans £19.99 each.

Again, the photo does not do them justice. I love New Look jeans. I don't like my jeans to be one colour all over, but a little faded in the middle (like above).

I walked past the Wide Fit shoes section and saw some suede court heels. On the shelf, they looked 'meh', but on, they looked gorgeous. I tried on a 7 and to my surprise, they were too big. The 6s fit perfectly. With heels, it's better for them to be tight than loose, because if they're loose, you can't walk in them! Anyway, I didn't know whether to get the black or teal pair, but decided that the black would go with more and if I liked them, I could then get the teal pair. They didn't have any black size 6s left though, so I'm going to order them online. Don't be put off by the words 'Wide Fit'. These were not wide fit at all!

x

Ped Egg giveaway! CLOSED

Hello my lovelies! I have a treat for you today!

The other week, I reviewed the Ped Egg. You can see the post here.

The lovely people at JML Direct have offered to give not one, but two Ped Eggs to my readers. You won't be receiving a white one like the one above though. One winner will receive a gold Ped Egg and another will receive a silver Ped Egg. Unfortunately, I haven't got a photo to show you, so you'll have to use your imagination!

If you would like to purchase your own Ped Egg, click here. JML Direct do a range of colours.

The company are also on Facebook, so get liking!

So, would you like to win a Ped Egg? Carry on reading.

The rules:

• You must be a follower/member of Affordable Treats.
• UK only.
• If you are under 16, please make sure your parents are OK with you receiving the prize.

How to enter:

• Simply leave me a nice comment!
• Include whether you would like to win the gold or silver Ped Egg. The first winner (who will be chosen with random.org) will receive the Ped Egg of their choice. The second winner will receive the remaining colour.
• Also include your email address so I can contact you if you win!

The giveaway will be open for a week. You have until midday on Friday 9th September to enter.

Good luck!

x

Someday Summary - Thursday

Good evening!

I realised last night that I have yet to talk about my Lee Evans live experience, so here we are!

• I'd never seen anyone live before so was quite excited. However, I thought he would tell the same old jokes, which I wasn't looking forward to. Fortunately, he had new material! He told his jokes (in which he took the piss out of the Plymouth 'farmer' accent haha), sang a new song he wrote (which I thoroughly enjoyed) and then done his Galileo routine. Afterwards, he shook hands and had photos taken with the front row, which was annoying because we were four rows from the front. So close but so far!
• I haven't wrote a Someday Summary since before exam results day, so if you didn't know, I'm going to University! My results weren't the best, but they got me in :) I'm not good with people and I think I'll be too dumb for the course, so I'm off to a great start! haha
• I'm living at home, so am going to have a good chunk of money spare. In the next month, I'm going clothes shopping! I know it sounds like what a typical girl would do, but I really do need a new wardrobe. I was going to get another puppy as well (My third Border Collie) but I've decided against it. I think it's best to have a few hundred spare in the bank. Saying that, if I see an advert for a puppy, I'll probably be on the phone in seconds, asking if it is still available!

These are my new mugs, which I love. They're from Tesco and were 2 for £4.

Hope you're having a great week!

x